Килмарнок: История и современность шотландского города.

Burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland

Kilmarnock (/k//ɪ//l/'/m//ɑːr//n//ə//k/ kilMARnək; ; Cill Mheàrnaig, ) is a town and former burgh in East Ayrshire situated in southwest Scotland. The town has served as the administrative centre of East Ayrshire Council since 1996 and is the region's main commercial and industrial centre. The town grew considerably during the 1870s and the town's growth subsumed the village of Bonnyton, and by the 1960s, new purpose built suburbs such as New Farm Loch were constructed to accommodate the increasing population of Kilmarnock. By mid–2020, the population of the town was estimated to be 46,970, making Kilmarnock the 14th most populated settlement in Scotland as well as the largest town in Ayrshire by population. The first passenger conveying railway in Scotland originated in Kilmarnock in 1812 as a horse drawn 4 ft gauge plateway and became known as the Kilmarnock and Troon Railway. The first printed collection of works by Scottish poet Robert Burns was published in 1786 in Kilmarnock. Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect, was published by John Wilson, and became known as the Kilmarnock Edition. The internationally best–selling whisky Johnnie Walker was established in the town in the 19th century and was produced and bottled at the Hill Street plant until closure in 2012, following an announcement by owners Diageo in 2009 that the plant would close as part of company restructuring.

The name Kilmarnock comes from the Gaelic cill (cell), and the name of Saint Marnock 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. According to tradition, the saint founded a church there in the 7th century. The name Kilmarnock literally means "Marnock's Church". 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 town's precise origins are largely unclear, however, it is believed that a community was established between the fifth–seventh centuries at the Laigh Kirk Church by a Saint Marnock. The earliest known mention of the town was in the 14th century, with Clan Boyd coming to prominence in the area during that time, building the Keep of the Dean Castle. The Romans held a "tentative grip" on the area in and around Kilmarnock, with forts nearby at Loudoun Castle as well as possessing costal harbours around Ayrshire. Early references to the town are vague in regards to population numbers and the geographical size of the town, however, it is widely believed that at this time, the town was little more than a small cluster of dwellings situated around the Laigh Kirk church. 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.

In 1592, King James VI of Scotland granted a charter to Thomas, Lord Boyd, erecting Kilmarnock into a burgh of barony. The charter confirms that the Boyd family to be in possession of the land of Kilmarnock and assures any future line of succession. At the beginning of the 16th century, Kilmarnock was described as "a large village and of great repair" with nearby Kilmaurs notably larger than Kilmarnock. However, over the course of the next one hundred years, the expansion of Kilmarnock was evident. Its expansion led to Kilmarnock becoming larger than Kilmaurs and becoming Ayrshire's largest inland centre and challenging the supremacy of the royal burghs of Ayr and Irvine. Plans for new grid based streets were developed following the consideration of the town improvement committee which resulted in thoroughfares through King Street, Titchfield Street, John Finnie Street and surrounding roadways. The full planned course of the development were never fully completed, resulting in many of the towns older streets and lanes within the new grid based developments, including Bank Street, Croft Street and Nelson Street not being redeveloped. Further local government reform in 1930 brought the burgh within the area controlled by Ayrshire County Council, but classed as a large burgh, which allowed the town to continue to run many local services itself. Kilmarnock Town Council was based at the Town Hall at 28 King Street, which was built in 1805 and demolished in the 1970s.

