Kilmarnock

Kilmarnock
Scottish Gaelic: Cille Mheàrnaig[1]
Scots: Kilmarnock, Killie
Clockwise from top-left: HMP Kilmarnock, Dean Castle, RBS Building on King Street, Kilmarnock Railway Viaduct and Kilmarnock Railway Station Clock.
Kilmarnock  Kilmarnock shown within East Ayrshire
Population	46,350 (2011 census)
OS grid reference	NS429381
Council area	East Ayrshire
Lieutenancy area	Ayrshire and Arran
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	KILMARNOCK
Postcode district	KA1-KA3
Dialling code	01563
Police	Scottish
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
EU Parliament	Scotland
UK Parliament	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
Scottish Parliament	Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley
Website	http://www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk
List of places UK Scotland

Coordinates: 55°36′40″N 4°29′45″W / 55.61106°N 4.49571°W / 55.61106; -4.49571

Kilmarnock (Scottish Gaelic: Cille Mheàrnaig, "Meàrnag's church") is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland with a population of 46,350,^[2] making it the 15th most populated place in Scotland^[3][4] and the second largest town in Ayrshire.^[5] The River Irvine runs through its eastern section, and the Kilmarnock Water passes through it, giving rise to the name 'Bank Street'.^[6] Kilmarnock is often shortened to 'Killie', especially when it is referenced in a footballing situation.

Kilmarnock is the main town within East Ayrshire, and the East Ayrshire HQ is located on London Road in Kilmarnock, leading to the villages Crookedholm and Hurlford, which furthermore leads to Loudoun.

The first collection of work by Scottish poet Robert Burns, Poems, chiefly in the Scottish dialect, was published here in 1786, and became known as the Kilmarnock volume. The internationally distributed whisky brand Johnnie Walker originated in the town in the 19th century. Protest and backing from the Scottish Government took place in 2009, after Diageo, the owner of Johnnie Walker announced plans to close the bottling plant in the town after 289 years.^{[7][8][9][10][11]}

In recent years, Kilmarnock has been used for musical acts and film locations. Rock band Biffy Clyro were formed in the town in a primary school in the late 1990s. The 2001 film, Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat (2001) was shot in the town^[12] as was Manhunt (2004).^[13]

History

The name Kilmarnock comes from the Gaelic cill (cell), and the name of Saint Marnoch or Mernoc who is also remembered in the name of Portmarnock in Ireland and Inchmarnock. It may come from the three Gaelic elements mo, 'my', Ernán (name of the saint) and the diminutive ag, giving Church of My Little Ernán. It is believed by some that the saint founded a church there in the 7th century. There are 12 Church of Scotland congregations in the town, plus other denominations. In 2005, the Reverend David W. Lacy, minister of the town's Henderson Church, was elected Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

The core of the early town appears to have lain around what is now the Laigh Kirk, Kilmarnock (Low Church), although the oldest parts of the current building are no earlier than the 17th century, extending north and northwest. In 1668 the town was largely destroyed by an accidental fire. About 120 families lost most of their possessions and were forced to live destitute in the fields surrounding the town. These tradespeople had no other way of making a living and had already been driven to the edge of poverty by having troops stationed with them as part of the anti-Covenanter measures. Parish churches throughout Scotland collected money for the relief of these homeless citizens.^[14]

A comparatively modest settlement until the Industrial Revolution, Kilmarnock extended considerably from around 1800 onwards. This resulted in formal, planned developments such as King Street, Portland Street, Saint Marnock Street and latterly John Finnie Street; the last often suggested as one of the finest Victorian planned streets in Scotland. The Sandbed Street Bridge is the oldest known surviving bridge in the area.

Government

The Member of Parliament for the Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency area in the Westminster parliament is Kilmarnock-born Alan Brown.^[15] Brown deafted Labour candidate Cathy Jamieson with an overwhelming majority with Brown receiving 30,000 votes with Jamieson only receiving 16,363.^[16] The member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Kilmarnock is Willie Coffey.^[15]

Kilmarnock is the home of the East Ayrshire Council Chambers and offices situated on the London Road, thus making Kilmarnock the main town within East Ayrshire .^[17]

In local council elections, Kilmarnock comprises four wards: Kilmarnock North, Kilmarnock East and Hurlford, Kilmarnock West and Crosshouse and Kilmarnock South.^[18]

