Kilmacolm
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Map sources for Kilmacolm at grid reference NS365695
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Kilmacolm is a small (mainly commuter) village in Inverclyde, Scotland although traditionally (and still commonly) considered as lying within the traditional county of Renfrewshire. It has a village centre with a number of small shops, one public house and two main church buildings.
It lies on the northern slope of Strathgryffe about 7 miles south-east of Greenock. It takes its name (which translates as 'Cell (or Church) of Columba) from the dedication of its ancient church of St. Columba of Iona. The aisle of this 13th century church adjoins the newer parish church of 1833. The ruin of Duchal Castle lies on the village's outskirts.
Around the church, houses were built for the agricultural workers and traders of the district, but it was after 1836 that the village's character changed somewhat. Larger, grander houses started to be built.
With the arrival of the Greenock and Ayrshire railway in 1869, which ran from Greenock to the terminus of the Glasgow and South Western Railway at Bridge of Weir, Kilmacolm became a desirable dormitory settlement for Glasgow. As a result many attractive Victorian villas were constructed, and a spa (the Hydro) was errected (now demolished). Stopping passenger services from Glasgow St Enoch station ceased beyond Kilmacolm in 1959 and Kilmacolm became the western terminus of the Paisley Canal Railway line in 1966. The line from Glasgow was closed completely in 1983, although it has been reopened from Glasgow Central station to Paisley Canal Station. For many years the village was without a pub. The site of the former station has now been converted to the only pub in Kilmacolm, The Pullman Tavern. The track has been converted into a cycle path, and is now part of the Forth to Firth Canal Pathway.
Kilmacolm remains a dormitory settlement, although it has expanded less in recent years than many similar small towns and villages. There are two schools in the village: Kilmacolm Primary School (state) and St Columba's (independent), which has both a primary and secondary school within it.
Notable in the area is the moot-hill (ancient crowning place) near River Gryffe and the ruins of the Norman church of St. Fillan. To the north of the Village, towards Port Glasgow, are the remains of a Roman Fortlet, an outpost on the Antonine Wall. Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed a house in the village (Windyhill). Nearby is the settlement of Quarrier's Village, built by the Glasgow philanthropist William Quarrier as a children's home in several cottage-style settings. The cottages no longer serve this function and are all now residential.