The Kilmarnock War Memorial was constructed in temple style and completed in 1927, becoming dedicated to local men who died "for king and country" during World War I. Following World War II, more plaques were added to the war memorial to commemorate local men who died during World War II, and later, plaques to commemorate those who fought in the Korean War were added. The first post–war housing scheme in Kilmarnock, at Shortlees, was completed by the 1960s, followed by Bellfield by the end of the decade. Following the second World War, many of the towns factories and production sites had to be transformed into meeting civil needs, rather than those needs of the military, as had been expected during the war effort. A considerable effort began to construct "homes for heroes" in Kilmarnock following World War II, taking "years, even decades, to complete". New companies opened in Kilmarnock by the late 1940s and early 1950s, such as Glacier Metal Massey–Harris. The first post–war housing scheme in Kilmarnock, at Shortlees, was completed by the 1960s, followed by Bellfield by the end of the decade. The Kilmarnock Guard was known as the 4th North Kyle Home Guard, with men from Kilmarnock, Galston, Newmilns, Darvel, Hurlford, Fenwick and Craigie part of the battalion. In 1976, a one way traffic system was introduced around the town centre which is still in use today as of December 2023, however, that same month, it was confirmed that studies were being conducted which would see the town centre converted back to a two way street for traffic. Considerable growth of the town occurred in the second half of the 19th century, and following World War I, major efforts began to construct new homes to be "fit for heroes". New residential and commercial streets around the town were created, with large housing schemes being built in the years which followed the end of World War II. The first new housing estate in Kilmarnock following World War II would become Shortlees, followed by the Grange Estate, Bellfield and Onthank during the 1960s. Despite the new housing estates at Shortlees, Bellfield, Grange and Onthank, housing demand continued to be strong, and the construction of additional housing estates continued through the late 1960s and early 1970s. Mass housing construction to create the New Farm Loch estate aimed to meet the increased demands of the towns population by providing additional space for homes as well as vehicles. More land was allocated than in previous house building projects to meet these demands. In 1974, the Foregate pedestrianised shopping area was opened, to be followed by a new bus station, a multistorey car park, a civic centre, and a re shaped central precinct for the town. Following this, Kilmarnock now came under East Ayrshire Council which was formed in April 1995 to replace the Kilmarnock and Loudoun and Cumnock and Doon Valley District Councils, and the part of Strathclyde Regional Council which related to the area. The newly formed East Ayrshire Council were granted responsibility for areas such as education, social work, leisure and planning, among other services, for Kilmarnock and the wider East Ayrshire geographical area.

Kilmarnock is both the largest town in East Ayrshire and its administrative centre, and the largest town in Ayrshire by population. The town had an estimated population of 46,970 residents in 2020, making it the 14th largest settlement in Scotland. At Scotland's 2011 census, Kilmarnock had a recorded population of 46,159 inhabitants. The census data highlighted that 45,379 were white (with 42,915 identifying as White Scottish), 121 mixed or multiple ethnic groups, 548 Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British, 148 Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British: Indian, Indian Scottish or Indian British and 204 Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British: Chinese, Chinese Scottish or Chinese British. Other ethnic groups included Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British: Bangladeshi, Bangladeshi Scottish or Bangladeshi British and Caribbean or Black: Caribbean, Caribbean Scottish or Caribbean British. At the 2011 census, 12,143 residents were aged over 16 and had no formal qualifications, while 8,983 residents had at least one qualification in Level 1, with 5,185, 4,044 and 7,339 having a qualification Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4 (or above) respectively. There were a total of over 20,000 households in Kilmarnock at the time of the 2011 census, ranging from semi–detached, detached, bungalows, flats and maisonette properties. The 2011 census of Scotland recorded a working population of 34,104 (16–74) in Kilmarnock, with 4,915 recorded part–time employees, 13,504 full–time, 1,978 self–employed, 2,156 un–employed and 1,094 full–time students.

