Hurlford

Hurlford
Scottish Gaelic: Àth Cliath
Scots: Hulfurt
One of the leading roads leading into Hurlford
Hurlford  Hurlford shown within East Ayrshire
Population	4,968
OS grid reference	NS456366
– Edinburgh	75 miles
– London	404 miles
Council area	East Ayrshire
Lieutenancy area	Ayrshire and Arran
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	KILMARNOCK
Postcode district	KA1, KA3
Dialling code	01560
	01563
Police	Scottish
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
EU Parliament	Scotland
UK Parliament	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
Scottish Parliament	Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley
List of places UK Scotland

Coordinates: 55°35′54″N 4°27′07″W / 55.59846°N 4.45205°W

Hurlford (Scottish Gaelic: Àth Cliath) (officially Hurlford and Crookedholm^[1]) is a village in East Ayrshire, Scotland. It has a population of 4,968.^[2] Hurlford's former names include Whirlford and Hurdleford.^[3] The village was named Whirlford as a result of a ford crossing the River Irvine east of Hurlford Cross, near Shawhill.^[4] It shares its name in Gaelic, Àth Cliath ("The Ford of the Hurdles") with the Irish capital Dublin.

The village's Blair Park is home to Hurlford United F.C. and many notable footballers have been trained there.

Local Council Wards

The village is mostly contained in the Kilmarnock East and Hurlford ward of East Ayrshire Council while some outlying hamlets are in the Irvine Valley ward.^[5]

Religion

Traditionally part of Riccarton parish,^[6] the village is now a quoad sacra parish in its own right. Hurlford is home to four church buildings—the Hurlford Kirk and Hurlford Church, both in Main Road, Crookedholm; St Paul's Roman Catholic Church on Galston Road; and the Mauchline Road Church.

Hurlford Church, the former Free Church built in 1857, is part of the Church of Scotland.^[7] Mauchline Road Church was formerly part of the Unitarian Church.^[4] It is now used as luxury housing.^[8] The Hurlford Kirk, which was the original parish church built in 1875 has also been converted into a house, having become redundant as a church in 1996 when its congregation merged with that of the Free Church.^[9][10]

Education

Hurlford Primary School

Hurlford Primary School, formerly Hurlford Grammar and Secondary School is the non-denominational primary school for the area and also houses Hurlford Nursery School.^[3] The building itself dates back to 1905.^[11]

Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Rothesay, visited and congratulated the staff and children on 20 June 2005 on their achievements transforming school meals,^[12] which was followed by the school winning the Soil Association's School Food Award at the BBC's Good Food Show, presented by Jamie Oliver.^[13]

Crossroads Primary School

Crossroads Primary School, now closed, formerly served the outlying areas of Hurlford and surrounding villages. It was closed by East Ayrshire Council as it was no longer financially viable to repair the building, despite parental and local protest. Pupils now attend Galston Primary School.^[14]

Economy

Shawhill House near Hurlford.

The town developed rapidly in the 19th century, following the discovery of coal. Fireclay and ironstone were also worked extensively until production ceased in the 1970s. A poignant reminder of the heyday of the iron and steel industry of Hurlford is the ship's propeller erected at the Cross in the lately redeveloped town centre.^[15] Today, industries found in Hurlford include brakepad manufacturing by Eurofriction Limited and whisky production by international company Diageo.

Transport

Hurlford railway station is now closed. However, East Ayrshire Council have recently entered negotiations with First ScotRail and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport to re-introduce passenger rail halts.

Hurlford also used to boast its own tramway system, which connected it to Kilmarnock. Nowadays, the main public transport links are provided by several Stagecoach Western bus services, including direct services to Glasgow.

Notable residents

• Gordon Cree - well-known pianist, composer, conductor, musician and general character
• Ross Tollerton - British Army soldier in World War I who was awarded the Victoria Cross
• Robert Dunsmuir - industrialist, politician and developer of coal mines and the E&N Railway on Vancouver Island
• Jimmy Knapp - General Secretary of the RMT transport union
• George Wylie - awarded the George Cross in honour of his heroic attempts to defuse a Nazi bomb which had landed on St Paul's Cathedral in London

The village is often referred to as a "football nursery" due to its high output of footballers.

• Ian Bryson - Sheffield United F.C., Barnsley F.C., Preston North End F.C, and Rochdale A.F.C. footballer
• David Calderhead - Queen of the South and Notts County footballer and Chelsea F.C. manager
• William Goldie - Leicester City footballer
• Jack Picken - Manchester United, Bolton Wanderers and Plymouth Argyle footballer
• Sandy Turnbull - Manchester City and Manchester United footballer
• Arthur Young - Manchester United footballer
• Jack Young – Kilmarnock & Bristol Rovers footballer.
• Colin Douglas - Doncaster Rovers and Rotherham United footballer.
• Peter Kirkbride - weightlifter, 2010 Commonwealth Games silver medalist

See also

• Shawhill Estate, East Ayrshire

References

1. "NR Scotland list of localities" (PDF). NRScotland.gov.uk. 2010. Retrieved 2016-06-19.
2. "Browser Population". Scrol.gov.uk. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
3. East Ayrshire Council Minutes, page 217, Item 7
4. "John helps put Hurlford history on the world map". Kilmarnock Standard. 2007-10-04. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
5. Boundary Commission for Scotland, Fourth Statutory Review of Electoral Arrangements East Ayrshire Council area maps
6. "Site Record for Bowhouse, Air Ministry Munitions Factory Woodhead Details". Rcahms.gov.uk. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
7. "Hurlford Church". Scotland's Churches Scheme. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
8. "Hurlford Church : Floor Plans : Lumax homes ltd :". Lumaxhomes.com. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
9. "Crookedholm, Main Road, Former Hurlford Kirk and Manse, Including Boundary Walls and Gatepiers, Kilmarnock". BritishListedBuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
10. Davidson, Laura (2008-07-20). "Church conversion was answer to our prayers; Derelict kirk is the perfect family home peek in your pad.". Sunday Mail. Glasgow: Scottish Daily Record & Sunday.
11. "Hurlford Primary School Including Boundary Walls, Gates and Railings, Riccarton". BritishListedBuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
12. "TRH join children taking part in a healthy eating scheme in Ayrshire". The Prince of Wales. 2005-06-21. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
13. "Ayrshire school scoops Soil Association School Food Award". Catering in Scotland. 2005-11-25. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
14. Woodison, Alan (2010-07-30). "Scottish Government decide not to call in EAC's Crossroads Primary closure decision – the village school will not re-open,". Kilmarnock Standard. Scottish & Universal Newspapers. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
15. "My Area – Hurlford". East Ayrshire Council. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 2012-05-11.