Kilmacolm () is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

in the

Inverclyde Inverclyde ( sco, Inerclyde, gd, Inbhir Chluaidh, , "mouth of the Clyde") is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Together with the East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire council areas, Inverclyde forms part of the hi ...

council area, and the historic county of

Renfrewshire Renfrewshire () ( sco, Renfrewshire; gd, Siorrachd Rinn Friù) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Re ...

in the west central Lowlands of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. It lies on the northern slope of the Gryffe Valley, southeast of

Greenock Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowland ...

and around west of the city of

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 popu ...

. The village has a population of around 4,000 and is part of a wider civil parish which covers a large rural hinterland of containing within it the smaller settlement of Quarrier's Village, originally established as a 19th-century residential orphans' home. The area surrounding the village was settled in

prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The us ...

times and emerged as part of a

feudal society Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structu ...

with the parish divided between separate estates for much of its history. The village itself remained small, providing services to nearby farm communities and acting as a religious hub for the parish. The name of the village derives from the

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

''Cill MoCholuim'', indicating the dedication of its church to St Columba. The parish church was mentioned in a papal bull of 1225 showing its appropriation to

Paisley Abbey Paisley Abbey is a parish church of the Church of Scotland on the east bank of the White Cart Water in the centre of the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, about west of Glasgow, in Scotland. Its origins date from the 12th century, based on a forme ...

, and it sits on the site of an ancient religious community dating to the 5th or 6th centuries. Again in the 13th century, Duchal Castle was constructed in the parish and is notable for being besieged by King

James IV of Scotland James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sau ...

in 1489, following the resident Lyle family's support of an insurrection against him. Feuding between the noble families of Kilmacolm was commonplace in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, and in the 16th and 17th centuries, the parish again came to the attention of

the Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has differ ...

for providing support to outlawed religious

Covenanters Covenanters ( gd, Cùmhnantaich) were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. The name is derived from '' Covena ...

. The character of the village changed significantly in the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwa ...

, with the arrival of the railway in Kilmacolm in 1869. Many of Kilmacolm's modern buildings were constructed between this date and the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. The emergence of such transport links enabled the village to expand as an affluent

dormitory village A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

serving the nearby urban centres of

, Paisley and

. The economy of the village reflected this population change, moving away from its traditional reliance on agriculture to providing tertiary sector services to residents and visitors.

History

Toponymy

Kilmacolm is generally believed to take its name from the

Scots Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

language, meaning "cell or church of Columba" as derived from the

dedication Dedication is the act of consecrating an altar, temple, church, or other sacred building. Feast of Dedication The Feast of Dedication, today Hanukkah, once also called "Feast of the Maccabees," is a Jewish festival observed for eight days f ...

of an ancient

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chri ...

St. Columba Columba or Colmcille; gd, Calum Cille; gv, Colum Keeilley; non, Kolban or at least partly reinterpreted as (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is tod ...

Iona Iona (; gd, Ì Chaluim Chille (IPA: �iːˈxaɫ̪ɯimˈçiʎə, sometimes simply ''Ì''; sco, Iona) is a small island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though ther ...

. This is generally associated with the religious cell which was established in the sixth or seventh century on the site of the current parish church. The current parish church, known as the Old Kirk, was largely constructed in the 19th century and incorporates parts of an older, 13th-century Norman church, which has become the Murray Chapel. Traditionally it is believed that the village was the location of a cordial meeting in the latter half of the sixth century between Columba and

St Kentigern Kentigern ( cy, Cyndeyrn Garthwys; la, Kentigernus), known as Mungo, was a missionary in the Brittonic Kingdom of Strathclyde in the late sixth century, and the founder and patron saint of the city of Glasgow. Name In Wales and England, this ...

, known locally as St Mungo, the patron saint of Glasgow. In his book ''Kilmacolm: A Parish History, 1100–1898'', the then Minister of the Parish, James Murray, claims history would suggest the meeting took place at Glasgow, noting only that "''as, on that occasion, olumbapassed up the southern bank of the Clyde, he necessarily traversed a portion of Kilmacolm Parish.''" For a period in the 18th century, Kilmacolm was generally spelled 'Kilmalcolm', based on a presumption that the settlement's name originated with one of the kings of Scotland named Malcolm. A vote of the parochial board in 1905 altered the accepted spelling to 'Kilmacolm', based largely on a case made by the previously mentioned Rev. James Murray that this association was mistaken.

Early settlement

The early human settlement of Kilmacolm can be traced as far back as the

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with ...

, with a number of archaeological discoveries made within the village dating from that period. The most significant of these findings is the agricultural homestead located near to the Knapps Loch, which was excavated in the early 1960s. Later examples of human habitation in the parish are numerous. A number of early settlements around the village are listed as ancient monuments by the government agency

Historic Environment Scotland Historic Environment Scotland (HES) ( gd, Àrainneachd Eachdraidheil Alba) is an executive non-departmental public body responsible for investigating, caring for and promoting Scotland's historic environment. HES was formed in 2015 from the mer ...

. These include a number of Bronze or Iron Age hut circles and roundhouses that are believed to have formed lightly defended homesteads. While not listed, the homestead at Knapps is also mentioned by the agency as being believed to have a similar age. As the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

advanced north through

Ancient Britain Several species of humans have intermittently occupied Great Britain for almost a million years. The earliest evidence of human occupation around 900,000 years ago is at Happisburgh on the Norfolk coast, with stone tools and footprints prob ...

, they entered Kilmacolm – near to the

Antonine Wall The Antonine Wall, known to the Romans as ''Vallum Antonini'', was a turf fortification on stone foundations, built by the Romans across what is now the Central Belt of Scotland, between the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth. Built some ...

and contributing to the defence of the Empire's northern frontier. A Roman road leading to a fort at Old Kilpatrick was constructed through the north of the parish. Other forts were built at nearby Whitemoss, with a more significant one on Barochan Hill outside of neighbouring Houston, Renfrewshire. The Romans' continued presence as far north as Kilmacolm was, however, short lived. A

motte A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy to ...

also exists beside the Gryffe Water within the Duchal Estate, sometimes known as Denniston Motte. It is believed to have been part of an

Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 *Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature *Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 1066 ...

timber castle dating from the 12th or 13th century. The former building on the site is stated by Historic Environment Scotland to have "almost certainly acted as a manorial estate centre". There are potential associations with two local landowners: the Lyle family that later held Duchal Castle or the Dennistoun family who later occupied Finlaystone House. Its site listing also notes that "local tradition holds it to be the site of a Roman watertower".

Mediaeval and early modern Kilmacolm

In the

and Early Modern period, Kilmacolm was part of a largely

within the

Kingdom of Scotland The Kingdom of Scotland (; , ) was a sovereign state in northwest Europe traditionally said to have been founded in 843. Its territories expanded and shrank, but it came to occupy the northern third of the island of Great Britain, sharing a l ...

and later in the

Kingdom of Great Britain The Kingdom of Great Britain (officially Great Britain) was a sovereign country in Western Europe from 1 May 1707 to the end of 31 December 1800. The state was created by the 1706 Treaty of Union and ratified by the Acts of Union 1707, wh ...

