Symington is a conservation village in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is located in Symington parish, covering 0.41 square kilometres (3⁄16sqmi), and lies close to the A77 road from Ayr to Glasgow.[2] Its church, built in 1160, remains one of the finest examples of a Norman church in Scotland.[3][4]
The name of the village and parish of Symington is derived from the person of a Norman Knight, Symon Loccard or Lockhart, who held the barony of Symington lands under Walter fitz Alan, the first Steward in 1165.[5][6][7] The barony title survives to this day as a Scottish Feudal Barony, held by the descendants of the Bennet Baronets of Grubet[8] (later called Marlfield[9]), a branch of which family also holds the Barony of Auchinleck.[10] The Lockharts of Barr in Galston were a branch of this family.[11] Two other villages in Scotland are named for Simon Lockhart: Symington, South Lanarkshire – located about 38 miles (61km) from its Ayrshire counterpart and on almost the same latitude, though smaller in size – and Symington in the Scottish Borders. Stevenston in Ayrshire is named for Steven Loccard or Lockart.
Facilities
Symington has a primary school, church, a restaurant, War Memorial,[12] an abandoned water tower and a library. The parish covers 3,736 acres (1,512 hectares) and is mainly a farming community.[13]
Public Transport
Symington is served by the Number 4 bus service, operated by Stagecoach West Scotland. This service runs every 30 minutes on weekdays, offering convenient connections to Ayr via Prestwick Airport and, in the opposite direction, to Glasgow city centre, passing through Kilmarnock via Shortlees/Caprington, Fenwick, Newton Mearns, and Giffnock. The Number 4 bus provides service to the village itself, as well as to the nearby Hansel Village and the Rosemount Riding School, located adjacent to the A77 bypass. The nearest railway station to Symington is Prestwick International Airport, approximately 4 miles (6.4km) to the south-west.
Buildings
The Wheatsheaf Inn
The Wheatsheaf Inn (NS 38417 31331) is an 18th-century vernacular building that has been a hostelry since its earliest days; in the days of stage coaches the inn was a posting stage on the route to Ayr.[6][14]
Halfway House
Dating from 1937 this substantial mock-Tudor building was previously a hotel and replaced an inn that was burnt down in 1935.[15]
Broadmeadows House
This Arts & Crafts style house was built in 1931-4 by Noad & Wallace. It is embellished with gargoyles, inscriptions, and other ornamental additions.[15] Broadmeadows is the focus of the residential centre known as Hansel Village.
Symington's churches
Symington Church showing the 13th century windows.
The parish church was founded in the 12th century by Simon Loccard and is the oldest functioning church in Ayrshire.[16] It belonged to the Trinitarian Monastery at Fail (just outside Tarbolton). The Church was restored in the 18th century and again in 1919. This restoration by P. MacGregor Chalmers[16] revealed that the earlier alterations of 1797[17] had covered up some fine architectural features, including the 13th century windows[13] and the open-work timber roof. Three windows with semi-circular heads are located in the gable, with heavy hood moulds and dog-tooth ornamentation, the finest of their style in Scotland.[16] The base slab of an aumbrey incorporating a piscina sits as the sill of a south-facing window.[16] The church received an addition and alterations in 1797 which increased the accommodation of the building, but detracted considerably from the unspoilt appearance. A belfry, possibly incorporating some medieval work, was erected on the east gable end in the 17th century.[18] Notable stained glass windows are on display, by Gordon Webster, Douglas Strachan, and others. The patronage of the church passed through several hands and was at length acquired by the Earl of Eglinton.[5] The old manse in Kerrix Road is now known as Symington House (NS 38350 31325).[13]
The Free Church
The Disruption of 1843 resulted in the establishment of a second church, now demolished, at the junction of Main Street and Symington Road.[13] The minister of the parish, George Orr, and his congregation "came out" and, for a time, worshipped in this vacant public house adapted for the purpose, whilst the minister lived in a rented room in a nearby farm house. The new Free Church and schoolhouse were built in February 1844.