The leader in East Ayrshire is Douglas Reid of the SNP party, who has been leader since 2007. The chief executive is Fiona Lees.^[19] Following the East Ayrshire Council election, 2012, the SNP and the Scottish Conservative parties formed a coalition government for East Ayrshire, following the result of a hung council.^[20] At present, the Scottish Labour party is the opposition in the East Ayrshire parliament with their leader, Maureen McKay.^[20]

Economy

Kilmarnock's traditional industries were based around textiles and heavy engineering such as locomotives (Andrew Barclay and Sons) from 1837, and valves (Glenfield and Kennedy), which are still in production. The firm is now trading as Glenfield Valves.

Carpets manufactured in Kilmarnock were internationally known for their quality and intricacy since the late 19th century. Carpets were made by Blackwood & Morton in Kilmarnock from the early 20th century. Many locations around the world chose to install BMK carpets. The RMS Titanic was carpeted using carpets manufactured by Stoddard Carpets, the parent company and successor to BMK. Carpet-making finally ceased in Kilmarnock in early 2005.

Archibald Finnie and his family lived at Springhill House (now a nursing home) near the Grange Academy. They owned many coal mines, pits and other companies in Springside and other places. John Finnie Street is named after one of the family. Shoes were also a major product for some time: Saxone had a factory in the town on the site where the Galleon Leisure Centre now stands. Kilmarnock had one of the earliest tram railways in the world, running to Troon over the (recently restored) Laigh Milton viaduct. The Glasgow and South Western Railway set up their works here, producing nearly 400 locomotives by the time it was absorbed by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923. Some work continued, but heavy repairs were sent to St. Rollox. Locomotive repairs finished in 1952, and the works closed in 1959. Nevertheless, locomotives are still made by Hunslet-Barclay (now Wabtec), as well as the maintenance of existing diesel and electric multiple units.

From 1946 tractors were built in Kilmarnock in a large Massey-Harris factory on the outskirts of the town. It later became Massey-Ferguson, and closed in 1978. Glenfield and Kennedy still survives, albeit with a fraction of its former workforce, which at its height numbered in the thousands.

Kilmarnock was the original home of the Scotch whisky brand Johnnie Walker,. Originally known as Walker's Kilmarnock Whisky, the Johnnie Walker brand is a legacy left by John ‘Johnnie’ Walker after he started to sell whisky in his grocer’s shop in Ayrshire, Scotland.

n 1908, when James Stevenson was the managing director, there was a re-branding of sorts. The whisky was renamed from Walker's Kilmarnock Whiskies to Johnnie Walker Whisky. In addition, the slogan, "Born 1820 – Still going Strong!" was created, along with the Striding Man, a figure used in their advertisements to this day.

The owner of Johnnie Walker, Diageo, decided to close the bottling plant, originally by the end of 2011, ending the link between the whisky brand and the town. ^{[21] [22]} In September 2009, Diageo confirmed the plant in Kilmarnock would close, despite local protests.^[23] Production of Johnnie Walker in Kilmarnock ceased during March 2012, after 192 years. It is now made elsewhere in Scotland.^[8]

Over the years, Kilmarnock has been the home to other well-known companies, Andrew Barclay Sons & Co.,^[24] and Saxone Shoes.^[25] Saxone Shoes was bought by the British Sears group and became defunct when Sears sold it to Stylo. Andrew Barclay Son's & Co still manufactures in the town but is now owned by Wabtec (Wabtec Rail Scotland).^[26]

Regeneration

The textile and manufacturing sectors across Scotland suffered significant decline in the post-war period and in particular from the 1960s, in the face of greater foreign competition. Kilmarnock was no exception, with the closure or significant reduction of many of its traditional large employers: Glenfield and Kennedy, Massey Ferguson, BMK and Saxone. Although significant attempts have been made to halt this decline and attract new employers, Kilmarnock saw a continuing net loss of jobs in the five years to 2005. Although traditionally a main shopping area for most of the surrounding districts, patterns have changed over the last 20 years; traditional centres such as Ayr have been joined by new developments at Braehead and East Kilbride. This difficult economic climate is most visible in the town centre, the eastern part of which has been extensively redeveloped, with important historic buildings such as King Street Church and the town hall being demolished and Duke Street (the link from Kilmarnock Cross to the Palace Theatre and out to the London Road) built over.