. The parish was largely divided between two estates, which throughout most of the period were based at Duchal Castle and

Finlaystone House Finlaystone House is a mansion and Estate (land), estate in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area and counties of Scotland, historic county of Renfrewshire (historic), Renfrewshire. It lies near the southern bank of the Firth of ...

and began with its division between two families: the Dennistouns and the Lyles, who were later replaced by other families through sale or marriage. Many of the external problems of the two families related to religious disputes, the favour of the Crown and feuds with other families. From the early 13th century, Kilmacolm is mentioned in records of the church which seems to have been dedicated either to Malcolm III or, more likely,

Saint Columba Columba or Colmcille; gd, Calum Cille; gv, Colum Keeilley; non, Kolban or at least partly reinterpreted as (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is tod ...

. These records include an early papal bull of

Pope Honorius III Pope Honorius III (c. 1150 – 18 March 1227), born Cencio Savelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 18 July 1216 to his death. A canon at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, he came to hold a number of import ...

in 1225 and generally demonstrate the subservience of the church at Kilmacolm and the surrounding villages of

Strathgryfe Strathgryffe or Gryffe Valley ( gd, Srath Ghriobhaidh) is a strath centred on the River Gryffe in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The River Gryffe passes through the council areas of Inverclyde and Renfrewshire, rising in Kilmacolm and ...

. Duchal Castle, on the outskirts of Kilmacolm was constructed by Ralph de l'Isle (also referred to as Radulphus de Insula), whose surname was later Anglicised to Lyle, in the 13th century and remained in the family until purchased by the Porterfields in 1544. The Porterfields occupied the castle until 1710, when much of it was deconstructed and the stone used to build a new home further down the River Gryffe, which exists to this day as Duchal House. The ruins of the castle are still located in the parish. The name 'duchal' means 'between two rivers', and this indeed is reflected in the Castle's position, set between Green Water and its tributary, the Blacketty Water. Most significant in the Castle's history was its siege by King

in July 1489, following the Lyle's support of an insurrection against him. The King attended personally and, according to accounts, the inhabitants of the Castle surrendered immediately on the sight of the famous

Mons Meg Mons Meg is a medieval bombard in the collection of the Royal Armouries, on loan to Historic Scotland and located at Edinburgh Castle in Scotland. It has a barrel diameter of making it one of the largest cannons in the world by calibre. ...

cannon being rolled into position against them. The castle, however, was fired upon, and one of the Royal cannon gained the name "Duchal". The Dennistoun family originated in the parish in the mid-12th century and ended with Sir Robert Dennistoun, who died in 1399 with no male heirs. His two daughters inherited his parts of his estate and married into two new noble families, thus creating three main estates in Kilmacolm rather than two. The Cunninghams, later to become the Earls of Glencairn, had their seat at Finlaystone House, and the Maxwells later constructed a seat at Newark Castle in an area once known as Nether Finlaystone. With the death of

John Cunningham, 15th Earl of Glencairn John Cunningham, 15th Earl of Glencairn (1749 – 24 September 1796) was a Scottish nobleman, cavalry officer, and finally a priest. The younger son of William Cunningham, 13th Earl of Glencairn (d. 1775) he succeeded his elder brother James, o ...

in 1796, his title became extinct. Finlaystone House was passed to multiple owners, and is now the seat of the

chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the bo ...

of the Clan MacMillan. In 1668, Sir George Maxwell sold much of his lands at Newark to the city of

, for the development of

Port Glasgow Port Glasgow ( gd, Port Ghlaschu, ) is the second-largest town in the Inverclyde council area of Scotland. The population according to the 1991 census for Port Glasgow was 19,426 persons and in the 2001 census was 16,617 persons. The most rece ...

. A later Sir George Maxwell disposed of his estate in the early 18th century. Newark Castle is now owned and operated by

Historic Scotland Historic Scotland ( gd, Alba Aosmhor) was an executive agency of the Scottish Office and later the Scottish Government from 1991 to 2015, responsible for safeguarding Scotland's built heritage, and promoting its understanding and enjoyment ...

. The Duchal estates were acquired from the Lyles by John Porterfield in 1544. The Porterfields were staunch

Covenanter Covenanters ( gd, Cùmhnantaich) were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. The name is derived from '' Covena ...

s, and Duchal was widely seen as a refuge when the profession of such sympathies was criminalised in the 17th century. Illegal

Conventicles A conventicle originally signified no more than an assembly, and was frequently used by ancient writers for a church. At a semantic level ''conventicle'' is only a good Latinized synonym of the Greek word church, and points to Jesus' promise in M ...

were held in the estate, particularly on the natural

amphitheatre An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

which is positioned within the present-day 14th hole of the Kilmacolm Golf Club. As a result of these religious sympathies, the estate was sequestered by the Crown in 1684, and the men of the Porterfield family were arrested; it was however returned following the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...

. The last of the Duchal-based Porterfield family was James Corbett Porterfield, who died without an heir in 1855. His estate then passed to

Sir Hugh Shaw-Stewart, 8th Baronet Sir Michael Hugh Shaw-Stewart, 8th Baronet (11 July 1854 – 29 June 1942) was a Scottish politician, soldier and landowner. Biography He was the eldest son of Sir Michael Shaw-Stewart, 7th Baronet, and Lady Octavia Grosvenor, daughter of Ri ...

, who served as a Unionist politician and

Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire The Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire is the representative of the British Crown covering a lieutenancy area of the county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The Lord Lieutenant deals with many of the ceremonial functions as ...

. Duchal House was subsequently purchased by the first Lord Maclay, and remains in the family to this day.

Modern Kilmacolm

The arrival of the railway in Kilmacolm in 1869 marked a significant turning point in the village's history and lead to

expansion on a grand scale. Prior to this development, the village had changed little in the preceding centuries, falling behind the development of other parts of the county. Kilmacolm's rail connection came about as a result of railway companies entering into the shipping trade and the perceived need to link

directly to

's waterfront. Links to the wider world, and particularly Glasgow, made the village an attractive dormitory settlement. Kilmacolm expanded at an unprecedented speed and many of the large Victorian and

Edwardian The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...

villas which characterise the village today were constructed, as well as such attractions as the

Hydropathic Hotel Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy and also called water cure, is a branch of alternative medicine (particularly naturopathy), occupational therapy, and physiotherapy, that involves the use of water for pain relief and treatment. The term ...

and facilities such as banks and plumbed water. Combined with the dramatic expansion of the village and

gentrification Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning. Gentrification often increases the ...

of the area, the traditional importance of agriculture to the parish economy declined significantly. Slightly further east on the railway line, William Quarrier's Orphans' Homes were opened in the 1870s and remained as a residential children's community until the late 1970s. Since then, what has become known as Quarrier's Village has become largely residential. Kilmacolm gradually became a place with numerous amenities, with the construction of the Victorian schoolhouses of the village, the opening of a

Royal Bank of Scotland The Royal Bank of Scotland plc (RBS; gd, Banca Rìoghail na h-Alba) is a major retail and commercial bank in Scotland. It is one of the retail banking subsidiaries of NatWest Group, together with NatWest (in England and Wales) and Ulster B ...

branch in 1872 and piped clean water in 1878.Roe 2007, p. 118 Indicative of the changes which the

of the village brought, in the 1920s a local

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a Representative democr ...

was held in the village under the

Temperance (Scotland) Act 1913 The Temperance (Scotland) Act 1913 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom under which voters in small local areas in Scotland were enabled to hold a poll to vote on whether their area remained "wet" or went "dry" (that is, whether alco ...

