The Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, was at Milngavie Reservoir to perform the official opening of the plant, the culmination of Scottish Water's £120million Katrine Water Project, which oversaw the building of a new treatment plant which will serve 700,000 homes in Greater Glasgow with fresh drinking water.

It replaces the original plant opened almost 150 years ago by the Queen's great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, and it's said that it rained the day she opened the original plant as well!

The deputy to the Lord Lieutenant of Dunbartonshire, Morag Hart, was at Queen's side during her visit, and it was the first time she had met her.

Mrs Hart said: "She was just as I expected her to be, lovely and gracious with a wonderful smile that makes you feel at ease.

"She particularly seemed to enjoy talking to the schoolchildren from Clober who have been working on a project for the past four years in partnership with Scottish Water.

"The children were a great credit to their school.

"I was touched by the Queen's thoughtfulness at the end of the visit when she offered to say goodbye to me in the shelter of the platform to save me getting wet.

"I thanked her but insisted on seeing her to her car and she graciously accepted."

Richard Ackroyd, chief executive of Scottish Water, said: "This new works is capable of supplying 240 million litres (90 million gallons) of top quality drinking water every day and will leave a lasting legacy for generations to come.

"Further, we have delivered this historic project while having successfully safeguarded the ongoing community enjoyment during construction at our reservoirs complex, which is treasured by local residents as a valuable resource."

Don't miss next week's Herald for full coverage of the historic day at Milngavie Reservoir.