Main Street, Symington, South Ayrshire, Scotland. The old Post Office and Smithy were on the right.Symington and Helenton Loch
Country houses
The country seats were Coodham, with its well wooded grounds, sizeable ornamental lake, and once splendid gardens, 1 mile (1.5 kilometres) northeast; Dankeith, 1 mile (1.5 kilometres) north; Townend, 1⁄2 mile (800 metres) west; and Rosemount, 1+1⁄2 miles (2.5 kilometres) southwest.[19]
Coodham
In 1826 Margaret Fairlie, widow of William Fairlie of Calcutta built the mansion house and in total expended £20,000 on various improvements.[20] She renamed the estate Williamfield in honour of her late husband. In the 1870s William Houldsworth owned the property and added a new wing, conservatory and a private chapel designed by Alfred Waterhouse.[20] It was bought by a religious order after WWII was known as 'Fatima House, Coodham' and used as a retreat house with a new wing added. In the 1980s the house was put on the market. Various plans for its redevelopment failed and in the meantime the house deteriorated and was vandalised and burnt out. The house was eventually rebuilt as individual flats.[21]
In 1850 James Ogilvie Fairlie of Coodham organised a meeting at the Red Lion in Prestwick of fifty-seven gentlemen from the West of Scotland, leading to the formation of the Prestwick Golf Club and as a direct result in 1860 the first Open Championship was held.[22]
Dankeith
First recorded as Dalketh or Freris Dalkeithe this property was given to the Black Friars of Ayr and held by them until the Reformation. Alane of Lawdor had given the lands in memory of his wife.[23] The Cunninghames obtained the lands in 1614 and they held the property until the 1690s, when William Kelso acquired it.[23] In 1839 Lieutenant-Colonel William Kelso was the owner of Dankeith.[24] The Factor's house of the Dankeith Estate was Craigowan House in Brewlands Road.[13] Dankeith House itself was built in 1893, incorporating an earlier building. The estate had a fine range of hothouses.[25] In May 1857 Dankeith was rented by Janet Story, wife of Dr Story. She published her Early Reminiscences in which she comments on her servants, in particular she refers to the daughter of a local gamekeeper in glowing terms she is perfectly lovely; just seventeen, tall with the figure of a nymph, quantities of golden hair, a skin like milk and eyes like the pearls of a forget-me-not. I never saw anyone more exquisite ..[26]
John Kelso Hunter
John Kelso Hunter (1802–1873) was born at Gillhead Cottage, close to Symington cemetery, on the Dankeith Estate and was at first employed here during his indenture as a herd boy, his father being a gardener. John moved to the village of Dundonald and became a respected artist, noted for portraiture. In 1847 he exhibited at the Royal Academy in London before becoming a regular exhibitor at the Royal Scottish Academy for the next 25 years. Hunter published two books: ‘Retrospective of an Artist’s Life’ (1868), and ‘Life Studies of Character’. He is buried in the Southern Necropolis in Glasgow.[27]
In 1932 Dankeith was fire damaged, but restored. In WW2 it was used by the RAF and secret planning meetings for D-day and other allied operations took place here.[28] In 1948 the Roman Catholic Passionist Fathers acquired the property as a retreat, however they sold the property circa 1968 and the site is now a leisure centre, with caravans surrounding the house.[13]
Townend House and Cottage
Hugh Glover held the lands of Townend circa 1701-4 and in 1733 William Kelso of Dankeith sold the lands to George Boyd of East Overloan Farm. William Hay Boyd, Esq. of Her Majesty's 20th Regiment of Infantry in the Crimea[29] and was the owner of Townend House (NS 37652 31552) and estate in 1839.[24] Townend is an 18th-century building with a Victorian Italianate wing. A dated lintel in the walled garden may have come from an earlier building on the site; the old stables, were converted into a small dwelling in the 1960s.[30] In recent times Townend Cottage has functioned as a nursing home,[16] Townend Cottage, circa 1810, situated in the village was its former dower house. The Hay-Boyds gave land for the village hall, a school, and a garden next to the church.[29]
Rosemount
Dr. Fullerton of Rosemount returned from India, circa 1770 and rebuilt the mansion-house at Rosemount, previously known as Goldring, improved the cultivation of the land, and ornamented the grounds with the belts of plantings that are apparent today (2011). The site at Rosemount today functions as an equestrian centre, comprising stables and a livery yard,[31] and the house itself as a place of residence.
In 1882–4, Francis Groome'sOrdnance Gazetteer of Scotland described Symington thus:
Symington, a village and a parish in the NW of Kyle district, Ayrshire. The village stands 3½ miles NNE of Monkton station, and 6 SSW of Kilmarnock, under which it has a post office.
The Wheatsheaf Inn.Brewlands Road.
