Kilmacolm

Kilmacolm is generally believed to take its name from the Scots Gaelic language, meaning "cell or church of Columba" as derived from the dedication of an ancient church to St. Columba of Iona.[3] This is generally associated with the religious cell which was established in the sixth or seventh century on the site of the current parish church.[4] The current parish church, known as the Old Kirk, was largely constructed in the 19th century and incorporates parts of an older, 13th-century Norman church, which has become the Murray Chapel.[3]

Traditionally it is believed that the village was the location of a cordial meeting in the latter half of the sixth century between Columba and St Kentigern, known locally as St Mungo, the patron saint of Glasgow.[5][6] In his book Kilmacolm: A Parish History, 1100–1898, the then Minister of the Parish, James Murray, claims history would suggest the meeting took place at Glasgow, noting only that "as, on that occasion, [Columba] passed up the southern bank of the Clyde, he necessarily traversed a portion of Kilmacolm Parish."[7]

For a period in the 18th century, Kilmacolm was generally spelled 'Kilmalcolm', based on a presumption that the settlement's name originated with one of the kings of Scotland named Malcolm. A vote of the parochial board in 1905 altered the accepted spelling to 'Kilmacolm', based largely on a case made by the previously mentioned Rev. James Murray that this association was mistaken.[8]

The early human settlement of Kilmacolm can be traced as far back as the Stone Age, with a number of archaeological discoveries made within the village dating from that period. The most significant of these findings is the agricultural homestead located near to the Knapps Loch, which was excavated in the early 1960s.[9] Later examples of human habitation in the parish are numerous.[10]

A number of early settlements around the village are listed as ancient monuments by the government agency Historic Environment Scotland. These include a number of Bronze or Iron Age hut circles and roundhouses that are believed to have formed lightly defended homesteads. While not listed, the homestead at Knapps is also mentioned by the agency as being believed to have a similar age.[11]

As the Romans advanced north through Ancient Britain, they entered Kilmacolm – near to the Antonine Wall and contributing to the defence of the Empire's northern frontier. A Roman road leading to a fort at Old Kilpatrick was constructed through the north of the parish. Other forts were built at nearby Whitemoss, with a more significant one on Barochan Hill outside of neighbouring Houston, Renfrewshire. The Romans' continued presence as far north as Kilmacolm was, however, short lived.[12]

A motte also exists beside the Gryffe Water within the Duchal Estate, sometimes known as Denniston Motte. It is believed to have been part of an Anglo-Norman timber castle dating from the 12th or 13th century. The former building on the site is stated by Historic Environment Scotland to have "almost certainly acted as a manorial estate centre". There are potential associations with two local landowners: the Lyle family that later held Duchal Castle or the Dennistoun family who later occupied Finlaystone House. Its site listing also notes that "local tradition holds it to be the site of a Roman watertower".[11][13]

Finlaystone House, seat of the Earls of Glencairn

Newark Castle, formerly in the parish and seat of the Maxwells.

In the Middle Ages and Early Modern period, Kilmacolm was part of a largely feudal society within the Kingdom of Scotland and later in the Kingdom of Great Britain. The parish was largely divided between two estates, which throughout most of the period were based at Duchal Castle and Finlaystone House and began with its division between two families: the Dennistouns and the Lyles, who were later replaced by other families through sale or marriage. Many of the external problems of the two families related to religious disputes, the favour of the Crown and feuds with other families.[14] From the early 13th century, Kilmacolm is mentioned in records of the church which seems to have been dedicated either to Malcolm III[15] or, more likely, Saint Columba.[16] These records include an early papal bull of Pope Honorius III[17] in 1225 and generally demonstrate the subservience of the church at Kilmacolm and the surrounding villages of Strathgryfe to Paisley Abbey.[18]

Duchal Castle, on the outskirts of Kilmacolm was constructed by Ralph de l'Isle (also referred to as Radulphus de Insula), whose surname was later Anglicised to Lyle, in the 13th century and remained in the family until purchased by the Porterfields in 1544.[19] The Porterfields occupied the castle until 1710, when much of it was deconstructed and the stone used to build a new home further down the River Gryffe, which exists to this day as Duchal House. The ruins of the castle are still located in the parish. The name 'duchal' means 'between two rivers', and this indeed is reflected in the Castle's position, set between Green Water and its tributary, the Blacketty Water.[20] Most significant in the Castle's history was its siege by King James IV of Scotland in July 1489, following the Lyle's support of an insurrection against him. The King attended personally and, according to accounts, the inhabitants of the Castle surrendered immediately on the sight of the famous Mons Meg cannon being rolled into position against them. The castle, however, was fired upon, and one of the Royal cannon gained the name "Duchal".[21]

The Dennistoun family originated in the parish in the mid-12th century and ended with Sir Robert Dennistoun, who died in 1399 with no male heirs. His two daughters inherited his parts of his estate and married into two new noble families, thus creating three main estates in Kilmacolm rather than two. The Cunninghams, later to become the Earls of Glencairn, had their seat at Finlaystone House, and the Maxwells later constructed a seat at Newark Castle in an area once known as Nether Finlaystone.[22] With the death of John Cunningham, 15th Earl of Glencairn in 1796, his title became extinct. Finlaystone House was passed to multiple owners, and is now the seat of the chief of the Clan MacMillan. In 1668, Sir George Maxwell sold much of his lands at Newark to the city of Glasgow, for the development of Port Glasgow. A later Sir George Maxwell disposed of his estate in the early 18th century.[23] Newark Castle is now owned and operated by Historic Scotland.[24]

The Duchal estates were acquired from the Lyles by John Porterfield in 1544. The Porterfields were staunch Covenanters, and Duchal was widely seen as a refuge when the profession of such sympathies was criminalised in the 17th century. Illegal Conventicles were held in the estate, particularly on the natural amphitheatre which is positioned within the present-day 14th hole of the Kilmacolm Golf Club. As a result of these religious sympathies, the estate was sequestered by the Crown in 1684, and the men of the Porterfield family were arrested; it was however returned following the Glorious Revolution.[25]

The last of the Duchal-based Porterfield family was James Corbett Porterfield, who died without an heir in 1855. His estate then passed to Sir Hugh Shaw-Stewart, 8th Baronet, who served as a Unionist politician and Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire. Duchal House was subsequently purchased by the first Lord Maclay, and remains in the family to this day.