, resulting in it becoming a dry parish where the sale of alcohol was illegal. The numerous

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...

s which had existed in the Kilmacolm declined, and it was to have no such establishment from this time until the 1990s. In 1921, the parish council purchased the former Buchanan Arms building at the cross, turning it into a Village Institute or

community centre Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole c ...

, which it has continued to be until the renovation of the Cargill Centre in 2009–10. In the religious sphere, the establishment of many of Kilmacolm's churches can be credited to religious disagreements, particularly the practice of patronage within the Church of Scotland – which allowed local landowners to choose a parish minister. This practice ended in 1874.

paused local development somewhat, and 300 men (66 of whom were officers) in the parish enlisted in the

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, s ...

. The village came to accommodate a number of

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

refugees. In the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, Kilmacolm was used to house evacuees from Glasgow and public buildings were used to house those made homeless by the

Blitz Blitz, German for "lightning", may refer to: Military uses *Blitzkrieg, blitz campaign, or blitz, a type of military campaign *The Blitz, the German aerial campaign against Britain in the Second World War *, an Imperial German Navy light cruiser b ...

in 1941. One bomb fell in Kilmacolm, causing minor damage and, following the war, the hydropathic hotel was used as a naval hospital until being returned to private ownership with its purchase by

Stakis Hotels Stakis Hotels was a hotel company in the United Kingdom led by Sir Reo Stakis, headquartered in Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United ...

. The modern village retains the character of its Victorian and

boom.

Kilmacolm railway station Kilmacolm () is a village and civil parish in the Inverclyde council area, and the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on the northern slope of the Gryffe Valley, southeast of Greenock and around ...

was closed in 1983, and the track converted into a recreational

cycle path A bike path is a bikeway separated from motorized traffic and dedicated to cycling or shared with pedestrians or other non-motorized users. In the US a bike path sometimes encompasses ''shared use paths'', "multi-use path", or "Class III bikewa ...

. Despite an increase in new housing in the village during the latter half of the 20th century and a corresponding increase in population, particularly in the 1960s and 70s, Kilmacolm has remained reasonably static in size over the past decade. Expansion into

green belt A green belt is a policy and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges, which h ...

land is now discouraged and, combined with a high demand for housing, this has led to an identified shortage of

affordable housing Affordable housing is housing which is deemed affordable to those with a household income at or below the median as rated by the national government or a local government by a recognized housing affordability index. Most of the literature on af ...

in the village. The

Olympic Flame The Olympic flame is a symbol used in the Olympic movement. It is also a symbol of continuity between ancient and modern games. Several months before the Olympic Games, the Olympic flame is lit at Olympia, Greece. This ceremony starts the Olymp ...

was carried through the village on 8 June 2012, as part of the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isl ...

torch relay in celebration of the

London 2012 Olympic Games The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

Governance

Kilmacolm is the name of a wider

, including the village of Kilmacolm, Quarrier's Village and a large rural hinterland. Civil parishes have been superseded in

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loc ...

by modern

community council A community council is a public representative body in Great Britain. In England they may be statutory parish councils by another name, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, or they may be non-statutory bodies. I ...

areas, with Kilmacolm, Quarrier's Village and the surrounding area falling within the Kilmacolm community council area. At a higher level, Kilmacolm elects members to the local authority –

Inverclyde Council Inverclyde Council is one of the 32 local authorities of Scotland. Created in 1995, its administrative centre is based in Greenock and its territory covers the area of Inverclyde in the west of Scotland, taking over from the local government distr ...

– as well as to the

Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyr ...

and the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprem ...

Local government

The parish is represented by Kilmacolm

, a statutory body consulted in relation to local government matters. In common with other such bodies, Kilmacolm Community Council is not party political. It meets monthly in the Cargill Centre, except in July and December, with an annual general meeting held in May. The most recent contested election to the community council were held in October 2015; the most recent election in September 2019 had a number of nominees fewer than the number of positions available, so was uncontested. The local authority for Kilmacolm and Quarrier's Village is

, one of the three local council areas in

and one of thirty-two across Scotland. Since 1999, the administration of local government in Scotland has been a devolved matter within the competence of the Scottish Parliament. From the introduction of

proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...

in local council elections in Scotland in 2007 until 2017, Kilmacolm was joined with

to create a four-member ward known as Inverclyde East. Following a review of local government boundaries, the boundaries of Inverclyde East were reduced to include Kilmacolm, Quarrier's Village and only a portion of the east of Port Glasgow. It is now a three-member ward represented by Deputy Provost David Wilson (Conservative), Councillor Christopher Curley (SNP) and

Leader of the Council In England, local authorities are required to adopt one of three types of executive arrangements, having either an "elected mayor and cabinet", a "leader and cabinet", or a "committee system". The type of arrangement used determines how decisions ...

Councillor Stephen McCabe (Labour).

Central government

Kilmacolm is part of the Inverclyde constituency for elections to

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

in the

. The constituency was created in 2005, with Kilmacolm previously falling within the West Renfrewshire constituency. Following the

2017 UK general election The 2017 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 8 June 2017, two years after the previous general election in 2015; it was the first since 1992 to be held on a day that did not coincide with any local elections. The governing C ...

the current Member of Parliament for the area is Ronnie Cowan MP For elections to the

, Kilmacolm is currently part of the Renfrewshire North and West constituency, changing in 2011 from the previous Renfrewshire West constituency. It is also part of the West of Scotland Scottish Parliament electoral region. The incumbent constituency

Member of the Scottish Parliament Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP; gd, Ball Pàrlamaid na h-Alba, BPA; sco, Memmer o the Scots Pairliament, MSP) is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament. Electoral system The add ...

is Natalie Don MSP.

Politics

By the early 2000s, before the introduction of proportional representation for local council elections in Scotland in 2007, Kilmacolm was considered a

safe A safe (also called a strongbox or coffer) is a secure lockable box used for securing valuable objects against theft or fire. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face being removable or hinged to form a door. The body and ...

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

and typically elected the only Conservative member to Inverclyde Council. Following the death of Councillor Alex Calvert, a by-election was held in the Kilmacolm ward on 8 February 2001. Turnout fell to 43.9%, down from 65.3% in the 1999 election, and turned Kilmacolm into a Conservative-

Liberal Democrat Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties usually follow a liberal democratic ideology. Active parties Former parties See also *Liberal democracy *Lib ...

marginal area, with the Conservatives' (represented by the former councillor's wife, Helen Calvert) lead being slashed 29% to 6% over the Lib Dems who rose from fourth to second place in the poll. In 2003, Liberal Democrat Tom Fyfe was elected by a narrow margin in Kilmacolm, also marking the return of control of Inverclyde Council from Labour to the Lib Dems. Since the 2007 local government elections, Kilmacolm has formed part of a larger multi-member ward named Inverclyde East.

