Springside is a village in the parish of
Dreghorn
Dreghorn is a village in North Ayrshire, Scotland, east of Irvine town centre, on the old main road from Irvine to Kilmarnock. It is sited on a ridge between two rivers. As archaeological excavations near the village centre have found a signifi ...
, in the council area of
North Ayrshire,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
. It is from
Irvine, west of Crosshouse, and from
Kilmarnock. In the 18th, 19th and mid-20th centuries, the locality was a highly industrialised
coal mining district. The settlement is on the
Garrier Burn, which forms the boundary with
East Ayrshire
East Ayrshire ( sco, Aest Ayrshire; gd, Siorrachd Àir an Ear) is one of thirty-two council areas of Scotland. It shares borders with Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. The headquar ...
. Springside had a population of around 1364 in 1991. The
A71 now bypasses the village, to the south.
Introduction
Springside (NS370386) lies on the old main road from Irvine to Kilmarnock, with a junction for
Cunninghamhead
Cunninghamhead is a hamlet on the Annick Water in the Parish of Dreghorn, North Ayrshire, Scotland. The area was part of the old Cunninghamhead estate, and once contained several watermills.
Cunninghamhead and the mills on the Annick Water
The ...
and
Stewarton
Stewarton ( sco, Stewartoun,
gd, Baile nan Stiùbhar ...
district. A minor road branches off for Busbiehill and
Knockentiber. A
milestone
A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway line, canal or boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks; or they can give their position on the route relative to so ...
stood near the small shop at the junction of the road leading up to the primary school.
History
The entire parish of Dreghorn belonged in the 12th century to the De Morvilles,
[Frances Groome, Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland (1882–4)](_blank)
/ref> Lord High Constables of Scotland, from whom it passed in 1196 to Roland, Lord of Galloway. The name Kirkland is marked on Timothy Pont
Rev Timothy Pont (c. 1560–c.1627) was a Scottish minister, cartographer and topographer. He was the first to produce a detailed map of Scotland. Pont's maps are among the earliest surviving to show a European country in minute detail, from an ...
's map of 1604[ Pont, Timothy (1604). ''Cuninghamia.'' Pub. Blaeu in 1654.] and on Armstrong's map of 1775, showing its antiquity.[Armstrong and Son. Engraved by S. Pyle (1775). A New Map of Ayr Shire comprehending Kyle, Cunningham and Carrick.] 1775 map. The name infers church ownership, possibly through a feudal grant of land by a local baron in pre-reformation times.
Part of the reason for the development of Springside was to cater for travellers on the roads, with the Croft Inn being built by the Bankhead family from Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
in the 17th century to cater for the stagecoach routes from Kilmarnock to Irvine and Stewarton to Troon. This survives as Scott's Corner (2007).[Springside's ''Auld Lang Syne'' (2002). Springside Women's Health Group. P. 2.] The Bankhead area of Springside is named after them, indeed Bankhead was the main name for the area until the Royal Mail reorganised its postal districts in the 1930s and at that point many hamlets and other localities ceased to exist officially, such as Springhill, Corsehill, and Kirklands.[ Strawhorn, John and Boyd, William (1951). The Third Statistical Account of Scotland. Ayrshire. Pub. Edinburgh.] The eastern area of the present Springside was called Bankhead up until at least the 1921–1928 OS, the hamlet of Springside being originally clustered around Springside railway station with its Springside and Kirkland miners rows.
The earliest recording of the Bankhead surname is from 1527 in Riccarton parish, and there are many references to the family in Kilmaurs
Kilmaurs () is a village in East Ayrshire, Scotland which lies just outside of the largest settlement in East Ayrshire, Kilmarnock. It lies on the Carmel Water, southwest of Glasgow. Population recorded for the village in the 2001 Census recorde ...
/ Kilwinning
Kilwinning (, sco, Kilwinnin; gd, Cill D’Fhinnein) is a town in North Ayrshire, Scotland. It is on the River Garnock, north of Irvine, about southwest of Glasgow. It is known as "The Crossroads of Ayrshire". Kilwinning was also a Civil Pa ...
