Galston, East Ayrshire
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Galston is a town in East Ayrshire, Scotland which has a population of 5194, (2001). It is situated in wooded countryside 4 miles up-river from Kilmarnock and is one a group of small towns located in the Irvine Valley between the towns of Hurlford and Newmilns.
Loudoun Academy, the secondary school for the Loudoun area, is located in Galston.
The area of Loudoun is also home to the famous Loudoun Castle theme park.
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[edit] History
| Etymology |
| The name Galston means "place of the strangers" from the Gaelic word Gall (a stranger), and the 'Toun' or 'Ton' was a farm and its outbuildings.[1] |
Galston is steeped in history, and has associations with William Wallace and Robert Bruce. The town has been described as 'the historical heart of Ayrshire'. After it received its charter in 1717 it developed rapidly as a centre of handloom-weaving and later the manufacture of gauze and lawn. From the beginning of the 19th century until 1933 it was a major coal mining area. The textile industry flourished until the 1960’s.
[edit] Barr Castle
Barr Castle is the oldest building in Galston. It is a fortified tower house built by the Lockhart family of Barr in the 15th century. It has three floors and would have originally had battlements. George Wishart and John Knox have both preached within Barr Castle. In the 17th century Barr passed to the Campbell family of Cessnock, but was unoccupied after the covenanting period. In later times part of one of the walls of the Castle was concreted over to be used in the game of handball. Galston handball players became world champions - and large crowds gathered on Glasgow Fair Saturday to watch the competition for the silver Challenge Cup.
[edit] The Burnawn or Burnanne
The burn joins the Irvine at Galston. It is named after St Anne, said to be the mother of the Virgin Mary. St Anne's holy well is marked on the 1860 OS and lies above Bank wood, flowing into the Burnanne. The Holy well has been destroyed by the construction of a concrete tank which collects the spring water for local consumption. The woodlands here are of a very high plant biodiversity value and are a registered provisional wildlife site as designated by the Scottish Wildlife Trust. Species noted in 2007 include the Woodruff, Bird cherry, Primrose, Common violet, Oak, Stitchwort, Golden male (Scaly) fern, Bugle, Opposite-leaved Golden saxifrage, Bluebell, Dog's mercury, Broad buckler fern, Watercress, Lady fern, Male shield fern, Kidney vetch, Woodrush, Woodsedge, blackthorn, hawthorn, Marsh marigold, Foxglove, Sweet Cicely, Herb Robert, Red campion, Bistort, Ribwort plantain, Water avens, Wood avens, Moschatel, elm, alder, and many liverworts. A pair of Buzzards were noted.
A great danger is the presence of the alien invader, the Pink Purslane or Stewarton Flower which will spread rapidly and destroy the native herbs by out-competing them (2007). It needs to be removed as matter of urgency.
This tributary of the Irvine was famous[2] for its rich jasper pebbles; semi-precious stones which were collected, cut and polished for use in jewellery.
[edit] Galston railway station
This station on the Glasgow and South Western Railway line to Stonehouse via Strathaven, closed in 1964.
[edit] References
- ^ Warrack, Alexander (1982)."Chambers Scots Dictionary". Chambers. ISBN 0-550-11801-2.
- ^ MacIntosh, John (1894). Ayrshire Nights Entertainments: A Descriptive Guide to the History, Traditions, Antiquities, etc. of the County of Ayr. Pub. Kilmarnock. P. 11.
[edit] See also
- River Irvine - the Irvine, local burns, history, etc.
- Moot hill - Details of the nearby Shinny hill, etc.
- Darvel
[edit] External links
