About Kilwinning - Topic for February 2010

[Hughie]

It's the most populace town bordering our three towns. This topic which I hope will remain on-going is dedicated to Kilwinning where many threetowners were born - my wife included. I wasn't, but can trace my family back to there in the 1850s and my Boyd side back to the 1700s.

My first memories of Kilwinning are from very early in the 1950s when we'd pass through the town on the way to Kilmarnock Baths - you got a good view from upstairs on an A1 bus. My McCallum family had a Gent's outfitters in the town back then, though at the time I was unaware of the relationship.

Some of the best times I had as a teenager were spent at 'the Hop' dance, which was up the Corsehill in the Love Memorial Hall. We rocked there to Sammy Kerr's band 'The Rebels" on a Thursday night. Spoke with Sammy and wife Rena (Boyle) about this when they were here in Australia last month. The hop started around 1958 and apparently was run by a local amateur football club - could have been the Dirrans?

Isn't it odd that Ardrossan and Saltcoats are known as just that, Stevenston is known as the bottom or top end. Contrast that with Kilwinning, though no bigger than each of the other towns it's divided into areas such as Woodwynd, Ironworks, Corshill, Blacklands, Dirrans and Fergushill. Did I miss any?
Let's hear your stories about Kilwinning.

[John Donnelly]

Hi Hughie,

Stevenstonians described themselves as from top / bottom end, Boglemart. Townhead or The High Road, the latter three being from a somewhat older era admittedly.

JD.

[johnboy]

Good on you Hughie putting Kilwinning into site,as you say a lot of your members will probably have something in common with it,i for one,will wait a little while to see other comments about the place then i will put in some of the things i can recall.
Probably take me a week to draft them all down on paper,before i start.

[morag]

A lot of threetowners will havebeen born there ( Buckredden) like it or not..
I think Kilwinning has undergone much negative press, though hilariously at times...'the Garnock was black wi' swans', ah'll kill ye stane deed'..oh how ah miss Tam Shields!

[Hughie]

oh how ah miss Tam Shields!

Morag, I read two of Tom Shields' books but I'm not up to understanding why he chose to use so many disparaging remarks about Kilwinning and its folks. I'm wondering if there is a Glasgow / Irvine overspill influence here.

[morag]

The Diary, by tom Shields, was comprised mainly of stuff sent in by readers, why Kilwinning ? Don't know. Stevenston had a large amount of Glasgow overspill, as no doubt did Saltcoats and Ardrossan, I think that was roughly when local gangs formed. Most of my time in the town was spent at the new St. Michael's, or walking up country roads.

[brvhrtjimmy]

my memories of killwinning are for the most part good, i went there with boyds bleach on a saturday.we started right at the beginning and you always tried to get off the lorry first and make a beeline across the road to a bungalow, the old guy there always had a roll an ham for you, then when we were in dalry road you would be sent to the british linen bank for a pounds worth of pennies and the pies from the bakers dickies i think it was ,that was the first time i tasted onion pies, then after dalry road it was into that big culdi sac eglinton place then down to the blacklands where two of us always managed to deliver 3 dozen briquets in a bag carried on our backs. then up to the woodwynde where u hoped to meet the other boyd lorry that done stevenston tthat came to killwinning to help us, when we met it that was us finished,i also worked in niel smalls and a saturday was overtime finish at twelve then along to the segton thats the first place i tasted a pie done in the microwave, i had a niece who was born in buckredden,the corseill well i remember goin up there with coal and on the left there is to lots of shops if you turned left there then right there is a street with a row of houses on the right and halfway up is a big gap, i was told the block that sat there sunk and had to be demolished maybe someone can enlighten on that, i also worked in the foundry that sat next to the station,one friday when we were finished early i skipped out on one of nixons lorries they were hauling slag to the new road across from stevenston cememtry so that passed an hour, then the station of course if you were coming home by train from ayr then u changed at killwinning, as a boy i seem to remember you had ages an ages to wait for the largs train yes all in all good memories of kilwinning glad you made it topic of the month hughie
James Barr (Brvhrtjimmy)

[Milda]

Yes I was born in Buckreddan,as was my first son,and both of us had to put up with sister Frater ,what a way to come into this world. Loved Kilwinning and ran around with a couple of girls from my factory days from there .When V and I came over for the reunion and quiz ,we stayed in the Claremont and then it changed over to Taylors for the next time we were over.We loved a walk through the town and had a drink in a couple of pubs and were made very welcome.
Milda

[johnboy]

Hi brvhrtjimmy,just been reading your memories of your times in Kilwinnining.The shops you mentioned were on the fergushill road and if you were going up it and turned left then right that took you into Keir Hardie Crescent,and i believe the area of land you mentioned became a play park for the kids in that area.

[arrangazer]

I was born in Buckredden hospital kilwinning my middle daughter was also born there. Grandparents also lived in Kilwinning, Aunts, Uncles, cousins all lived there as well. Uncle Jimmy owned the garage and coaches in Kilwinning running them to Blackpool also trips to dancing at Glasgow lots of the women I worked with at the ICI used to go on the bus trips along with me.
Present day my 2 nieces live in Kilwinning and there family.

Isobel

[Penny Tray]

Two things sprang to mind about Kilwinning for me - (1) the first organised, competitive football match I ever participated in was played at Kilwinning, for 1st Ardrossan Life Boys at 9 years of age. I remember getting off the bus at Kilwinning Railway Station and walking towards the town centre. For the life of me though I can't remember where the park was. Clearly it was somewhere around there but I still can't visualise where; and (2) the Railway Station itself which, as a main junction, giving a 'double' opportunity to catch a train to Glasgow and also giving access to Ayr, was often used by me.

I had a notion to post a photo of the station but whilst searching for a suitable one realised that the town obviously had an 'old' Caledonian Station with its main entrance situated up the main street. When I think back there was maybe still derilict platforms there in the early 60's?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... ailway.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[little plum]

P.T. Why would you be getting off a bus at Kilwinnining railway station, is this a Kilwinningism. The football parks I remember in Kilwinning were the ones at the Dirrans, (I think that's the area), they were close to Neill Smalls sawmill, the ones up the woodwind and the Buffs park on the right hand side before you went over the brig end. I remember playing in a cup final at the Buffs park for the 1st Stevenston B.B's it was that long ago I cant recall the outcome but still have some memories of the experience.
Would I be right in saying the image you posted of the station sits just past the present day traffic lights, the junction off to the right takes you to Dalry.