Kilbirnie Kirk.JPG

Kilbirnie (Gaelic: ''Cill Bhraonaigh'') is a small town of 7,280 (as of 2001) inhabitants situated in the Garnock Valley area of North Ayrshire, on the west coast of Scotland. It is around southwest of Glasgow and approximately from Paisley and from Irvine respectively. Historically, the town's main industries were flax production and weaving before iron and steelmaking took over in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The suburb of Kilbirnie in the New Zealand capital of Wellington is named after the town.

History

Archaeological digs conducted in the 19th century have shown that the area was inhabited during the Bronze Age. A crannog with a connecting causeway was discovered in Kilbirnie Loch. In 1792 Mr Dickie, the miller at the Nether Mill, was building the road near the mill pond when he uncovered an empty stone coffin, 6.5 feet long by 2.5 feet wide. He is recorded to have broken up the coffin and used it in the road's construction.Canmore - Nether mill Coffin, Lade, etc.
/ref> The earth mound known as the 'Miller's Knowe' has been identified as an 'ancient sepulchral tumuli', a burial mound, in the New Statistical Account of Ayrshire.Kilbirnie Heritage
/ref>

The town derived its name from the parish church, the "Auld Kirk". In 1740 there were only three houses; the population grew to 959 people by 1801. Half a century later, the town had grown substantially; in 1851 Kilbirnie contained 5,484 people, due to the Industrial Revolution. Growth continued with the opening of Kilbirnie railway station in 1906.

The 1913 networkers' strike in Kilbirnie was agreed at a National Federation of Women Workers meeting in late March. It lasted from April to September 1913, and was the longest recorded strike of women workers at that time. The strike, which enjoyed community support, was led by Kate McLean. In May 1913 there was a meeting in Kilbirnie where 10,000 supporters were present. The networkers' dispute was resolved on 2 September 1913 with improved wages and working conditions.

''The Decoy Bride'', a film starring David Tennant and Kelly Macdonald, was partially filmed in Kilbirnie.

Industry

Glengarnock Steelworks

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.

W & J Knox Threadmills

These mills are famous for their nets, used by the British Army and BT Tower. They are one of the very few companies in the United Kingdom who have expertise in this field. 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.

Nether Mill

Once the barony mill, it was known as the 'Nethermiln of Kilbirnie.' Until circa 1938, this Nether Mill, a corn and meal mill, was located on Knoxville Road. The remains of the cast iron waterwheel and walls of part of the mill are still visible (datum 2022).

Modern day

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.

Social history

Swinging Sixties and regeneration

Amongst many other old buildings in the town, stands the Walker Memorial Hall, a building dedicated to Dr Walker, one of the first physicians in the town. In the 1960s it was a famous concert venue, coming second only to the Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow. Famous bands to have played the hall include Gerry and 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 1960s included two cinemas, both of which have long since closed. One of these cinemas is now the Radio City.

Saint Brennan's Day Fair and Robert Burns

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.

Notable residents

*Kimberly Benson, professional wrestler.
*Jameson Clark

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