/ Irvine in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Bankends seem to have spread originally from Ayrshire to Northern Ireland in the 17th and 18th centuries, with some most likely returning in the 19th century. Documents in the National Archives showing the Springside "lands of Bankhead" date back at least as far as 1512. Bankhead is, of course, an exceedingly common Scottish placename in its purely descriptive context; however, it is a most uncommon surname.
Laigh Milton viaduct
Laigh Milton Viaduct is a railway viaduct near Laigh Milton mill to the west of Gatehead in East Ayrshire, Scotland, about west of Kilmarnock. It is probably the world's earliest surviving railway viaduct on a public railway,Roland Paxton and J ...
over the River Irvine is situated nearby. This is the oldest railway viaduct in Scotland and one of the oldest in the world.[
]
The old schoolhouse still stands at the Overtoun end of the village, the new primary school being opened in 1979. In the last few years (2006–2007), much of the council housing on the main road near the Croft Inn has been demolished and private housing built. The tranquil rural surroundings of 2007 totally belie the industrial past of the area.
Thorntoun Estate
Springside was close to several country estates which provided employment and contributed to the need for the establishment of rural settlements such as Springside. Thorntoun house and estate
Thorntoun School was opened by Barnardo's in September 1971 for children with emotional difficulties aged 11 to 16 years. The school closed in 1990 and Thorntoun is now a nursing home. The complex lies between the villages of Springside (North Ay ...
, including Carmel Bank, previously another Cuninghame property lies just up the Thorntoun Brae towards Crosshouse. It was home to various families, such as the Montgomerys, Rosses, Mures, Cuninghames, Peebles, Wreys and Sturrocks, before becoming a school, opened by Barnardo's
Barnardo's is a British charity founded by Thomas John Barnardo in 1866, to care for vulnerable children. As of 2013, it raised and spent around £200 million each year running around 900 local services, aimed at helping these same group ...
in September 1971 for children with emotional difficulties aged 11 to 16 years. The school closed in 1990 and Thorntoun finally became a nursing home. The house itself was demolished shortly after the Second World War and a new building constructed.
Warwickhill Estate
Warwickhill estate was situated towards the Overtoun Miners' Row. Farms with the name Warwickdale and Warwickhill are still extant, "Warrix"[Dobie, James D. (ed Dobie, J.S.) (1876). ''Cunninghame, Topographized by Timothy Pont'' 1604–1608, with continuations and illustrative notices. Pub. John Tweed, Glasgow.] being the origin of this otherwise seemingly very English-sounding name.
Warrix (now Warrick) Hill also formed part of the demesne of the De Morvilles who forfeited their lands to Robert the Bruce
Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventual ...
. Sir James, son of Sir James Stewart of Bonkill, son of Alexander the High Steward of Scotland
The title of High Steward or Great Steward is that of an officer who controls the domestic affairs of a royal household. In the 12th century King David I of Scotland gave the title to Walter fitz Alan, a nobleman from Brittany, whose descendan ...
, obtained Peirstoun (Perceton
Perceton is a medieval settlement and old country estate in North Ayrshire, Scotland, near the town of Irvine. The ruined church in Perceton is one of the oldest buildings in the Irvine district. The earliest legible gravestone dates from 1698, t ...
) and Warrixhill, and his son, also Sir James, in turn inherited. This son had only a daughter as heir and she married Sir William Douglas and thus the property passed by marriage to the Barclay's of Pierstoun. Warrixhill became divided into two and the Montgomeries of Bourtreehill
Bourtreehill is a large housing estate built by the Irvine Development Corporation (IDC) in the late 1970s which forms part of the Irvine New Town in North Ayrshire, Scotland. The estate has two main parts, known as Bourtreehill North and Bour ...
held one half whilst the Cunninghamhead family obtained the other.