Geography

Kilmacolm and the Firth of Clyde from the air (geograph 2600840)

At Kilmacolm is situated in the Gryffe Valley in

's western

Central Lowlands The Central Lowlands, sometimes called the Midland Valley or Central Valley, is a geologically defined area of relatively low-lying land in southern Scotland. It consists of a rift valley between the Highland Boundary Fault to the north and ...

. The village lies above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardis ...

, south-east of

, east-south-east of

, the administrative centre of

; and west-north-west of

, the nearest

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

. Kilmacolm lies within a

of the same name of of largely rural land.Rev. R. Cameron, ''Statistical Account of the Parish of Kilmacolm'' 1836 The parish stretches to the

Firth of Clyde The Firth of Clyde is the mouth of the River Clyde. It is located on the west coast of Scotland and constitutes the deepest coastal waters in the British Isles (it is 164 metres deep at its deepest). The firth is sheltered from the Atlantic ...

, some north of the village, and west into the

Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park is the collective name for areas of countryside set aside for conservation and recreation on the South Clyde estuary in Scotland. The park covers an area of of Inverclyde, North Ayrshire and Renfrewshire, stre ...

. The parish borders the parishes of

Erskine Erskine (, sco, Erskin, gd, Arasgain) is a town in the council area of Renfrewshire, and historic county of the same name, situated in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on the southern bank of the River Clyde, providing the l ...

Houston and Killellan Houston and Killellan is a civil parish in the county and council area of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It contains the villages of Houston and Crosslee, as well as a number of smaller settlements including Barochan and ...

Inverkip Inverkip (Scottish Gaelic: ''Inbhir Chip'') is a village and parish in the Inverclyde council area and historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland, southwest of Greenock and north of Largs on the A78 trunk road. T ...

Kilbarchan Kilbarchan ( gd, Cill Bhearchain) is a village and civil parish in central Renfrewshire, in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The village's name means "cell (chapel) of St. Barchan". It is known for its former weaving industry. History ...

Largs Largs ( gd, An Leargaidh Ghallda) is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" (''An Leargaidh'') in Scottish Gaelic. A popular seaside resort with a pier, the town mark ...

Lochwinnoch Lochwinnoch (; sco, Lochineuch, gd, Loch Uinneach) is a village in the council area and historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. Lying on the banks of Castle Semple Loch and the River Calder, Lochwinnoch is c ...

and

. The area generally consists of lightly sloping and occasionally rocky (mostly

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies un ...

)

moorland Moorland or moor is a type of habitat found in upland areas in temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands and montane grasslands and shrublands biomes, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils. Moorland, nowadays, generall ...

. Despite this, the parish is home to the

highest point A list of highest points typically contains the name, elevation, and location of the highest point in each of a set of geographical regions. Such a list is important in the sport of highpointing. A partial list of highpoint lists is below: World ...

, Creuch Hill at a height of 441 m (1446 ft). The River Gryffe, a tributary of the

Black Cart Water The River Cart ( sco, River Cairt) is a tributary of the River Clyde, Scotland, which it joins from the west roughly midway between the towns of Erskine and Renfrew and opposite the town of Clydebank. The River Cart itself is very short, being f ...

, begins its flow in the village, running through Quarrier's Village and then on to

Bridge of Weir Bridge of Weir is a village within the Renfrewshire council area and wider historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. Lying within the Gryffe Valley, Bridge of Weir owes its name to the historic crossing point tha ...

and other villages in the Gryffe Valley. A number of significant bodies of water exist close to the village, including the Auchendores reservoir at Cloak (to the north of the village) and the Knapps Loch, part of the Duchal estate. The Knapps Loch and the area around it is used for recreational activities and events in the village. The Loch is itself artificial, having been created by a local

angling Angling is a fishing technique that uses a fish hook or "angle" (from Old English ''angol'') attached to a fishing line to tether individual fish in the mouth. The fishing line is usually manipulated via a fishing rod, although rodless techni ...

club in the early 20th century. It is shallow, with a number of islands, and has a small

boathouse A boathouse (or a boat house) is a building especially designed for the storage of boats, normally smaller craft for sports or leisure use. describing the facilities These are typically located on open water, such as on a river. Often the boats ...

and

landing stage Seaside pleasure pier in Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th century.">England.html" ;"title="Brighton, England">Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th ...

at the shore.

Demography

Kilmacolm had a population of 126 in the year 1791. This had risen to 291 in 1811. In the

2001 United Kingdom Census A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194. The 2001 UK census was organised by the Office for National ...

, Kilmacolm is listed as a locality area consisting of the main village settlement. The total population of the village and census area was 4,000. 95.9% of this population were born in the United Kingdom, with 81.0% born in Scotland or a part of the UK not specified. 0.4% were born in the Republic of Ireland, with 1.1% born in the rest of Europe and 2.4% born elsewhere. The

median In statistics and probability theory, the median is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a data sample, a population, or a probability distribution. For a data set, it may be thought of as "the middle" value. The basic f ...

age of males and females living in Kilmacolm was 43 and 46 years respectively, compared to 37 and 39 years for those in the whole of Scotland. Kilmacolm has a higher than average level of older people, with categories of people under the age of 45 being below the Scottish average, and categories above that age being higher; 23% of people in Kilmacolm are of pensionable age and over contrasting with 19% in Scotland as a whole.

Economy

Prior to the

of the village, Kilmacolm had an almost entirely

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peopl ...

economy. Its income was boosted in the late 18th century by being a site of

fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

s, markets and religious events. In the 18th and 19th centuries,

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...

took place in the village producing

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

and

linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...

. This production initially existed as a

cottage industry The putting-out system is a means of subcontracting work. Historically, it was also known as the workshop system and the domestic system. In putting-out, work is contracted by a central agent to subcontractors who complete the project via remote ...

and later a small factory was opened in the 1870s. The 19th century saw a downturn in the village, which was slow to adopt modern farming practices and overtaken in importance by other nearby settlements. The village's Victorian and Edwardian expansion was largely a response to the greater commuting opportunities available following the arrival of the railway in the village in 1869. The laying of a railway line through Kilmacolm occurred in order to provide a direct

boat train A boat train is a passenger train operating to a port for the specific purpose of making connection with a passenger ship, such as a ferry, ocean liner, or cruise ship. Through ticketing is normally available. __NOTOC__ Notable named boat tr ...

link between Glasgow's

St Enoch station ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

and the harbour at

Princes Pier Princes Pier is a 580 metre long historic pier on Port Phillip, in Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was known as the New Railway Pier until renamed Prince's Pier after the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) who visited Melbourne in M ...

in Greenock. The clean air of the parish was hailed as having great health benefits, attracting both visitors and new residents who constructed significant residential properties in the village. Since this time, the village has been primarily a residential dormitory settlement, with the economy accordingly altering its focus to the provision of services to residents and visitors. Kilmacolm developed as a holiday

resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to provide most of a vacationer's wants, such as food, drink, swimming, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping, on the premises. The term ''resort ...

in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, mainly surrounding the

hydropathic hotel Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy and also called water cure, is a branch of alternative medicine (particularly naturopathy), occupational therapy, and physiotherapy, that involves the use of water for pain relief and treatment. The term ...

opened in 1880.

Culture and community

Parks and recreation

There are number of community and

recreation Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or plea ...

al facilities in Kilmacolm. Set largely in open countryside, a number of outdoor pursuits such as

and

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

are available in the local area.

extends into the parish, which also contains Glen Moss Wildlife Reserve, a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

operated by the Scottish Wildlife Trust. A

public park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to r ...

