Kilbirnie

Glengarnock Steel Works opened its blast furnaces around 1841 which caused a massive influx of people from all over the country, as well as all over the world. Initially these works were owned by Merry & Cunninghame before being taken over by David Colville & Sons and eventually nationalised as part of British Steel Corporation and finally closed in 1985. The steelworks in Glengarnock provided employment for most men of the community. The entire collection of staff magazines of the steelworks at Glengarnock have been preserved and are held at the Mitchell Library. This provides content such as spotlights on employees and departments, and contains photographs over 100 years old.

Moorpark House.

These mills are famous for their nets, used by the British Army and BT Tower. They are one of very few companies in the United Kingdom who have expertise in this area. W & J Knox Threadmills was owned by the Knox family who were prominent, not only in Ayrshire but in the South of England too, becoming important members of society. Some of the mansion houses they built still remain, the Knox Institute was donated by a member of the Knox family and housed Kilbirnie's first public library and one of the cemeteries in the town contains an underground vault where the family are interred, next to the main Knox monument. Who's Who editions of the period list many members of the family.

Since the closure of the steel works in the 1980s, the area has been an unemployment blackspot with distinct social problems. The town has very few local employers, and people generally commute out of the town to work. Glengarnock railway station serves the town and has three trains per hour to Paisley and Glasgow. There are regular bus services to Glasgow, Paisley, Largs and Irvine provided by Western Buses and McGill's.

Amongst many other old buildings in the Town, stands the Walker Hall, a memorial hall dedicated to Dr Walker, one of the first physicians in the town. In the 1950s and '60s it was a famous concert venue, coming second only to the Barrowlands. Famous bands to have played the hall include Gerry & The Pacemakers and Bill Haley & His Comets. These days however, it houses the town's Citizens Advice Bureau. Other sources of entertainment in the 1950s and 60s included two cinemas, both of which have long since closed. One of these cinemas is now the Radio City . An Association was formed in 1998 to identify ways of providing much needed local facilities. During the 1997 election campaign, Brian Wilson met with a group of local teenagers who stressed the need for facilities, and plans were developed to provide a Healthy Living Centre which would include fitness facilities, internet access, a healthy eating cafe and child care. Bids for funding were made to private organisations and the National Lottery.

The fair was considered the largest horse market in the west of Scotland. Robert Burns refers to the town in his poem "The Inventory" about a plough-horse that he purchased at the fair:

"My furr-ahin 's a wordy beast, As e'er in tug or tow was traced. The fourth's a Highland Donald hastle, A damn'd red-wud Kilburnie blastie!"

Local football team Kilbirnie Ladeside F.C. derive their sobriquet "the blasties" from the poem, a suitable appellation and an epithet which remains to this day due to the town's past of steel and iron production, as a reference to the blast furnaces.

• Jameson Clark, actor, starring in films such as Whisky Galore!
• James Jameson, Surgeon General, Army Medical Service
• Joanne Love, footballer
• Gordon McQueen, former Scotland, Manchester United and Leeds United footballer and Sky Sports Presenter.
• Julie Peacock, Regional Correspondent BBC Reporting Scotland
• George Stevenson, former Scotland and Motherwell F.C. footballer, went on to be the club's most successful manager
• Allan Wilson, Politician, former Labour Member of the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government Minister.

The "Auld Kirk" is one of the oldest churches in Scotland still in use both pre-and post-Reformation. Robert Burns allegedly came to the blacksmiths near the Kirk. It is from this Church that Kilbirnie takes its name.

Father Thomas P Lee, a young Irish priest, was sent in 1859 to be the resident priest in Kilbirnie. It is unclear how he raised the money to build the church. He chose St. Brigid (devotion to the poor) to be the patron saint of the parish. Opened in 1862. The current parish priest is Father Mark Kelly.

Tracing its roots back to 1889, a full history of the assembly can be found in the middle if the article here:- http://www.plymouthbrethren.org/article/5989

• Moorpark Primary School, accessed from Milton Road or School Road by students, was opened in 1978 to replace Ladyland School built in 1869 and Bridgend School built in 1893. The school is located east of its namesake Moorpark House and is adjacent to local secondary school Garnock Academy
• Glengarnock Primary School has from 10 January 2017 been situated in the Garnock Community Campus.[3]
• Saint Bridget's Primary School, located on Hagthorne Avenue, educates local Roman Catholic and Christian children. This location opened in October 1963 replacing the 1894 building. Secondary level Catholic pupils attend the Secondary school, St Matthew's Academy in Saltcoats.

• Garnock Academy is a secondary school that was formed in 1971 by the amalgamation of Beith Academy, Dalry High School, Kilbirnie Central School and Speir's school. Opening in September 1972, it was situated on School Road adjacent to Moorpark Primary, However, as of January 2017, the school moved into the new Garnock Community Campus in the Glengarnock area alongside the Primary school, Community Pool and library and other public offices and areas. It is a non-denominational co-educational school serving Barmill, Beith, Dalry, Gateside, Glengarnock, Kilbirnie, Longbar and the surrounding area. It has around 1,100 pupils.

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• The town is serviced by Glengarnock railway station which runs regular services managed by Abellio ScotRail on the Ayrshire Coast Line. There are three trains per hour to Glasgow Mon - Sat, and an hourly service on Sunday.

The area is served by Stagecoach West Scotland and McGill's Bus Services.

• 25, 25A, 25B and 25C Beith - Irvine Cross / Bourtreehill / Broomlands / Montgomerie Par
• 904 Largs - Paisley
• X34 Glasgow - Irvine Cross / Irvine Railway Station / Bourtreehill
• X36 Glasgow - Ardrossan

The hills between Kilbirnie and Largs were often black spots for aircraft passing over and many crashed due to low fog. The crash sites are available to visit, with wreckage still visible and some of these now form part of Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park.

Glengarnock Castle, looking towards Kilbirnie Loch and the northern suburbs of Kilbirnie.

Lying 2 miles (3 km) north of Kilbirnie on a promontory overlooking the wooded ravine of the River Garnock is Glengarnock Castle, a ruined 15th century keep. Ladyland Castle, mostly demolished, lay nearby and Ladyland House still survives as designed by David Hamilton.

Kilbirnie Loch is 1 ¹⁄₂ miles (2.4 km) long and nearly ¹⁄₂ mile (800 m) broad. Part of the area around the Loch is sliding possibly due to the old mining shafts under the area. A social centre built on the shores of the loch began to sink and had to be demolished.

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  The loch in summer
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  Looking towards Kilbirnie
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  Kilbirnie Loch boat house
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  The south end of the loch