More recently Portland Street, which formed the northerly part of the main shopping area, lay abandoned for many years due to a decline in retail trade and in the face of possible comprehensive redevelopment. The street has now been redeveloped, but has not yet regained its former degree of popularity, with a Gala Bingo and a J D Wetherspoon's taking up much of one side of the street and the rest largely occupied by chain stores. In 2004, the Rough Guide to Scotland described the town as "shabby and depressed, saddled with some terrible shopping centres and a grim one-way system". The town, however, contains several parks such as Howard Park, Dean Park and Kay Park, and residential areas including London Road, Dundonald Road, McLelland Drive and Howard Park Drive. The town also boasts a collection of gift shops, cafes, bars and restaurants within the very desirable Bank Street area. There are retail parks at Queen's Drive and Glencairn Square.

According to the local press in November 2007, the new SNP council have drawn up a Top Ten Hit List on 'eyesore' buildings in the town and their owners, and have revealed plans to crack down hard on property owners who have left their buildings fall into disrepair. Action is being taken to do something with each of these sites. Many of the buildings in disrepair are irreplaceable listed buildings such as the former ABC cinema (previously the King's Theatre) on Titchfield Street. Plans to improve the derelict building at the top of John Finnie Street that was destroyed by a fire in the late 1980s have been submitted to include a council office retaining the original façade. Work is estimated to be completed in 2012. A four-star hotel recently opened next to Rugby Park, the home of Kilmarnock F.C., and new restaurants, such as Merchants and the award winning Jefferson Restaurant, have opened in the town centre.

Regeneration activities have been discussed for Kilmarnock town centre; in early 2006, an application to Historic Scotland's Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme was successful, and in July 2006 an application under the Heritage Lottery Fund's Townscape Heritage Initiative Scheme was pending. Work has finished on a quality housing development on the site of the former Kilmarnock Infirmary, north of the town centre. In the past there have been major efforts to improve the quality of life for residents in the town's worst housing estates, especially in parts of Shortlees, Longpark and Onthank. Much new quality housing has been constructed on the northern fringes of the town for commuters. With a journey time of 20 minutes from Kilmarnock to Glasgow (roughly half that of the existing train service), the M77 motorway, an upgrade in 2005 of the A77, has transformed the journey between Glasgow and Kilmarnock. Recent house price increases have reflected this.^[27]

Transport

In 1812, the Kilmarnock and Troon Railway opened, mainly to carry coal from the area to the harbour at Troon, but also carrying passengers. In 1904, Kilmarnock built its own tramway system, the Kilmarnock Corporation Tramways. An electric power station was built on the south bank of the River Irvine at Riccarton. Overhead power lines and tram lines were laid. With continued upgrading and expansion, the tram network at its peak went from Ayr Road in Riccarton at its southerly point, to Knockinlaw Road in Beansburn in the north.

At Kilmarnock Cross, the line had an easterly spur that stretched along London Road, through Crookedholm and terminating at Hurlford. There had been proposed extensions along Portland Road, up John Finnie Street, West Langlands Street and eventually towards Crosshouse, but by this time, increasing costs and the far more flexible motor bus had made inroads and the trams ceased operation in 1926 during the General Strike. The council decided not to restart the service and the infrastructure was soon dismantled. Today the town is served by Kilmarnock railway station, which operates services from the town to all major locations in Scotland connecting with Stranraer for the ferries to the Port of Belfast as well as Larne Harbour in Northern Ireland and as far as Carlisle and Newcastle in England.

A recent development has been the regeneration of Kilmarnock Railway Station under the umbrella of the Kilmarnock Railway Station Heritage Trust. Additions to the station facilities include a gift shop, coffee shop and an Active Travel HUB where members of the public can access advice on travelling more sustainability. The HUB also offers a wide range of led walks and cycle rides to members of the public and community groups.

Kilmarnock has excellent road links to Glasgow with the M77 motorway now completed from Fenwick to its junction with the M8 at the Kingston Bridge. A new south side motorway connects this point to the M74 near Calderpark when the latest phase of development is complete, eliminating some of the heavy traffic formerly travelling on the A71 through Hurlford, Galston, Newmilns, Darvel and Strathaven to join the M74 at Stonehouse. Stagecoach Group is the main transport provider in the town; it operates bus services to most major towns in the west of Scotland.

