West Kilbride
West Kilbride is a village and historic parish in North Ayrshire, Scotland, on the west coast by the Firth of Clyde, looking across the Firth of Clyde to Goat Fell and the Isle of Arran. West Kilbride and adjoining districts of Seamill and Portencross are generally considered to be a small town, having a combined population of 4,393 at the 2001 census.
History
Early history
A Neolithic cup and ring marked stone is located on Blackshaw Hill, near West Kilbride. This stone is unusual, in that it is carved with three spirals. Although the purpose of such stones is not known, it is considered that they may have had religious importance. Traces of an Iron Age fortification were uncovered when the house named "The Fort" was constructed in Ardrossan Road, Seamill.Celtic
West Kilbride is generally believed to be named after the ancient Celtic Saint Brigid of Kildare, often known as St Bride. The name suggests there was once a cell or kil to Brigid in the area, although local legend has her visit to establish her church around 500 AD. The "West" prefix was added in the early 18th century to distinguish between another Kilbride in South Lanarkshire. There has been a hamlet in the area since 82 AD when the Roman general Agricola stationed 30,000 troops in the area of the village now known as Gateside. Roman roads can still be explored around the village to this day, and many Roman finds have been reported and lodged in Museums throughout Scotland. William Wallace's uncle Crauford had an estate at Corsbie in the North of the village, and this is still in use as a caravan park called Crosby, to this day. In later years Robert the Bruce gave a grant of the lands of the Barony of Kilbride to the Boyds of Kilmarnock. It was once home to various mills and other works, and in the 18th century West Kilbride was primarily a weaving village.In 1826, the Hunterston Brooch, a highly important Celtic brooch of "pseudo-penannular" type was found by two men from West Kilbride who were digging drains at the foot of Goldenberry Hill, near Hunterston. Made about 700 AD, the Hunterston Brooch is cast in silver, gilt, and gold, silver and amber, and decorated with interlaced animal bodies in gold filigree. In its centre, a cross and a golden Glory represent the Risen Christ. The Hunterston Brooch is clearly object of very high status, indicating the power and great prestige of its owner. Nowadays, it is considered one of the most significant items of Celtic art, and is housed in the Royal Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh.
Medieval
Several buildings in the area date back to medieval times. Law Castle, situated at the foot of Law Hill, was built in the 15th century for King James III's sister Mary. The castle is a simple rectangular structure with a sloping roof and several large chimneys protruding at each side. In recent years, Law Castle has been substantially restored and refurbished and it now letted for functions and as a holiday home.Portencross Castle, thought to date from the 14th century, is situated right next to the sea at Portencross harbour. It is L-shaped and four storeys high, with a barrel-vaulted ceiling. The castle was roofless for many years due to storm damage. A campaign to save Portencross Castle from private ownership received national publicity in July 2004 when it was featured on the BBC's Restoration television programme. The title for the castle and grounds was given to the group "Friends of Portencross Castle" on 22 December 2005.
Crosbie Castle lies to the north east on the outskirts of West Kilbride. It was largely rebuilt from a tower demolished in the 17th century which was the home of Sir Ranald Craufurd in the 13th century, and it is said that Wallace himself spent some time at Crosbie. Currently the castle lies at the centre of a caravan park also called Crosbie Towers. Having lain empty for a number of years due to internal fire damage, part of the building was demolished in early 2007 after heavy storms damaged the external walls of the castle. Although the building is a Category-B listed building, permission was not sought before demolition.
Early modern
The town became known as a weaving and agricultural town, one of many Ayrshire towns specialising in potatoes. Since the town became linked by rail to Glasgow in 1878, it began to attract more visitors, particularly to the Hydropathic spa at Seamill and its neighbouring sandy beach.Governance
West Kilbride is governed by North Ayrshire Council as part of the unitary local authority of North Ayrshire and Arran based in Irvine, which controls such matters as education, environmental services and social housing. Police services are operated by Police Scotland. The Scottish Parliament is responsible for policy on devolved matters such as education, health and justice while reserved matters are dealt with by the Parliament of the United Kingdom.West Kilbride forms part of the constituency of North Ayrshire and Arran, electing one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. Katy Clark of the Labour Party was elected in 2005 and re-elected in 2010 with a 47.4% share of the vote. For Scottish Parliament elections, West Kilbride forms part of the Cunninghame North constituency, which elected SNP candidate Kenny Gibson to Holyrood in 2007 with 30.7% of the vote. Gibson was re-elected in 2011 with 52.6% of the vote, a majority of 6,117. West Kilbride is also represented by seven regional MSPs from the West of Scotland electoral region.
See also:
- North Ayrshire
- Bute and Northern Ayrshire
- Cunninghame North
Geography
Demography
At the 2001 census, the population of West Kilbride was 4,393. Approximately 85% were born in Scotland, and 10.6% were born in England. Compared to the population of Scotland as a whole, the number of children aged 5–15 is above average, as is the proportion of adults age 45+. 2.2% of the community were born outside Europe. 77% of residents own their home, compared to 62.6% in the population as a whole; 34.3 live in detached houses compared to 20.4 in all of Scotland, and the proportion of semi-detached dwellings is also above average.Economy
Work and employment
The local area is predominantly rural, but agriculture accounts for only 1.4% of local employment. Managers and professional occupations make up 33.7% of the employed population, compared to the average of 23.8% for the whole of Scotland.The main industries of employment at the 2001 census were:
| Industry | % of employed population |
| Health and social work | 14.6% |
| Manufacturing | 11.8% |
| Real estate and renting and business activities | 11.3% |
| Wholesale & retail trade and repairs | 10.3% |
| Education | 9.6% |
Farming and local industry
The area is noted for its Ayrshire potatoes. These grow well locally, thanks to the use as fertiliser of the abundant supply of seaweed conveniently deposited on the nearby shore by winter storms. For this reason West Kilbride was sometimes referred to as the "Tattie Toon". Other crops grown include sweetcorn, barley, root vegetables and summer berries, especially strawberries. Cattle and sheep are also farmed locally.Industries close to the village include the Hunterston B nuclear power station and the nearby Hunterston Terminal, owned by Clydeport. A 24 MW wind farm, owned and operated by Airtricity, is located on Busbie Muir, and has been operational since February 2004. Its capacity will increase to 30 MW when three additional wind turbines become operational, scheduled for Autumn 2007.
Crafts
Through the endeavours of the local initiative group, West Kilbride is now achieving fame as the "". The village boasts a number of craft shops and studios. The Barony Craft Centre provides a convenient way for craftspeople to sell their art and craftwork, in return for a share of the profits. In September 2006, West Kilbride Craft Town won the Department of Trade and Industry's "Enterprising Britain 2006" competition. Presenting the award, Alistair Darling MP praised the resourcefulness and dedication of the West Kilbride community.In January 2012 the Craft Town Scotland project achieved another accolade by winning the Creative Scotland £100k "Creative Places" award. The £1.7m Barony Craft Centre was formally opened to the public on 1 May 2012. This is now the centrepiece of this extensive community initiative. The West Kilbride Community Initiative is currently considering how to further strengthen the project, and this may be to consider the renovation of Kirtonhall.