IN THE PEACEFUL village of Cambusbarron, on the outskirts of Stirling, there’s a modest sandstone house with a commemorative plaque on the wall. Unassuming at first glance, it marks the childhood home of John Grierson – a man whose influence on global cinema is profound, though his name remains unfamiliar to many. Yet, without Grierson, the genre we now call “documentary” might never have found its form – or even its name.
John Grierson was the eldest of seven children born in Deanston, near Doune in Stirlingshire, on 26 April 1898. His father, a schoolmaster and lay preacher, was a man of principle and learning. His mother, a passionate suffragette and Labour Party activist raised her children to think critically and care deeply. In 1900, the Grierson family moved to Cambusbarron when John’s father was appointed headmaster at the local school. The schoolhouse, where the family lived, remains a quiet tribute to a man who went on to shape the language of cinema itself.