, Birkmyre Park, was donated by local merchant Adam Birkmyre for the benefit of the parish in 1897. The park is held and managed by the Birkmyre Trust. Recent redevelopment has modified the park's pavilion to contain a fitness gymnasium, a café and changing facilities as well as including a new children's playpark. Birkmyre Park also hosts

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

and

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

within its grounds. In 2009, the Trust proposed reopening the former

tennis courts A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the centre. The same surface can be used to play both Types of tennis match, doubles and singles matches. A variet ...

and

putting green A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

in Birkmyre Park following public consultation, as well as creating a court for

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

and

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a court by two teams of seven players. It is among a rare number of sports which have been created exclusively for female competitors. The sport is played on indoor and outdoor netball courts and is specifical ...

. Two smaller public parks exist within the Kilmacolm area: the smaller West Glen Park and a playpark in Quarrier's Village.

Sport

Local sports teams generally meet at the village's Birkmyre Park. These include the Birkmyre Rugby Club, who compete in the

Scottish Rugby Union The Scottish Rugby Union (SRU; gd, Aonadh Rugbaidh na h-Alba) is the governing body of rugby union in Scotland. Styled as Scottish Rugby, it is the second oldest Rugby Union, having been founded in 1873. The SRU oversees the national league s ...

's West regional league and Kilmacolm Cricket Club, an amateur team with a long history. The park is also used by sports teams for the village's schools. There is also a Kilmacolm Golf Club, Kilmacolm Tennis Club, Kilmacolm Bowling Club and Kilmacolm Squash Club, all of which have their own private facilities.

Events

There was formerly a funfair held annually in Birkmyre Park. Due to park refurbishment, it has not continued in recent years although alternative sites are under review. A

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...

visited the park in 2010. The field beside the Knapps Loch is used for community events such as the Kilmacolm and Port Glasgow Agricultural Society's annual show and the

Bonfire Night Bonfire Night is a name given to various annual celebrations characterised by bonfires and fireworks. The event celebrates different traditions on different dates, depending on the country. Some of the most popular instances include Guy Fawkes ...

celebrations.

Cultural references

Kilmacolm is depicted as 'Kilellan' in R.J. Price's Renfrewshire short stories A Boy in Summer (2002) and features briefly in Raymond Friel's poetry collection Stations of the Heart (2009). The Scottish sketch comedy ''

Chewin' the Fat ''Chewin' the Fat'' is a Scottish comedy sketch show, starring Ford Kiernan, Greg Hemphill and Karen Dunbar. Comedians Paul Riley and Mark Cox also appeared regularly on the show among other actors such as Gregor Fisher and Tom Urie. ''Ch ...

'' also featured a character, a man who breaks cultural taboos or does something very anti-social. When challenged or criticized, he then explains away his actions by saying that he's "fae Kilmacolm", which would immediately win understanding of his superiority from everyone around him.

Notable people

People with links to Kilmacolm are known as Kilmacolmics or Kilmacomics. The village has a long political tradition. The first Lord Maclay was a shipbuilder and later served as a minister from 1916 to 1922 in the

coalition government A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...

. His son, the second Lord Maclay served as a Liberal

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

(MP) for Paisley.

John Maclay, 1st Viscount Muirshiel John Scott Maclay, 1st Viscount Muirshiel, (26 October 1905 – 17 August 1992) was a British politician, sitting as a National Liberal and Conservative Member of Parliament before the party was fully assimilated into the Unionist Party in Sc ...

, the younger brother of the second Lord Maclay, was a National Liberal and Conservative MP, who served as

Secretary of State for Scotland The secretary of state for Scotland ( gd, Rùnaire Stàite na h-Alba; sco, Secretar o State fir Scotland), also referred to as the Scottish secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the Unit ...

from 1957 to 1962.

Annabel Goldie Annabel MacNicoll Goldie, Baroness Goldie (born 27 February 1950) is a Scottish politician and life peer who served as Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party from 2005 to 2011 and has served as Minister of State for Defence since 2019. She ...

, The Baroness Goldie, former leader of the

Scottish Conservatives The Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party ( gd, Pàrtaidh Tòraidheach na h-Alba, sco, Scots Tory an Unionist Pairty), often known simply as the Scottish Conservatives and colloquially as the Scottish Tories, is a centre-right political par ...

(2005–11) and member of the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...

was brought up in Kilmacolm.

Eleanor Laing Dame Eleanor Fulton Laing, (' Pritchard; born 1 February 1958) is a British politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Epping Forest constituency since 1997. Laing is a member of the Conservative Party and has served as a De ...

, the Conservative Member of Parliament for

Epping Forest Epping Forest is a area of ancient woodland, and other established habitats, which straddles the border between Greater London and Essex. The main body of the forest stretches from Epping in the north, to Chingford on the edge of the London ...

and Deputy Speaker of the

, was raised and educated in the village. In entertainment and the arts, musicians

Jim Kerr James Kerr (born 9 July 1959) is a Scottish singer and the lead singer of the rock band Simple Minds, becoming best known internationally for "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United States. Ot ...

Simple Minds Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977. They have released a string of hit singles, becoming best known internationally for " Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the '' Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United ...

and

Chrissie Hynde Christine Ellen Hynde (born September 7, 1951) is an American musician. She is a founding member and the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band the Pretenders, and one of the band's two remaining original members alon ...

The Pretenders Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete ...

were residents of Kilmacolm, as was

Gerry Rafferty Gerald Rafferty (16 April 1947– 4 January 2011) was a Scottish singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was a founding member of Stealers Wheel, whose biggest hit was "Stuck in the Middle with You" in 1973. His solo hits in th ...

in the 1970s. Hedrick Smith, a broadcaster in the United States, and television presenter Dallas Campbell also originate here. In business and industry Sir

Eric Yarrow Sir Eric Grant Yarrow, 3rd Baronet, (23 April 1920 – 22 September 2018) was a British businessman. After serving during World War II as a major in the Royal Engineers, he joined the family business Yarrows of Scotstoun, Glasgow in 1946, ...

, Bart., notable for his connection with Yarrow Shipbuilders, lived in the village from 1982 until his death in 2018 and served as a deputy lieutenant of

. Ronald Campbell OBE – an engineer and pioneer of nuclear power in the UK – was also brought up in the area. The late Wing Commander Hector McLean of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

was a lifelong resident of the village. In sports, Rachael Ferrier, who competed in the

2014 Winter Paralympics The 2014 Winter Paralympics (russian: Зимние Паралимпийские игры 2014, Zimniye Paralimpiyskiye igry 2014), the 11th Paralympic Winter Games, and also more generally known as the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, were a ...

at Sochi as a sighted guide for visually impaired athlete

Millie Knight Millicent Genevieve "Millie" Knight (born 15 January 1999) is a British skier and student who competes at international level for ParalympicsGB in alpine skiing in the slalom, giant slalom Super-G, Super Combined and Downhill events with a si ...

also resides in Kilmacolm. Prof William Arthur Harland

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

, Professor of Forensic Medicine at

Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

lived in Kilmacolm. Patrick Thoms (1873–1946) architect specialising in hotels and clubhouses.

