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Cumnock is a town in Ayrshire with a
population of around 13,000, 15 miles
east of Ayr.
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The town today is popular for its six
churches, including Cumnock Old Church in
the town centre square, the Baird
Institute museum, two hotels popular for
tea/coffee and meals, shopping at the
Factory
Outlet Store on the southeast side of
the town, and as a base for visiting
Dumfries House 2 miles west.
The 26 room Dumfries Arms
Hotel is now one of the top wedding
hotels in Ayrshire with a function room
for 50 to 250 guests.
The 9 room Royal Hotel has
a 60 seat restaurant.
The Lochside Hotel &
Spa is 5 miles southeast.
Cumnock Old Church
large
Cumnock town grew from the mid 1800s,
mainly around coal mining and iron
stone.
This is the main town in the area, a
market town for the surrounding villages
built around the coal industry such as
Auchinleck, Glenbuck, Logan, Lugar, New
Cumnock and Ochiltree.
The railway lines from Ayr and
Kilmarnock reached the town in 1872,
allowing the transport of coal and iron
stone around the country.
The last coal mines closed in the late
1900s such as Kames in 1968, Killoch in
1987, and Barony in 1989. The A-Frame of
the Barony
Mine is all that remains of the
industry, retained as a memorial with a
picnic area around it.
The Baird
Institute is a small free museum in
the town centre with information on
Cumnock Pottery, mining in the area, and
has a room dedicated to James Keir
Hardie, founder of the Labour Party, with
many of his personal belongings. Hardie
lived in Cumnock for a large part of his
life.
The Bata Factory opened in 1964 as one
of the most modern shoe factories in the
UK. This factory has now evolved into the
Factory Outlet Store on the southeast
side of the town.
The three main Estates in the area are
Glaisnock House within one mile south of
Cumnock, Dumfries House two miles west,
and Auchinleck House 6 miles
northwest.
Owners of large estates were known for
building communities throughout the UK in
their quest for more wealth. Along with
renting much of their land to farmers,
they would open mines for coal, iron and
lead wherever it could be found.
Dumfries House was built for
William Crichton-Dalrymple (Lord
Dumfries), completed in 1759. The mansion
and estate was inherited by John
Crichton-Stuart (2nd Marquess of Bute) in
1814. The estate was owned by the
Crichton-Stuart family until 2007.
John Crichton-Stuart made a fortune in
the coal and iron industries, especially
in southern Wales. It is unclear if he
opened mines in this area. Cumnock Old
Church was built in 1866 with funds from
the Marquess of Bute.
Glaisnock House was built
in 1833 for Mr James Allason, a family of
military and political prominence.
Auchinleck House was
built for James Boswell in the late
1700s, the Boswell's being a notable Clan
and landowners from as far back as the
1100s. The Boswell's were later noted for
one being a top judge, his son a
biographer, and his son an author.
For more information on Ayrshire, the
islands, clans, mansions, castles,
walking/ hiking trails, holiday parks,
airport, and much more, visit: Ayrshire
Scotland
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