Kilmarnock lies on the intersection of 3 main roads: the A71 which runs from Edinburgh to Irvine, the A76 from Dumfries, and the A77/M77 from Stranraer to Glasgow, showing the significance of its location as an early market town.

Education and learning

Kilmarnock has one college, thirteen primary schools, three secondary schools and eleven nursery schools. There is also a college in the town, Ayrshire College previously known as Kilmarnock College^[28] and prior to that Kilmarnock Technical College. The schools are managed by East Ayrshire Council.

The town's oldest secondary school Kilmarnock Academy dates back to the 1600s. The school in its present-day serves as a comprehensive school, which of three in Kilmarnock. It can trace its history back to the local burgh school founded in the 1630s and the first school to bear the name was established in 1807. Next to the school is the "Old Tech," formerly Kilmarnock Technical School, which opened in 1910 as part of the Academy. It is also listed, but is no longer part of the school; it was closed in 1997 due to a reduction in student numbers, caused by a restructuring of educational resources in the area. The building remained closed, and reopened in 2006 as luxury housing, due to its prime location directly next to the Dick Institute, the town's primary library and museum, and the centre of town. In the art department at the school, there is a war memorial in memory of those who lost their lives in World War 1.^[29] Kilmarnock Academy is one of the few schools in the world to have educated two Nobel laureates: Alexander Fleming and John Boyd Orr (although only for four months, whereas his primary and secondary school career was at West Kilbride Public School).^[30]

St Joseph's Academy was originally founded in 1955 in its present location, built on what were the outskirts of Kilmarnock at the time. The adjacent New Farm Loch estate eventually grew and enveloped the school. The school comprised an extended single building, housing most of the subjects taught within. Due to a lack of space, an additional building, commonly referred to as 'A' Block, was erected in the 1970s. As the school was constructed on what was essentially fields, the St Joseph's campus included a large playing field, comprising a red blaes hockey pitch, running tracks, and space for 4 grass football pitches. St. Conval's High School was later annexed to St. Joseph's in October 1998 and became known as St. Joseph's Cumnock. In 2004 St. Joseph's Cumnock Campus was closed due to falling attendance figures, and the town's Catholic children now attend the new St. Joseph's Academy campus in Kilmarnock, which now serves the entire Secondary Catholic population of East Ayrshire. In the early 21st century, a programme was initiated by central government to upgrade secondary schools throughout the country using a mixture of public and private money. St Joseph's was one of the schools selected for demolition and reconstruction, along with nearby Grange Academy. In 2008, the rebuilt St Joseph's was opened, including the new St Andrew's Primary – an amalgamation of the former feeder St Columba's and St Matthew's Primaries.

Another one of Kilmarnock's secondary schools, James Hamilton Academy is a non-denominational, co-educational, comprehensive school which means that it is open to all boys and girls who live in the area which the school serves. It is located in Sutherland Drive, Kilmarnock, (New Farm Loch), East Ayrshire. The P.E. Department consists of a Sports Hall, a Gym Hall and changing facilities. There are Technical Department, Science Labs, an I.T. Department, a Library, Maths and English Departments, Music facilities, Home Economics facilities and a Social Subjects Department (Geography, History and Modern Studies). James Hamilton Academy, there is also a Primary School (New Farm Primary School), and a Nursery (New Farm Nursery) on campus.

In recent times, East Ayrshire Council have demolished some of the town's oldest schools, such as the Grange Academy along with St. Josepehs Academy, which have fallen into a state of disrepair and some of which have been hindered by falling pupil intakes. In September 2008, the new Grange Campus was completed and incorporated Grange Academy, Annanhill Primary, and Park School. The opening of the campus was delayed from August. The old Grange Academy and Annanhill Primary School buildings have been demolished.

