A tour guide believes that he may have discovered a surprising connection between renowned Scottish architect Alexander 'Greek' Thomson and Old Kilpatrick.

Sean McGlade, 52, who runs heritage walks in the area, believes that the grave memorial of local clergyman Rev John Stark in the village's cemetery bears all of the architectural hallmarks and history that would suggest a link with Thomson, widely considered as one of the finest Scottish architects of the 19th century.

Mr McGlade, who originally hails from Belfast, explained how he came across the connection: "As a tour guide in the area, I go around a lot of graveyards and so I'm used to seeing various insignia and designs on graves. I noticed that this particular one had a strong connection and did some research.

"It was then I found the connection to Rev Stark, who was a relative and biographer of Thomson, and found it was a very uncommon story."

Thomson's legacy has often been overshadowed by more well-known architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and his work mainly focuses on public buildings in and around the Glasgow area including St Vincent Street's Free Church and the Egyptian Halls in the city's Union Street.

Thomson's personal style also took him to design villas and tenement blocks across the surrounds of Glasgow, with his work also being traced to Cove and Kilcreggan on the Argyll coast.

In 1991, the Alexander Thomson Society was set up by volunteers to attempt to promote and safeguard his work, with the Society's expert set to assess the Old Kilpatrick grave site to determine for certain whether it was designed by Thomson himself.

Mark Baines, chair of the Alexander Thomson Society, said: "Thomson's significance is in moving architecture forward into the 20th century, with many of his ideas and concerns evidenced after his death.

"His presence would have been felt better if much of his work hadn't been demolished, with only 40 out of 120 still standing. Despite that, his work is still visible to Glaswegians and he really made the tenement an artform."

The potential link links in with other historical elements to Old Kilpatrick, with Mr McGlade reinforcing its role as the endpoint of the Antonine Wall, as well as strong claims on being the birthplace of Irish patron Saint Patrick.

Mr McGlade said that the potential find represents a reminder of the history around the area surrounding Dumbarton and the Vale.

He added: "There is so much history around here and one of the things that surprised me about Dumbarton was that it was where the Cutty Sark was built, which is a major attraction of itself.

"There are so many things to bring tourists here already, and this could be the latest attraction."