Twinning

* Mérignies,

Nord Nord, a word meaning "north" in several European languages, may refer to: Acronyms * National Organization for Rare Disorders, an American nonprofit organization * New Orleans Recreation Department, New Orleans, Louisiana, US Film and televisi ...

, France In May 2014, Kilmacolm signed a twinning agreement with the village of Mérignies in north-eastern France. The twinning agreement with formalised with delegations from both villages first at Kilmacolm's annual show and again in Mérignies during the latter's

Bastille Day Bastille Day is the common name given in English-speaking countries to the national day of France, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. In French, it is formally called the (; "French National Celebration"); legally it is known as (; "t ...

celebration. A Kilmacolm-Mérignies Twinning Society co-ordinates activity around the twinning relationship, with support from the community council.

Landmarks

Whilst the village has a long history, the majority of its significant architecture is Victorian and

in origin, beginning with the arrival of the railway in the village, its

and the subsequent boom in population. Using a wide variation of styles, the parish contains a considerable number of listed and notable buildings.

William Leiper William Leiper FRIBA RSA (1839–1916) was a Scottish architect known particularly for his domestic architecture in and around the town of Helensburgh.Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

St Columba's Church is the most apparent Category A listed building in the village, with its tall saddleback tower modelled on the Church of St Nicholas in

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

. Constructed between 1902 and 1905, it was the final church building of Leiper's career. The parish church (Old Kirk), mainly constructed in 1831 incorporating a 13th-century chancel, is B-listed and another example of the Gothic Revival style. The third listed church in the parish, Mount Zion Church (Quarrier's Village; 1888; Robert A Bryden) is also Category B listed and in the

Scots Baronial Scottish baronial or Scots baronial is an architectural style of 19th century Gothic Revival which revived the forms and ornaments of historical architecture of Scotland in the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period. Reminiscent of Scot ...

style. The Cargill Centre, which since 2011 has served as the village's

, contains two Victorian former schoolhouses in the centre of the village. It contains a village hall, café and the Kilmacolm Library. Other notable non-residential listed buildings in the parish include Bridge of Weir Hospital built by William Quarrier, as a sanatorium for tuberculosis sufferers at the turn of the 20th century, in the free revivalist style and incorporating ecclesiastical references. The Hospital buildings are Category B listed, and have been converted into private flats. Shallot, the former mansionhouse of Adam Birkmyre which now accommodates the St Columba's Junior School, constructed in 1884, is also B-listed. In the countryside outside the village are the ruins of Duchal Castle, dating back to the 13th century and lending its name to the modern Duchal House and estate in the village. On a hill above the village lies the derelict remains of Balrossie School, formerly the Sailors' Orphans' Home. Of historical interest are preserved examples of significant

anti-aircraft batteries Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

dating back to the

contained within the parish, and a Decontamination Centre built in case of gas attacks on the United Kingdom. There is also a

narrow-gauge railway A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller struct ...

line formerly used for grouse-shooting in Kilmacolm. Known as the Duchal Moor Railway, it lies within the Clyde Muirshiel Park; it was used by, amongst others, King

Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire and Emperor of India from 20 January 1 ...

and finally closed in the 1970s.

Residential buildings

A number of large private homes are also notable in the parish, which are also drawn from a wide variety of architectural styles. The village hosts a number of examples of the

arts and crafts A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

style, most notably ' Windy Hill' (c.1900), designed by

Charles Rennie Mackintosh Charles Rennie Mackintosh (7 June 1868 – 10 December 1928) was a Scottish architect, designer, water colourist and artist. His artistic approach had much in common with European Symbolism. His work, alongside that of his wife Margaret Macdo ...

. This is one of a number of buildings Mackintosh was involved with in the village and alongside the Hill House is one of only two residential buildings wholly designed by him. In the adjacent plot to Windyhill is James Salmon's 'Rowantreehill' of the same era, an unusual building which was designed by Salmon as a family home for his own use. James Salmon and Charles Rennie Mackintosh were friends and sharing influences a following of the

Glasgow Style The Glasgow School was a circle of influential artists and designers that began to coalesce in Glasgow, Scotland in the 1870s, and flourished from the 1890s to around 1910. Representative groups included The Four (also known as the Spook School ...

artistic movement. Both Salmon and Mackintosh went on to contribute more of their work to Kilmacolm, Salmon designing four more listed homes. Following

William Leiper William Leiper FRIBA RSA (1839–1916) was a Scottish architect known particularly for his domestic architecture in and around the town of Helensburgh. Although Mackintosh planned for a tower to the constructed at Cloak, this was never executed. Auchenbothie House was donated by former owner Sir James Lithgow to the town council of nearby

in 1949 to be used as a home for the elderly; it later lay vacant before being converted into residential flats. Other notable architects to have practiced in Kilmacolm include 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 ...

whose works in the village include the Kidston Hall and the major late 19th-century renovation of Finlaystone House and

James Austen Laird James Austen Laird LRIBA (22 September 1878 – 14 February 1950) was an architect based in Glasgow. Background He was born in Glasgow, the son of John Laird (1850-1947) and Martha Barr (1851-1933) on 7 September 1904 he married Agnes Risk Thoms ...

, who worked on numerous homes in the village. Also of significance are the former orphans' homes at Quarrier's Village, many of which are listed. The homes were designed individually according to the wishes of donors, mainly by Glasgow architect Robert A. Bryden. As previously mentioned, Bryden was also responsible for a number of the non-residential buildings in Quarrier's Village including Mount Zion Church, Elise Hospital and what became Bridge of Weir Hospital, the latter two having been converted into a home for the elderly and a residential development respectively.

Historic houses

, a mansion house in the Baronial Revival style and former seat of the Earls of Glencairn, is Category A listed. The current building is mainly that constructed in 1760 around an earlier nucleus, and extensively added to and altered in the late 19th century. It is now seat of the Chief of the Clan MacMillan, with both building and grounds used for public events and visits. Kilmacolm war memorial

Duchal House, which was constructed from stone from the aforementioned (now ruined) Duchal Castle, is a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

style

country house An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peop ...

originally built in 1710 and largely rebuilt c. 1768 incorporating some of the previous structure. It is now the seat of current Lord Maclay. The third historic seat of Kilmacolm, Newark Castle, is no longer within the parish, having been incorporated into

. It is currently in the possession of

Monuments

Kilmacolm has a large

Celtic cross The Celtic cross is a form of Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring that emerged in Ireland, France and Great Britain in the Early Middle Ages. A type of ringed cross, it became widespread through its use in the stone high crosses e ...

-style

war memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

sited on a hill to the south-east of the village. The land that it is built upon was donated for the purpose by the first Lord Maclay, who purchased Duchal House and its estates in 1915 and lost two sons in

. In addition to his work on buildings in the village, there is also a

gravestone A headstone, tombstone, or gravestone is a stele or marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. It is traditional for burials in the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religions, among others. In most cases, it has the deceased's name, da ...

in the parish

churchyard In Christian countries a churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church, which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language and in both Scottish English and Ulster-Scots, this can also ...

dated 1892 and erected to the memory of one James Reid. A monument containing a time capsule is also present in the village centre, outside the old schoolhouse. It was created in 1985 to celebrate

International Youth Year The year 1985 was proclaimed by the United Nations as the International Youth Year (IYY). It was held to focus attention on issues of concern to and relating to youth. The proclamation was signed on January 1, 1985, by United Nations Secretary Gen ...