In 1524 William Cuninghame inherited the lands from his father John and both parts were sold to John Edmeston, Minister of Cardross
Cardross (Scottish Gaelic: ''Càrdainn Ros'') is a large village with a population of 2,194 (2011) in Scotland, on the north side of the Firth of Clyde, situated halfway between Dumbarton and Helensburgh. Cardross is in the historic geographical ...
, whose son John sold them to Jonathan Anderson, a Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
Merchant. William Henry Ralston, a cadet of the Ralstons of that Ilk purchased them in 1790 from John, son of Jonathan Edmeston. A nephew, Alexander MacDougal Ralston inherited in 1833. Margaret Fullarton was the wife of Alexander McDougall Ralston. They were buried in Dreghorn parish churchyard. The three sections of Peirstoun were known as Pierstoun-Barclay, Pierstoun-Blair and Pierstoun-Cunninghame. This latter portion is thought to have contained Warrickhill itself.
John Muir of Warwick Mains died in 1875. He was a private in the Ayrshire Yeomanry Cavalry and was accidentally killed by his horse. He was buried in Dreghorn Parish Churchyard.
The Craig Estate
The Craig estate of the Dunlop family and later the Pollok-Morris family lies within the ancient Barony of Robertoun, situated above Laigh Milton Mill and leading down to the River Irvine. The original house was located in what was later to become the walled garden. The present Craig House, further up the hill, dates from c1780 and was enlarged c1835 and a portico and perron added by Kilmarnock architect James Ingram. The building was further enlarged in 1882 by architect Allan Stevenson with the west wing and in 1902 with the addition of the Winter Garden designed by architect Sir John James Burnet
Sir John James Burnet (31 May 1857 – 2 July 1938) was a Scottish Edwardian architect who was noted for a number of prominent buildings in Glasgow and London. He was the son of the architect John Burnet, and later went into partnership with ...
.[ The Pollok Morris family sold the house after WWII to Glasgow Corporation for use as a residential school or 'respite home' for Glasgow boys and later girls.][Strawhorn, John and Boyd, William (1951). The Third Statistical Account of Scotland. Ayrshire. Pub. P. 475] After the school closed in the 1980s the house was vandalised and eventually burnt out with the loss of all the interiors and the portico which had collapsed. It remained a roofless ruin before being acquired by a developer who along with an enabling development of houses in the policies rebuilt the house and reinstated the portico. The interior was not restored but was converted into flats in 2006.
The collieries, coal pits and tileworks
The 1860, 1898–1904 and, 1911 and 1912 OS maps all show that the extent to which Springside was surrounded by collieries
Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use c ...
, coal pit
Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...
s and freight only railway or 'tram' lines. Collieries were located near Cauldhame farm (Cauldhame and Springhill (Pit No.4), Bankhead (one called West Thorntoun), Springhill (Pit No.1) and Springhill (Pit No.2) at Springhill, and another between Busbiehill and Warwickhill. These were all served by standard gauge mineral railway lines, criss-crossing the countryside; they all now lifted, with only a few embankments left to indicate their original course. In 1860 numerous old and current coal pits dotted the area. The waste bing of Springhill (Pit No.3) still lies close to Springside in the field that may have been the Thorntoun deer park. Muirside pit was situated near to the Kirkland miners' row. The access track from Overtoun road is still in use today and is known as the 'pit road'.
The Corsehill tileworks made tiles for drainage and the excavation of clay lead to the creation of several large ponds. Swans nested on an islet in one of these ponds and a local football team from the area was called "The Swans". Some of the flooded claypits remain as part of a walkway and community woodland.
Miner's rows
Springside had many, built by the mine owners for their workers. Corsehill, Sprigside and Bankhead were constructed by J & R. Howie, Archibald Finnie & Sons and A. Kenneth & Sons. Others rows were at nearby Overtoun, also Warwickhill row, and Kirkland row.