Nursery schools

Cairns Early Childhood Centre Dean Park Nursery Flowerbank Early Childhood Centre Gaelic Early Childhood Centre Gargieston Early Childhood Centre Hillbank Early Childhood Centre

New Farm Early Childhood Centre Onthank Early Childhood Centre Riccarton Early Childhood Centre Shortlees Early Childhood Centre St Andrew's Early Childhood Centre

Primary schools

Annanhill Primary School Bellfield Primary School Gargieston Primary School Hillhead Primary School Kirkstyle Primary School

Loanhead Primary School Mount Carmel Primary School New Farm Primary School Onthank Primary School Shortlees Primary School Silverwood Primary School St Andrew's Primary School

Secondary Schools

Kilmarnock Academy Grange Academy James Hamilton Academy St Josephs Academy

Sports

The town is host to Kilmarnock F.C., a member of the Scottish Premiership and the oldest professional football club in Scotland.^[31] Their home ground is Rugby Park, the location of the stadium came about by the works of Ross Quigley, whom at the time was one of the first directors of the club. The etymology of the ground is that when founded, the club played both football and rugby. Rugby Park was one of the first football grounds in Scotland to have floodlights installed. In recent years the stadium has been modernised, firstly to bring it in line with the all-seating regulations, then rebuilt totally to make a new ground. It has also hosted international football matches and music concerts, most recently Elton John in June 2005. The club's foundation dates back to the very earliest days of organised football in Scotland, when a group of local cricketers looking for a sporting pursuit to occupy them outwith the cricket season formed a football club in 1869. Originally they played rugby rules, but the difficulty in organising fixtures and the growing influence of Queen's Park soon persuaded them to adopt the association code instead. These origins are reflected to this day by the name of the club's home ground – Rugby Park.

Although not amongst the founder members of the Scottish Football Association in 1873, Kilmarnock did join in time to compete in the inaugural Scottish Cup tournament in 1873–74. Their 2–0 defeat against Renton in the first round on 18 October 1873 is thought to have been the first match ever played in the competition. Kilmarnock joined the Scottish League in 1895 and after winning consecutive Second Division titles were elected to the top flight for the first time in 1899. The club's greatest success was in 1965 under the management of Willie Waddell. On the final day of the season, they travelled to face Hearts at Tynecastle requiring a victory by two goals to nil (due to the competition being decided by goal average at that period if teams were equal on points) to win the league at their opponents' expense. A 2–0 win saw Kilmarnock crowned Scottish League champions for the first, and to date only, time.^[32] This capped a period of strong consistency which had seen them occupy runners-up spot in four of the previous five seasons.

After a period of decline in the 1980s which saw the club relegated to the Second Division, Killie have returned to prominence, holding top division status since being promoted in 1993 and lifting the Scottish Cup for the third time in 1997 after a 1–0 victory over Falkirk in the final. In March 2012, Kilmarnock won the Scottish League Cup for the first time under the management of their manager Kenny Sheils, beating Celtic 1–0.^[33] Kilmarnock have qualified for European competitions on nine occasions, their best performance coming in the 1966–67 Fairs Cup when they progressed to the semi-finals, eventually being eliminated by Leeds United. The club have played in all three European competitions (European Cup, Cup Winners' Cup and the UEFA Cup).

There are two golf courses in the town, Annanhill Golf Course and Caprington Golf Course, which has both an 18 hole course and a 9 hole course. Both these courses are council owned and run by East Ayrshire Council. The local leisure complexes include the Galleon Centre: with a 25 metre swimming pool, baby pool, ice rink, squash courts, sauna, gym, games hall, bar area, bowling green and the New Northwest Centre (formerly the Hunter Centre) which contains a community gym and various local medical facilities. The new Ayrshire Athletics Centre was constructed in the Queens Drive area which includes a 400m running track outside of the main building.^[34]

Culture

Kilmarnock boasts a large number of listed buildings. The Dick Institute, opened in April 1901, was severely damaged by fire only eight years after it opened. Some of the museums collections were lost in the fire. It reopened two years after the fire in 1911. The Dick Institute was used as an Auxiliary Hospital in 1917 during World War One. It is now shared by the Arts and Museums Service, and the Libraries, Registration and Information Service. The two Art Galleries and three Museum Galleries house permanent and temporary displays of Fine Art, Contemporary Art and Craft, Local and Industrial History and Natural Sciences. The Lending Library, Audio Library, Junior Library, Reference Library, and Learning Centre are all housed on the ground floor.

The first collection of work by Scottish poet Robert Burns, Poems, chiefly in Scots was published here in 1786. It was published at the current site of the Burn's Mall, dedicated to his work. This edition is known as the Kilmarnock Edition or Kilmarnock volume. Two areas of Kilmarnock, Ellerslie and Riccarton, are associated with William Wallace and his father. Claims have been made that this is the true origin of his birthplace.