. A lion statue lies in Birkmyre Park.

Transport

Kilmacolm is well connected by

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types o ...

, lying on the A761 between

and Paisley a short distance from the link to the M8 motorway to

Johnstone Johnstone ( sco, Johnstoun,
gd, Baile Iain) is a town ...

, and is thus popular with commuters. The

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) is a regional transport partnership for the Strathclyde area of western Scotland. It is responsible for planning and coordinating regional transport, especially the public transport system in the ar ...

, a

public body A statutory corporation is a government entity created as a statutory body by statute. Their precise nature varies by jurisdiction, thus, they are statutes owned by a government or controlled by national or sub-national government to the (in so ...

, has direct operational responsibilities covering the area, such as supporting (and in some cases running) local bus services in Kilmacolm and across

Strathclyde Strathclyde ( in Gaelic, meaning "strath (valley) of the River Clyde") was one of nine former local government regions of Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and abolished in 1996 by the Local Government et ...

. Kilmacolm is served by the nearby

Glasgow International Airport gd, Port-adhair Eadar-nàiseanta Ghlaschu , image = Glasgow Airport logo.svg , image-width = 200 , image2 = GlasgowAirportFromAir.jpg , image2-width = 250 , IATA = GLA , ICAO = EGPF , type = Public , owner = AGS Airports , hub = *easy ...

opened in 1869 and closed in 1983; the station building is now a public house. The

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a p ...

played a significant role in the village's modern history and expansion, linking it conveniently to nearby urban centres such as Glasgow, Greenock and Paisley. Today, Kilmacolm's nearest

National Rail National Rail (NR) is the trading name licensed for use by the Rail Delivery Group, an unincorporated association whose membership consists of the passenger train operating companies (TOCs) of England, Scotland, and Wales. The TOCs run the ...

link is at Port Glasgow railway station which lies on the

Inverclyde Line The Inverclyde Line is a railway line running from Glasgow Central station through Paisley (Gilmour Street) and a series of stations to the south of the River Clyde and the Firth of Clyde, terminating at Gourock and Wemyss Bay, where it connec ...

linking Glasgow with

Gourock Gourock ( ; gd, Guireag ) is a town in the Inverclyde council area and formerly a burgh of the County of Renfrew in the west of Scotland. It was a seaside resort on the East shore of the upper Firth of Clyde. Its main function today is as a ...

and

Wemyss Bay Wemyss Bay (; ) is a town on the coast of the Firth of Clyde in Inverclyde in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It is in the traditional county of Renfrewshire. It is adjacent to Skelmorlie, North Ayrshire. The town and villages have always ...

. The

Ayrshire Coast Line The Ayrshire Coast Line is one of the lines within the Strathclyde suburban rail network in Scotland. It has 26 stations and connects the Ayrshire coast to Glasgow. There are three branches, to , and , all running into the high level at . ...

, running between Glasgow and the south-west coast of Scotland, is accessible at nearby Lochwinnoch railway station. The former railway track serving Kilmacolm has been converted into a

, and is now part of the Clyde to Forth cycle route (

National Cycle Route The National Cycle Network (NCN) is the national cycling route network of the United Kingdom, which was established to encourage cycling and walking throughout Britain, as well as for the purposes of bicycle touring. It was created by the cha ...

75). The route of the line has been preserved, and has been confirmed by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport to be available for use again should future redevelopment of the line be considered.

Education

There are currently two schools in Kilmacolm: Kilmacolm Primary School, a

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works ...

school, and St Columba's School, an

independent school An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British En ...

offering both

and

secondary education Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final ph ...

. The nearest state secondary school in Inverclyde, which serves the village, is Port Glasgow High School. The first schoolhouse was opened in the village in 1858. With the increase in population and the compulsory education introduced by the parish school board in 1889 under the Education (Scotland) Act 1872 the small building could no longer cope with demand and in 1888 a larger building was constructed adjacent to the old with accommodation for 600 pupils. In 1971, the school moved to a new site on Churchill Road, Pacemuir estate, and continues to exist as Kilmacolm Primary School, whilst the old schoolhouse is now used as the Cargill Centre, a community centre. St Columba's School was founded in 1897 as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

day school A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children and adolescents are given instructions during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compa ...

for girls. Since 1982, the school is fully

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

, and the serves 730 pupils between its junior and senior schools. A further independent boys institution, Dardenne Preparatory School, opened in the village in 1909 and closed in 1982.

Religion

The

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

religion has had a significant impact in Kilmacolm's history. It was the site where

John Knox John Knox ( gd, Iain Cnocc) (born – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Born in Giffordgat ...

performed what was possibly the first

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

communion in Scotland. One of Samuel Rutherford's letters give a flavour of the parish in 1639. Kilmacolm was also a centre for

. The town was also known for the "Kilmacolm Preachings" reportedly often accompanied by drinking and 'riotous behaviour'. There are currently two congregations of the

presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their n ...

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Reformation of 1560, when it split from the Catholic Church ...

, one Episcopal church which is part of the

Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...

and one

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in the village. A further Church of Scotland congregation meets in Quarrier's Village. The Parish Church, known as the "Old

Kirk Kirk is a Scottish and former Northern English word meaning "church". It is often used specifically of the Church of Scotland. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it. Basic meaning and etymology As a common noun, ''kirk' ...

", is ancient in origin. Its chancel dates back to the 13th century and is incorporated into the modern structure, built in 1830 as a replacement for a structurally unsound 16th century main building, as the Murray Chapel. In 1858, a number of the Parish's inhabitants broke away to form a United Presbyterian church in what had until recently been the abandoned Reformed Presbyterian Church. In 1868 the Church of St James was constructed on the site which now houses the

branch and lends its name to the town's main shopping terrace. There are no remains of this church today. The congregation of St James's Church planned a new building in 1900, which was completed in 1903. This new Church of St James united with St Columba's Church, which was formed in the 1870s following another schism within the Church of Scotland. This former St Columba's Church stood on Bridge of Weir Road, and is recorded as standing in 1907 although the date of its construction is unknown. The magnificent spire and much of the church was demolished in the 1960s, but the main hall still remains and serves as the Kilmacolm

Masonic Temple A Masonic Temple or Masonic Hall is, within Freemasonry, the room or edifice where a Masonic Lodge meets. Masonic Temple may also refer to an abstract spiritual goal and the conceptual ritualistic space of a meeting. Development and history I ...

facing onto Glebe Road. The slates from the roof of the old church were used on the roof of "The Glen" being built at that time in Glencairn Road. When the church was demolished and the congregations of St Columba's and St James's united, the former St James's Church where they met was renamed St Columba's Church – recognising the origins of the village name and its relationship with Columba. Through various unions, this church has become part of the Church of Scotland, alongside the "Old Kirk" Parish Church. These Church of Scotland churches form part of the Presbytery of Greenock and Paisley in the

Synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin word mean ...

of Clydesdale (''see:

Church of Scotland synods and presbyteries The Church of Scotland has a Presbyterian structure, which means it is organised under a hierarchy of courts. Traditionally there were four levels of courts: the Kirk Session (at congregational level), the Presbytery (at local area level), the ...