The railway
Springside railway station or Halt opened in 1890,[Wham, A. (1997). ''The Lost Railways of Ayrshire''. G.C. Book Publishers Ltd, Wigtown. .] and closed permanently to passengers on 6 April 1964.[Butt, R. V. J. (1995). ''The Directory of Railway Stations''. Patrick Stephens Ltd, Sparkford. .] The station never had any freight facilities and trains ran from Kilmarnock to Ardrossan where they connected with Clyde coast steamer services to Arran and Millport. The route had ten return journeys a day in its last timetable before closure.[Stansfield, Gordon (1999), ''Ayrshire & Renfrewshire's Lost Railways.'' Pub. Stenlake, Ochiltree. . P. 26.] The railway went under the road, however the cutting has been infilled and the whole line from Crosshouse railway station and Busbie junction to Irvine is now a Sustrans
Sustrans is a United Kingdom-based walking, wheeling and cycling charity, and the custodian of the National Cycle Network.
Its flagship project is the National Cycle Network, which has created of signed cycle routes throughout the United K ...
cycle path and walkway.
The turnpike
Springside was on a toll road or turnpike. The name 'turnpike' originated from the original 'gate' used being just a simple wooden bar attached at one end to a hinge on the supporting post. The hinge allowed it to 'open' or 'turn' This bar looked like the 'pike' used as a weapon in the army at that time and therefore we get 'turnpike'.
The term was also used by the military for barriers set up on roads specifically to prevent the passage of horses.
In addition to providing better surfaces and more direct routes, the turnpikes settled the confusion of the different lengths given to miles,[Thomson, John (1828). A Map of the Northern Part of Ayrshire.] which varied from 4,854 to nearly 7,000 feet. Long miles, short miles, Scotch or Scot's miles (5,928 feet), Irish miles (6,720 feet), etc. all existed. 5,280 feet seems to have been an average. Another important point is that when these new toll roads were constructed the turnpike trust
Turnpike trusts were bodies set up by individual acts of Parliament, with powers to collect road tolls for maintaining the principal roads in Britain from the 17th but especially during the 18th and 19th centuries. At the peak, in the 1830s, ...
s went to a great deal of trouble to improve the route of the new road and these changes could be quite considerable as the old roads tended to go from farm to farm, hardly the shortest route. The tolls on roads were abolished in 1878 to be replaced by a road 'assessment', which was taken over by the county council in 1889.
Farms
Springhill farm no longer exists, being situated where the main road houses are now. Springside farm is still surrounded by open fields and the well established Kirkland farm is just across the Garrier Burn on the road to Busbiehill.
Springside primary school
The local primary school was threatened with closure by North Ayrshire Council in 2008 and staff, pupils, parents and local people launched a vigorous campaign to save it. The campaign was featured on national television, local press, etc.
Micro history
The County Council in 1932 planned to demolish most of the old miners' rows, and this was largely carried out, with new housing erected.
At the foot of Thorntoun Brae, just before the Garrier Burn on the right looking towards Thorntoun, was the site of the curling pond.
Springside had a boxing club. Jackie Paterson
Jackie Paterson (5 September 1920 – 19 November 1966) was a Scottish boxer who was world flyweight boxing champion. He was also British champion at flyweight and bantamweight.
Early life
Born in Springside, Ayrshire, Paterson emigrated with ...
was born in Springside in 1920 and went on to become Flyweight champion of the World as well as British, European and Empire bantamweight champion. Jackie died in 1966 after emigrating to South Africa.[Campbell, R.H. Edit.(1988)''The Story of Scotland''. Sunday Mail. Vol.43, P. 1204b.]
Strawhorn states in 1951 that a fair number of inhabitants are of Cornish extraction, having been brought up here to break a coal workers strike in the 1880s. They brought names like 'Chynoweth' with them, pronounced 'She-no-ef', Cornish or Kernewek for 'New House'.
Messrs. Archibald Finnie and sons have a rental income of £158 10s 0d in 1912.