John Bowring, polyglot and fourth governor of Hong Kong, was Member of Parliament for Kilmarnock in 1835. In the castle of Kilmarnock, Dean Castle, there is an exhibition of armour and weapons, and the Van Raalte collection of musical instruments.

In popular culture

Kilmarnock was voted the "UK's Friendliest Shopping Town" in 2006.^[35] In 2010, BBC Scotland filmed residents on the town's Onthank and Longpark area for the TV program The Scheme which broadcast in 2010 for two episodes so far, out of a planned four. The Scheme caused much controversy within residents of the community, who believed that the BBC only showed the "worst parts", leading to others believing that they were "pretty much the same". The series has been the subject of media criticism, with the series being labelled as "poverty porn"^[36][37] and described as giving a "misleading impression" of life on the estate. The final two episodes of the series were never broadcast due to legal issues.^[37][38] The programme makers denied allegations that their series exploited the residents of the estate.^[39]

Scottish singers The Proclaimers titled a song "The Joyful Kilmarnock Blues" on their first album, This Is the Story, released in 1987.

In The Railway Series, Duncan, Engine Number 6 of the Skarloey Railway was built by Andrew Barclay Sons & Co., which is located in Kilmarnock.

Notable people

• Gilbert Adair; writer
• John Boyd Orr; biologist, politician and Nobel Peace Prize-winner.
• Des Browne; former MP, UK defence minister and Scotland minister.
• Joanne Calderwood; strawweight mixed martial artist currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
• Willie Coffey; local MSP.
• Robert Colquhoun; painter, printmaker and theatre set designer
• William Cunninghame, 18th century merchant and Tobacco Lord.
• Ian Deans; Scottish-Canadian NDP politician representing Hamilton, Ontario.
• Robert Dunsmuir; coal miner and industrialist for the Hudson's Bay Company.
• Charles Ewart; cavalryman who famously captured a French regimental eagle at the Battle of Waterloo
• Alexander Fleming; (1881-1955), discoverer of penicillin and winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine attended Kilmarnock Academy.
• Thomas Gardiner, California newspaperman.
• William Hewitt; Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 2009
• John Kelso Hunter; 19th-century oil painter and author.
• Ben and James Johnston, drummer and bassist of Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro
• Eleanor Kasrils; first woman recruited into the African National Congress military wing.
• Chris Kelso; writer, illustrator, editor and journalist, born 1988.
• David Lacy; Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and a local minister.
• Robert Thomson Leiper, parasitologist and helminthologist
• Kirsty McCabe; weather reporter on BBC 1 Scotland.
• Malky McCormick; cartoonist.
• Iain McDowall; crime writer.
• Margaret McDowall; member of the Scottish swimming team and silver medal winner at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.
• Hugh McIlvanney; sports journalist.
• William McIlvanney; writer, born 1936.^[40]
• Lindsay McKenzie; actress
• Duncan Millar, recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Colin Mochrie; Scottish-Canadian comedian (of Whose Line is it Anyway? fame) born in Kilmarnock in 1957
• David Robertson; played for Kilmarnock and Queen of the South before emigrating to New York where he played for the U.S. National team.
• James Shaw; Lord Mayor of London in 1805.
• William and John Sloane; founders of W. & J. Sloane in New York City.
• Gordon Smith; former professional footballer and former SFA Chief Executive.
• Major General Sir Robert Murdoch Smith (1835-1900), engineer, archaeologist and diplomat
• Alexander Walker; creator of Johnnie Walker Scotch Whisky (1837-1889), Son of John "Johnnie" Walker.
• John "Johnnie" Walker; Originator of Johnnie Walker Whisky, Grocer, and Father of Alexander Walker (1805-1857).
• William Wallace; One of the leaders of the Scottish War of Independence (d. 1305)
• Kirsty Wark; TV news and current affairs personality.
• Patrick James McKay ( *29. Mai 1957) Karate-World champion

Twin towns

Kilmarnock – as part of East Ayrshire Council – is twinned with five cites and has received awards from the Council of Europe for its work in twinning.^[41][42] Alès, France; Herstal, Belgium; Joué-lès-Tours, France; Kulmbach, Germany; and Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain. Kilmarnock, Virginia, US.