The parish is bounded NE by Riccarton, E by Craigie, S and SW by Monkton, and W and NW by Dundonald. Its utmost length, from NNE to SSW, is 43/8 miles; its breadth varies between 1 and 2¼ miles; and its area is 3736½ acres, of which 11½ are water. In the extreme S the surface declines to close on 100 feet above sea-level; and thence it rises gently to a maximum altitude of 333 feet at a point 21/3 furlongs NNE of the church, from which it sinks again to 201 feet near the Riccarton border. It thus exhibits a pleasing diversity of swells and slopes, and contains many vantage-grounds commanding extensive views of great part of Ayrshire, the Firth of Clyde, and the Isle of Arran. Trap rock has been quarried for road metal, and sandstone for building; whilst limestone and coal exist, but not under profitable conditions. The soil, in general, is of a clayey character., on a hard subsoil. Nearly all the land, except about 300 acres under wood, is regularly or occasionally in tillage. The principal residences are Coodham, Dankeith, Rosemount, and Townend; and 5 proprietors hold each an annual value of £500 and upwards, 5 of between £100 and £500. Symington is in the presbytery of Ayr and the synod of Glasgow and Ayr; the living is worth £350. The parish church is an old building with Norman features, and, as entirely remodelled in 1880, contains 359 sittings. There is also a Free church; and the public school, with accommodation for 132 children, had (1884) an average attendance of 85, and a grant of £69, 16s. Valuation (1860) £6560, (1885) £7104, 5s. 3d. Pop. (1801) 668, (1841) 918, (1861) 855, (1871) 792, (1881) 697.—Ord. Sur., shs. 22, 14, 1865-63.[34]
Archaeology
A Law or Moot Hill once stood at the foot of the village and upon its removal some iron arrow-heads and horn combs were found.[7] Helenton Moot Hill may have been a fortified site at one time[7] and the Helenton Loch with its associated mill were nearby.
The Slough of Despond
The old limekilnThe Slough Burn in the Slough of Despond.
On the boundary of Dundonald and Symington parishes lies an area known as the 'Slough of Despond'. The original Slough of Despond is a deep bog in John Bunyan's allegory The Pilgrim's Progress into which the character Christian sinks under the weight of his sins and his sense of guilt for them.
The burn in this area, rising near the old Broadhirst Farm, has long been known as the Slough, the Scots equivalent spelling is Sleugh, meaning a marsh or quagmire. It is not known how the name 'Slough of Despond' was added to the area, however it is recorded since the mid 19th century and may be linked to the nearby limekilns that were generally notorious for the acrid 'hell-like' smoke that issued from them.
The Slough Burn still rises from the marshy area below the Broadhirst Woods, however the limestone quarry that served the limekilns is now abandoned, surviving as an area rich in wildlife, containing old woodland indicator plants such as Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa), Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta), Wood Sorrel (Oxalis acetosella), Dog's Mercury (Mercurialis perennis), Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum) and other species. The Slough Burn runs down past Dankeith House, Templeton and Fortacres, Todrigs and Caprington, to join the River Irvine near Gatehead.
Micro-history
Freestone and whinstone are the underlying rocks and the church itself stands on an elevated outcrop.[35]
The parish covered 3725 acres and had a population of 697 in 1881.[35]
South Ayrshire is one of thirty-two council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire. South Ayrshire had an estimated population in 2021 of 112,450, making it the 19th–largest subdivision in Scotland by population. With an area of 472 sq mi, South Ayrshire ranks as the 15th largest subdivision in Scotland.
The A77 road is a major road in Scotland. It runs in a southwesterly direction from the city of Glasgow, past the towns of Giffnock, Newton Mearns, Kilmarnock, Prestwick, Ayr, Girvan and Stranraer to the village of Portpatrick on the Irish Sea. It passes through the council areas of Glasgow City, East Renfrewshire, East Ayrshire, South Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway.
Prestwick is a town in South Ayrshire on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland about 30 miles southwest of Glasgow. It adjoins the larger town of Ayr to the south on the Firth of Clyde coast, the centre of which is about two miles south, and the small village of Monkton to the north. It had a population of 14,901 at the 2011 census.
Kyle is a former comital district of Scotland which stretched across parts of modern-day East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire. It is supposedly named after Coel Hen, a legendary king of the Britons, who is said to be buried under a mound at Coylton.
Central Ayrshire is a constituency of the British House of Commons, located in the south-west of Scotland within the North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire council areas. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) at least once every five years using the first-past-the-post system of voting.
Ayr was a county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1950 to 2005. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first-past-the-post system of election.
Dundonald is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland.
Craigie Castle, in the old Barony of Craigie, is a ruined fortification situated about 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Kilmarnock and 1 mile (1.6 km) southeast of Craigie village, in the Civil Parish of Craigie, South Ayrshire, Scotland. The castle is recognised as one of the earliest buildings in the county. It lies about 1.25 miles (2 km) west-south-west of Craigie church. Craigie Castle is protected as a scheduled monument.
Monkton is a small village in the parish of Monkton and Prestwick in South Ayrshire, Scotland. The town of Prestwick is around 1+1⁄2 miles south of the village, and it borders upon Glasgow Prestwick Airport.