Quoiting was a favourite sport in the mining community. The quoiting ground lay near the Springhill Institute.
The Springhill Institute is said to have been erected around the 1840s and used to be the Miner's Welfare Institute. Archibald Finnie of Springhill House had the building constructed and it remained the property of the Finnie family until 1952. Ayr County Council took it over and had the building refurbished and turned it into the Springside Community Centre of today. On the 1895 OS map, a smithy is marked in the position where the community centre is now located, giving some doubt as to the date of the institute construction as being in the 1840s. The revised 1905 map shows the institute and a smithy to the right of it where a small housing development of that name has recently been built (2006–07).
;Springside – 2007
File:Springsideoverton.JPG, Looking down towards Overton from the institute
File:Springsidefarm.JPG, Springside farm from the institute
File:Craigjhouse1.JPG, Craig House from Laigh Milton viaduct
Laigh Milton Viaduct is a railway viaduct near Laigh Milton mill to the west of Gatehead in East Ayrshire, Scotland, about west of Kilmarnock. It is probably the world's earliest surviving railway viaduct on a public railway,Roland Paxton and J ...
File:Laighmilton1.JPG, Laigh Milton viaduct and the old waste bings of Fairlie Colliery (Pit No.3)
File:River Irvine and Craig House - geograph.org.uk - 338355.jpg, Craig House from the River Irvine
A plant nursery used to exist between the institute and the Garrier, this is remembered in the street name 'Nursery Row'. The village was well supplied with missions, two being shown on the revised 1908 OS. One has been demolished, but the other survives as a quaint ruin in 2007. The Finnies, coalmasters, lived at Springhill in Kilmarnock. Springhill is now a nursing home.
Image:Thorntounbrae.JPG, Thorntoun Brae and bridge viewed from Springside
Image:Springsidetileworks1.JPG, The claypit ponds and community woodlands at the old tileworks
Image:Springsidetileworks2.JPG, The claypit ponds and community woodlands at the old tileworks
Image:Fairlieview.JPG, Fairlie woods and Gatehead from Springside
Image:Springsidesign.JPG, Springside, North Ayrshire
Image:Gareer2007.JPG, Mineral line embankment at the Garrier burn
Image:Gareerbridge.JPG, The Garrier Burn from Thorntoun Bridge
Image:Springsidemission.JPG, The old mission church next to the 'Springhill Institute'
The 'Pit Road' led to the old Muirside Pit.[Springside's ''Auld Lang Syne'' (2002). Springside Women's Health Group. Back cover.] running towards the cyclepath and pit remains.
Image:Cyclepathdreghorn.JPG, The Sustrans cyclepath looking towards Dreghorn
Dreghorn is a village in North Ayrshire, Scotland, east of Irvine town centre, on the old main road from Irvine to Kilmarnock. It is sited on a ridge between two rivers. As archaeological excavations near the village centre have found a signifi ...
Image:Cyclepathcrosshouse.JPG, The cyclepath looking towards the old Crosshouse Junction at Knockentiber
Image:Springsidepitroad.JPG, The 'Pit Road'
Image:Scottsinn.JPG, Springside main street and Scott's Corner, formerly 'The Croft'
'Arran View' is an example of one of the early privately owned houses built in around 1902. The land was purchased from the Finnies, owners of Springhill House, Forber House and Thorntoun House.[Springside's ''Auld Lang Syne'' (2002). Springside Women's Health Group. P. 13.]
Image:Springsidepit.JPG, A view of one of the old coal pits off the cyclepath. The beech trees are growing on the banks of the Garrier Burn.
Image:Arranview.JPG, Arran View
References and bibliography
External links
Maps at the National Library of Scotland
*
1860 OS Maps
* A Researcher's Guide to Local History terminology
A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...
Overton miner's rows
*http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/building_full.php?id=204934
*http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/building_full.php?id=204934
{{authority control
Villages in North Ayrshire
Buildings and structures in North Ayrshire