The economy of Kilmarnock had historically been centred around heavy manufacturing and goods based services. However, in recent years, and in trend with other towns and cities across Scotland, Kilmarnock's economic dependence has shifted from manufacturing and instead become more reliant on skills based knowledge. Companies such as Vodafone (Webhelp Call Centre) and Teleperformance occupy a large part of the Rowallan Business Park, which is also home to Food Partners, a nationwide sandwich franchise. Nowadays, the economy of Kilmarnock is largely based on public service and office work, with local property redevelopment and regeneration company, The KLIN Group occupies the former Andrew Barclay Sons & Co offices in West Langland Street, Brodie Engineering operate two production factories for locomotives in the town centre and Utopia Computers, one of the UK's fastest growing computer companies also have their headquarters and main site situated in Kilmarnock in High Glencairn Street. Kilmarnock is also home to The HALO Urban Regeneration with a focus on digital learning, inspiration to innovative thinking and providing a conducive environment for spin out, new start, scale ups, digital, manufacturing and cyber businesses. HALO is set to provide £205 million of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the Economy of Scotland. The window and door company, Scotia have their main headquarters in Kilmarnock, as well as a manufacturing and production plant. The internationally best–selling Scotch whisky brand Johnnie Walker was established in Kilmarnock in 1820 by John 'Johnnie' Walker. Originally known as Walker's Kilmarnock Whisky, the brand first started trading from the town in the mid 1800s. The whisky was originally produced, blended and bottled at the Johnnie Walker Bond building, known as "The Bond", in the town centre. Operations continued from The Bond until September 1956 when a new, state of the art and sector leading production plant was opened at Hill Street in the town. At the time of opening in 1956, the Hill Street plant was the world's largest bottling plant. In 2009, to much public backlash as well as backlash from the Scottish Government, First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond and local MP and MSP Cathy Jamieson and Willie Coffey, 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. In September 2009, Diageo confirmed the plant in Kilmarnock would close, despite local protests. Production of Johnnie Walker in Kilmarnock ceased during March 2012, after 192 years. It is now made at a new Diageo bottling plant in the eastern coast of Scotland in Leven, Fife. Over the years, Kilmarnock has been the home to other well known companies, Andrew Barclay Sons & Co., and Saxone Shoes. Following the closure of the Hill Street plant, the building was demolished and the site is now home to both the Kilmarnock campus of Ayrshire College and The HALO Urban Regeneration. Kilmarnock's traditional industries were based around textiles and heavy engineering such as locomotives (Andrew Barclay Sons & Co) from 1837, and valves (Glenfield and Kennedy), which are still in production. Glenfield and Kennedy is now trading as Glenfield Valves and still operates a base from Kilmarnock, and Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. is now trading as Brodie Engineering. Blackwood's (often known as Blackwood Brothers) produced woollen garments and yarns in Kilmarnock for a number of years, and in 1908, Robert Blackwood formed a partnership with Gavin Morton, establishing Blackwood and Morton of Kilmarnock, which better became known as BMK which specialised in the manufacturing of carpets. Shoe making was a dominating industry during the height of Kilmarnock's industrial strength, with both Clarks and Saxone Shoes producing shoes from warehouses within the town. Saxone Shoes was bought by the British Sears group and became defunct when Sears sold it to Stylo. Coal was mined within the vicinity of Kilmarnock, with former mines being located within the areas of Grange, Bonnyton and Portland. The Glasgow & South Western Railway set up their works here, producing nearly 400 locomotives by the time it was absorbed by the London, Midland & 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 Brodie Engineering, as well as the maintenance of existing diesel and electric multiple units. From 1949 self propelled combine harvesters were built in Kilmarnock in a large Massey Harris factory on the outskirts of the town. It later became Massey Ferguson, and closed in 1980. The foundation stone was laid in September 1867 and the building opened in October 1868. A children's block and a nurses' training school were added in 1891. In 1923 it had a capacity of 130 beds. With hospital services transferred to Crosshouse Hospital, the infirmary building and the accident and emergency building were demolished in the late 1980s. The listed nurses' home was demolished under a Dangerous Building Notice in September 1997. Work on University Hospital Crosshouse, which was commissioned to replace the Kilmarnock Infirmary, began on the site in August 1972 with completion expected in May 1977. The contractor, Melville Dundas & Whitson, encountered difficulties with the water supply and ventilation systems and the facility was only officially opened by George Younger, Secretary of State for Scotland, as Crosshouse Hospital in June 1984. Services provided at University Hospital Crosshouse include an Emergency Department covering both East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire, Maternity Unit (covering the whole of the Ayrshire region), paediatric inpatient services, a Combined Assessment Unit and Ayrshire Doctors on Call (ADOC). A new maternity unit, which replaced a similar facility at Ayrshire Central Hospital in Irvine was opened in the grounds of the hospital in 2006. In March 2012, the hospital officially became University Hospital Crosshouse as a result of a partnership with the University of the West of Scotland. Kirklandside Hospital, in neighbouring village Hurlford closed between 2018 and 2020. Kirklandside hospital provided consultant led services for frail elderly patients. It had 25 long stay beds for inpatient care and a day hospital which provided assessment and rehabilitation facilities. Kilmarnock is served by a number of general practice (GP) surgeries under NHS Scotland and a variety of other healthcare services including dental treatment and pharmacies.

