Allison Cargill House

Born 13 August 1886 Scotland’s first ever Guide, Allison Cargill, set up her own patrol, in the loft of some stables near her Glasgow home, with five friends from Laurel Bank School, Glasgow.

They formed the Cuckoo Patrol, affiliated in 1909 to the 1st Glasgow Scout Group. After
the war, as Division Commissioner, N. E. Glasgow, she enrolled 30 Guides at a time. She later became Midlothian County Commissioner and chair of the Scottish Finance Committee, both for 23 years. In 1939, she received the Silver Fish, Guiding’s highest award, and in 1953 became President of the Council for Scotland. Guiding East Lothian originally opened the Brownie House, named after Allison Cargill in 1975.

ACH as it is also known is Girlguiding East Lothian’s local guiding house that can be used for overnights, sleepovers, camps and training. You can find out more about the facilities and have a look around here. To book in please complete our contact form here.

This is the governing committee that manages the house. It is made up of a number of roles and our members are all volunteers.

Booking Allison Cargill House

Please use our contact us form, indicating the dates you are interested after checking our availability on the bookings calendar. Include your name, unit name and best contact details.

The house accommodates 24-26 people. You can find out more on the accommodation page here.

Yes by appointment. Email your request to allisoncargillhouse@gmail.com

The house has space within the grounds for 1 or 2 cars and the there is a small lay-by on the roadside for drop offs.

I have booked ACH what else do I need to know

Please remember to bring:

  • any groceries or supplies you will be requiring
  • First Aid equipment
  • Washing and cleaning cloths
  • Dish and hand towels
  • Kitchen Roll
  • Bin liners
  • Extra toilet paper, 1 roll per toilet is provided
  • Please use charcoal for barbecue

The house is supplied with:

  • hand sanitisation stations
  • cleaning products (we ask that you use these and not your own please in order to maintain the septic tank)
  • a limited supply of toilet paper, I roll per toilet (we do encourage users to bring more with them)
  • outdoor Games

No, unfortunately there is not a facility for campfire at the house. Allison Cargill House is not a campsite, please do not start any fires. We ask that those who use the house and its outside spaces to respect this. However we do have a BBQ station that can be used.

Yes we have a range of branded goodies you can purchase at the house. Please see our souvenirs page to see what is available and a list of prices.

If you are a member of Girlguiding you should be covered.

Supporting Allison Cargill House

Thank you. you can make a donation via PayPal here:

However if you would like to discuss other ways to donate please email your request to allisoncargillhouse@gmail.com.

Yes, you can join Friends of Allison Cargill House (FOACH). Click here to find out more.

Volunteer with Allison Cargill House

Volunteering can come in various forms, we have roles that involve different requirements. Please reach out and we can find a volunteering role to suit your time and skills and help you gain skills in the process.

We have open roles available please Email ACH at allisoncargillhouse@gmail.com to find our more and discuss your availability and interests.