The former Kilmarnock and Loudoun District Council is also twinned with Sukhum, Republic of Abkhazia, on the Black Sea coast.^[43]

Following a review of links this link is now considered as a friendship link.^[44]

See also

• Dudsday The old Kilmarnock hiring fair.

References

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kilmarnock.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Kilmarnock.

• YouTube video of Kilmarnock Junction, Station and Wabtec Rail works
• The History of Kilmarnock by Archibald McKay, 1858
• Commentary and video on the 1848 murder of James Young.
• The Lordship and Barony of Kilmarnock
• Webcams of the town
• Kilmarnock F.C.
• 2001 census key statistics for Kilmarnock
• Kilmarnock College

East Ayrshire Towns and villages Afton Bridgend Auchinleck Catrine Chapeltoun Corsehill Craigmalloch Cronberry Cumnock Dalmellington Dalrymple Darvel Drongan Dunlop Fenwick Galston Gatehead Glenbuck Greenholm Haugh Hurlford Kilmarnock Kilmaurs Knockentiber Lugton Mauchline Moscow Muirkirk Netherthird New Cumnock Newmilns Ochiltree Patna Polnessan Priestland Rankinston Riccarton Sorn Stair Stewarton Trabboch Waterside Secondary education Kilmarnock Academy Grange Academy St Josephs Academy Stewarton Academy Auchinleck Academy Cumnock Academy Doon Academy Loudoun Academy Primary education Auckinleck Primary School St Patrick's Primary School Bellsbank Primary School Catrine Primary School Crosshouse Primary School Barrshare Primary School Greenmill Primary School Netherthird Primary School Dalmellington Primary School Dalrymple Primary School Darvel Primary School Drongan Primary School Dunlop Primary School Fenwick Primary School Galston Primary School St Sophia's Primary School Hurlford Primary School Annanhill Primary School Bellfeild Primary School Gargieston Primary School Hillhead Primary School Kirkstyle Primary School Loanhead Primary School Mount Carmel Primary School New Farm Primary School Onthank Primary School Shortlees Primary School Silverwood Primary School St Andrew's Primary School Kilmaurs Primary School Logan Primary School Mauchline Primary School Muirkirk Primary School New Cumnock Primary School Newmillns Primary School Ochiltree Primary School Patna Primary School St Xavier's Primary School Littlemill Primary School Sorn Primary School Lainshaw Primary School Nether Robertland Primary School Nursery education Auckinleck Early Childhood Centre Bellsbank Early Childhood Centre Catrine Early Childhood Centre Crosshouse Early Childhood Centre Barrshare Early Childhood Centre Greenmill Early Childhood Centre Netherthird Early Childhood Centre Dalmellington Early Childhood Centre Dalrymple Early Childhood Centre Darvel Early Childhood Centre Drongan Early Childhood Centre Dunlop Early Childhood Centre Fenwick Pre-5 Partner Centre Galston Early Childhood Centre Hurlford and Crookedholm Play Group Hurlford Early Childhood Centre Beechwood Nursery Bellfield Community Nursery Cairns Early Childhood Centre Dean Park Nursery Flowerbank Early Childhood Centre Gaelic Early Childhood Centre Gargieston Early Childhood Centre Hillbank Early Childhood Centre New Farm Early Childhood Centre Onthank Early Childhood Centre Riccarton Early Childhood Centre Shortlees Early Childhood Centre St Andrew's Early Childhood Centre Woodlands Nursery Kilmaurs Early Childhood Centre Logan Early Childhood Centre Burns Bairns Under 5 Group Mauchline Early Childhood Centre Muirkirk Early Childhood Centre New Cumnock Early Childhood Centre Newmillns Nursery Patna Early Childhood Centre Littlemill Early Childhood Centre Lainshaw Early Childhood Centre Nether Robertland Early Childhood Centre St Columbas Nursery Members of Parliament Alan Brown (SNP) Corri Wilson (SNP) Members of the Scottish Parliament Willie Coffey (SNP) Adam Ingram (SNP) Places of interest Aiket Castle Dalmore House and Estate Loch Doon Loudoun Castle Kilmaurs Place Rowallan Castle Scottish Industrial Railway Centre Sorn Castle Stair House Dean Castle Tam O' Shanter Hone Works, Dalmore Robertland House See also Ayrshire South Ayrshire North Ayrshire Kilmarnock volume Johnnie Walker Ayrshire College