Until the 18th century, means of transportation in and around Kilmarnock relied on rough tracks which were narrow, twisting and, at times, impassable, to link the town with neighbouring settlements. The Ayrshire Turnpike Act 1767 was passed which allowed for the rough tracks to be expanded in width and improved by turnpike trusts who additionally held responsibility for the maintenance of roads. Following the 1767 act, numerous new and improved roads were completed in the town, such as roads linking Kilmarnock with Ayr, Irvine, Kilmaurs, Stewarton, Kingswell and Flockbridge. An electric power station was built on the south bank of the River Irvine at Riccarton and 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. it was announced in December 2022 following a full cabinet meeting of East Ayrshire Council that the station clock was to be removed and landscaped "with immediate affect" due to continuous technical difficulties preventing the clock and its LED lighting from working properly. The town's "Transport Station" for bus travel opened in 1923, and was among the first custom–built bus stations in Scotland. It remained the town's main bus station until 1974 when it was replaced by a new bus station, which itself has been upgraded extensively through 2021–2024. Further education in the town is provided by Ayrshire College, previously known as Kilmarnock College and, prior to that, Kilmarnock Technical College. The town's oldest secondary school Kilmarnock Academy dates back to the 1600s. The school in its present day serves as a comprehensive school, one 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 1876. Kilmarnock Academy is one of a small number of schools in the United Kingdom, and was the first school in Scotland, to have educated two Nobel Prize Laureates – Sir Alexander Fleming, discoverer of Penicillin, and The 1st Baron Boyd Orr, for his scientific research into nutrition and his work as the first Director General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Grange Academy in the Bonnyton area of the town, is one of only seven Scottish Football Association (SFA) Performance Schools. Loanhead Primary School was founded as Loanhead Public School, and was erected between 1903 and 1905 to accommodate primary aged pupils in the eastern part of Kilmarnock. The foundation stone was laid by Andrew Carnegie on 29 August 1903 before opening to pupils in 1905, and the building is a Category B listed building by Historic Environment Scotland At a construction cost of £15,000, Loanhead Public School was to become the seventh primary school built by the Kilmarnock School Board, as before the introduction of the Education (Scotland) Act 1872, pupils were either educated by schools operated by churches, private individuals or parish councils. In the years that followed the establishment of Loanhead Primary School in 1905, due to the towns growth and expansion, new primary schools were opened, including Shortlees Primary School (1951), Mount Carmel Primary School (1965), Annanhill Primary School (1973), St Matthew's Primary School (1973), Gargieston Primary School (1975), Bellfield Primary School and Whattriggs Primary School (2019). Other primary schools to have been established in Kilmarnock since Loanhead include Silverwood Primary School, Onthank Primary School, Hillhead Primary School and Kirkstyle Primary School. Their dates of establishment remain unclear. 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.

The town is host to Kilmarnock F. C., a member of the Scottish Premiership and the oldest professional football club in Scotland. The club is one of eight founding members of the Scottish Football Association in 1873. Although not able to send a representative to the meeting which established the association, Kilmarnock F. C. did send a letter of willingness to join, and did so 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. 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. Annanhill Golf Course is owned and operated by East Ayrshire Council, while Caprington is privately owned by a community group. The local leisure complexes include the Galleon Centre which features a 25 metre swimming pool, baby pool, ice rink, squash courts, sauna, gym, games hall, bar area and bowling green, as well as the 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. The athletics arena was used as part of the 2014 Commonwealth Games as a pre–games training ground for athletes from across the Commonwealth of Nations. One of the towns secondary schools, Grange Academy, is a Scottish Football Association (SFA) performance school. Only six other performance schools are established in Scotland – Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Glasgow and Motherwell.

In 2010, BBC Scotland filmed residents on the town's Onthank and Longpark area for the TV programme 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" 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. Scottish singers The Proclaimers titled a song "The Joyful Kilmarnock Blues" on their first album, This Is the Story, released in 1987. The song "The Ballroom Blitz" by the band The Sweet was inspired by an event at the town's Grand Hall music venue, when, in 1973, the band were performing at the venue and were driven off the stage by a barrage of bottles thrown from the crowd. The song went onto achieve worldwide fame and success, reaching the top ten on both the UK Singles Charts and the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts, with many still talking about the concept behind the song. In October 2022, the town's Grand Hall played host to the 2022 BBC New Comedy Award.