Crosbie Castle and the Fullarton estate lie near Troon in South Ayrshire. The site was the home of the Fullarton family for several centuries. The lands were part of the feudal Barony of Corsbie Fullartoune (sic). The Crosbie Castle ruins were eventually used as an ice house after the new Fullarton House mansion was built. The mansion house was later demolished and the area set aside as a public park and golf course.
Barnweill Church or Barnweil Church is a ruined pre-reformation kirk situated on rising ground on the slopes of Barnweill Hill, Parish of Craigie, South Ayrshire, Scotland; about 3 km from Tarbolton. The church was known locally as the "Kirk in the Wood". It lies about 170m North North-East of Kirkhill Farm. Barnweill was central to the Protestant Reformation in Ayrshire through its association with John Knox. The spelling 'Barnweill' is used throughout for consistency.
Helenton Loch was situated in a low lying area between the farms and dwellings of Helentongate, Mains, and Burnbank in the Parish of Symington, South Ayrshire, Scotland. The loch was natural, sitting in a hollow, a kettle hole, created by glaciation. The loch waters ultimately drained via the Pow Burn. Helenton Hill is a prominent landmark to the west of the old loch site. The nearby lands of Rosemount were in 1549 known as 'Goldring' and were the property of the Schaws of Sornbeg.
Wallace's Monument, the Wallace Tower, or the Barnweil Monument is a category-A-listed building dedicated to the memory of William Wallace located on Barnweil Hill, a prominent location in the parish of Craigie, South Ayrshire, Scotland.
Clevens Loch was a substantial freshwater loch situated in a low-lying area below Clevance Farm and Langholm Farm in Dundonald parish, South Ayrshire, Scotland.
Shewalton House and estate were composed of the 'Lands of Shewalton' and the laird's dwelling, originally a tower castle and later a mansion house on the River Irvine in the Shewalton area, two miles from Irvine and west of Drybridge village, East Ayrshire, Dundonald Parish, Scotland. In 1883 the Boyle's estate of Shewalton was 2,358 acres in extent in Ayrshire and was worth at that time £2,708 a year.
Loans is a village in South Ayrshire near Troon, Scotland. It is located in Dundonald parish on the A759 at the junction with the B746 and a minor road to Dundonald.
The old village or hamlet of Old Rome, Rome or Old Rome Ford is located in South Ayrshire, Parish of Dundonald, Scotland. It is one and a half miles from Crosshouse and one and less than a quarter of a mile from Gatehead. In the 18th and 19th centuries the locality was a busy coal mining district and many of the houses have been demolished. The settlement is situated near the River Irvine.
Earlston is a hamlet in Riccarton, East Ayrshire, Scotland. The habitation dates from at least the early 18th century and is near Caprington Castle and Todrigs Mill. It was for many years the site of a large sawmill and a mine pumping engine, and had sidings of the Glasgow and South-Western Railway's Fairlie Branch.
What now survives of the old Caprington Loch (NS402352) is situated near Earlston, Riccarton, East Ayrshire, Scotland. The loch was a natural feature, sitting in a hollow on the old Caprington Castle estate. The loch waters drain via the Todrigs Burn that flows into the River Irvine to the east of Gatehead village. It was partly drained, probably sometime after the 1820s, as were so many other lochs, as part of 18th and 19th centuries extensive agricultural improvements and the only area of open water that remains does so as it was once used as a curling pond for the Caprington Castle Estate owners and their employees or tenants.
Adamson, Archibald R. (1875). Rambles Round Kilmarnock. Kilmarnock: T. Stevenson.
Aitchison, Jean (2001). Servants in Ayrshire 1750-1914. Ayr: AANHS. ISBN0-9527445-5-4.
Allan, Shiela et al. (2003). Historic Prestwick and its surroundings. Ayr: AANHS. ISBN0-9542253-1-7.
Beattie, Frank (2011). An Ayrshire Postcard Collection. Chalford: Amberley Publishing. ISBN978-1-4456-0037-6.
Campbell, Thorbjørn (2003). Ayrshire. A Historical Guide. Edinburgh: Birlinn. ISBN1-84158-267-0.
Close, Robert (1992). Ayrshire and Arran: An Illustrated Architectural Guide. Pub. Roy Inc Arch Scot. ISBN1-873190-06-9.
Dobie, James D. (ed Dobie, J.S.) (1876). Cunninghame, Topographized by Timothy Pont 1604–1608, with continuations and illustrative notices. Glasgow: John Tweed.
Love, Dane (2003). Ayrshire: Discovering a County. Ayr: Fort Publishing. ISBN0-9544461-1-9.
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