''). Kilmacolm forms part of the

Episcopalian Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway The Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway is one of the seven dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church. It covers Dumfries and Galloway, Ayrshire, Lanarkshire (including Glasgow), Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire and west Stirlingshire (south of the Ri ...

. The Scottish Episcopal Church is a

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

of the

. It is served by St Fillan's Church on Moss Road and currently shares a

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

with two other nearby Episcopal congregations that together form the Renfrewshire Heartlands Group of churches. The village also falls within the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

Diocese of Paisley The Diocese of Paisley ( la, Dioecesis Pasletana) is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in Scotland. Erected on 25 May 1947 from the Archdiocese of Glasgow, the diocese covers the historic county of ...

and

Deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or reside ...

of Inverclyde. There is one small Roman Catholic church in the village, St Colm's. Dedicated to St Columba, for whom St Colm is an alternative name, the current church building was constructed in 1995. The ancient religious settlement of

St Fillan's Kirk, Seat and Well St Fillan's Kirk, Seat and Well are located in the hamlet of Kilallan, once the main religious centre of the ancient parish of Kilallan (Cill Fhaolain) or Killellan, close to Kilmacolm, Renfrewshire, Scotland. The old parish was united with ...

lies between Kilmacolm and Houston at the hamlet of Killellan. The

St Fillan Saint Fillan, Filan, Phillan, Fáelán (Old Irish) or Faolán (modern Gaeilge & Gàidhlig) is the name of an eighth century monk from Munster, who having studied at Taghmon Abbey, traveled to Scotland and settled at Strath Fillan. Name The ...

to which it, and Kilmacolm's Episcopal Church, is dedicated is suggested by the

Gazetteer for Scotland The ''Gazetteer for Scotland'' is a gazetteer covering the geography, history and people of Scotland. It was conceived in 1995 by Bruce Gittings of the University of Edinburgh and David Munro of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, and c ...

as most likely being "Faelan of Cluain Moescna" from Meath in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

Public services

The

territorial police force A territorial police force is a police service that is responsible for an area defined by sub-national boundaries, distinguished from other police services which deal with the entire country or a type of crime. In countries organized as federations, ...

covering Kilmacolm is the

Police Service of Scotland Police Scotland ( gd, Poileas Alba), officially the Police Service of Scotland (), is the national police force of Scotland. It was formed in 2013, through the merging of eight regional police forces in Scotland, as well as the specialist service ...

, with Kilmacolm falling within its Renfrewshire and Inverclyde division, which is further subdivided into three area commands – in this case, Inverclyde. In 2011, the village

police office A police station (sometimes called a "station house" or just "house") is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, al ...

was closed with a facility opened in the refurbished Cargill Centre. Following a review of the policing estate across Scotland, the police counter was announced as earmarked for closure in 2016. For judicial purposes, the area forms part of the

sheriffdom A sheriffdom is a judicial district in Scotland, led by a sheriff principal. Since 1 January 1975, there have been six sheriffdoms. Each sheriffdom is divided into a series of sheriff court districts, and each sheriff court is presided over by a r ...

of North Strathclyde and public prosecutions are directed by the Procurator Fiscal for

Argyll and Clyde Argyll and Clyde is a present area of operations for one of Scotland's Procurators Fiscal. It is also a former health board area. It consists of Argyll and Bute, Inverclyde, Renfrewshire, western West Dunbartonshire, and western East Renfrewshi ...

. The

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS; gd, Seirbheis Smàlaidh agus Teasairginn na h-Alba) is the national fire and rescue service of Scotland. It was formed by the merger of eight regional fire services in the country on 1 April 2013. ...

is the statutory

fire and rescue service A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish conflagration, hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisd ...

covering the Kilmacolm area, the nearest station being at

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is an NHS board in West Central Scotland, created from the amalgamation of NHS Greater Glasgow and part of NHS Argyll and Clyde on 1 April 2006. It is the largest health board in both Scotland, and the UK, which c ...

is the National Health Service Board providing

public health care Publicly funded healthcare is a form of health care financing designed to meet the cost of all or most healthcare needs from a publicly managed fund. Usually this is under some form of democratic accountability, the right of access to which are se ...

in Kilmacolm. The village also falls within the Inverclyde

Community Health Partnership Community Health Partnerships, known as CHPs (pronounced ''Chips'') were subdivisions of Health Boards in Scotland, from 2005 to 2015, after which their functions were fully taken over by Health and Social Care Partnerships in April 2015. CHPs h ...

area – an organisation which plans and delivers a number of NHS services. Within the village itself, there are two general practitioner's surgeries. The nearest major hospitals with

accident and emergency An emergency department (ED), also known as an accident and emergency department (A&E), emergency room (ER), emergency ward (EW) or casualty department, is a medical treatment facility specializing in emergency medicine, the acute care of pat ...

facilities are the

Inverclyde Royal Hospital Inverclyde Royal Hospital is a district general hospital in Greenock which serves a population area of 125,000 consisting of Inverclyde (including Greenock), Largs, Isle of Bute and Cowal Peninsula. Inverclyde Royal Hospital is one of three mai ...

in Greenock and Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley. Bridge of Weir Hospital, opened as the Bridge of Weir Hospital for Consumptives in 1896, was based in Quarrier's Village until its closure in 2004, latterly chiefly serving chronic and geriatric patients.

Water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as ...

and

sewerage Sewerage (or sewage system) is the infrastructure that conveys sewage or surface runoff (stormwater, meltwater, rainwater) using sewers. It encompasses components such as receiving drainage, drains, manholes, pumping stations, storm overflows, a ...

is provided in Kilmacolm by

Scottish Water Scottish Water is a statutory corporation that provides water and sewerage services across Scotland. It is accountable to the public through the Scottish Government. Operations Scottish Water provides drinking water to 2.46 million household ...

, a public body, and water and sewerage charges are collected alongside

council tax Council Tax is a local taxation system used in England, Scotland and Wales. It is a tax on domestic property, which was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, replacing the short-lived Community Charge, which in turn re ...

, the local authority, on its behalf. Inverclyde Council is also responsible for the provision of

waste management Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. This includes the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste, together with monitorin ...

in the area. Kilmacolm's

distribution network operator A distribution network operator (DNO), also known as a distribution system operator (DSO), is the operator of the electric power distribution system which delivers electricity to most end users. Each country may have many local distribution networ ...

, the organisation licensed to transmit electricity from the National Grid to consumers, is

Scottish Power Scottish Power is a vertically integrated energy company based in Glasgow, Scotland. It is a subsidiary of Spanish utility firm Iberdrola. ScottishPower is the distribution network operator for Central and Southern Scotland, Merseyside, Nor ...

References

Footnotes References * ** Appendix 3 contains a copy of the Rev. R. Cameron's ''Statistical Account of the Parish of Kilmacolm'' of 1836.
RCHAMS Entry on Duchal Castle

External links

Kilmacolm Community Council website

Kilmacolm Civic Trust websiteKilmacolm Residents' Association

Kilmacolm Show website
{{Authority control Villages in Inverclyde Strathgryffe