The Lyle Buildings, Lochwinnoch Road – a row of small shops in the Victorian village centre.

The arrival of the railway in Kilmacolm in 1869 marked a significant turning point in the village's history and lead to Victorian era expansion on a grand scale. Prior to this development, the village had changed little in the preceding centuries, falling behind the development of other parts of the county.[26] Kilmacolm's rail connection came about as a result of railway companies entering into the shipping trade and the perceived need to link Glasgow directly to Greenock's waterfront. Links to the wider world, and particularly Glasgow, made the village an attractive dormitory settlement.[27]

Kilmacolm expanded at an unprecedented speed and many of the large Victorian and Edwardian villas which characterise the village today were constructed, as well as such attractions as the Hydropathic Hotel[28][29] and facilities such as banks and plumbed water. Combined with the dramatic expansion of the village and gentrification of the area, the traditional importance of agriculture to the parish economy declined significantly.[30] Slightly further east on the railway line, William Quarrier's Orphans' Homes were opened in the 1870s and remained as a residential children's community until the late 1970s. Since then, what has become known as Quarrier's Village has become largely residential.[31]

Kilmacolm gradually became a place with numerous amenities, with the construction of the Victorian schoolhouses of the village, the opening of a Royal Bank of Scotland branch in 1872 and piped clean water in 1878.[32] Indicative of the changes which the gentrification of the village brought, in the 1920s a local referendum was held in the village under the Temperance (Scotland) Act 1913, resulting in it becoming a dry parish where the sale of alcohol was illegal. The numerous public houses which had existed in the Kilmacolm declined, and it was to have no such establishment from this time until the 1990s.[32] In 1921, the parish council purchased the former Buchanan Arms building at the cross, turning it into a Village Institute or community centre, which it has continued to be until the renovation of the Cargill Centre in 2009–10.[33] In the religious sphere, the establishment of many of Kilmacolm's churches can be credited to religious disagreements, particularly the practice of patronage within the Church of Scotland – which allowed local landowners to choose a parish minister. This practice ended in 1874.[34]

World War I paused local development somewhat, and 300 men (66 of whom were officers) in the parish enlisted in the British Armed Forces. The village came to accommodate a number of Belgian refugees.[35] In the Second World War, Kilmacolm was used to house evacuees from Glasgow and public buildings were used to house those made homeless by the Greenock Blitz in 1941. One bomb fell in Kilmacolm, causing minor damage and, following the war, the hydropathic hotel was used as a naval hospital until being returned to private ownership with its purchase by Stakis Hotels.[36]

The modern village retains the character of its Victorian and Edwardian boom.[37] Kilmacolm railway station was closed in 1983, and the track converted into a recreational cycle path. Despite an increase in new housing in the village during the latter half of the 20th century and a corresponding increase in population, particularly in the 1960s and 70s, Kilmacolm has remained reasonably static in size over the past decade. Expansion into green belt land is now discouraged and, combined with a high demand for housing, this has led to an identified shortage of affordable housing in the village.[38]

The Olympic Flame was carried through the village on 8 June 2012, as part of the British Isles torch relay in celebration of the London 2012 Olympic Games.[39]

The parish is represented by Kilmacolm community council, a statutory body consulted in relation to local government matters.[41]

In common with other such bodies, Kilmacolm Community Council is not party political. It meets monthly in the Cargill Centre, except in July and December, with an annual general meeting held in May. The most recent contested election to the community council were held in October 2015; the most recent election in September 2019 had a number of nominees fewer than the number of positions available, so was uncontested.[42][43]

The local authority for Kilmacolm and Quarrier's Village is Inverclyde Council, one of the three local council areas in Renfrewshire and one of thirty-two across Scotland. Since 1999, the administration of local government in Scotland has been a devolved matter within the competence of the Scottish Parliament.

From the introduction of proportional representation in local council elections in Scotland in 2007 until 2017, Kilmacolm was joined with Port Glasgow to create a four-member ward known as Inverclyde East. Following a review of local government boundaries, the boundaries of Inverclyde East were reduced to include Kilmacolm, Quarrier's Village and only a portion of the east of Port Glasgow. It is now a three-member ward represented by Deputy Provost David Wilson (Conservative), Councillor Christopher Curley (SNP) and Leader of the Council Councillor Stephen McCabe (Labour).

Kilmacolm is part of the Inverclyde constituency for elections to House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.[44] The constituency was created in 2005, with Kilmacolm previously falling within the West Renfrewshire constituency. Following the 2017 UK general election the current Member of Parliament for the area is Ronnie Cowan MP

For elections to the Scottish Parliament, Kilmacolm is currently part of the Renfrewshire North and West constituency, changing in 2011 from the previous Renfrewshire West constituency. It is also part of the West of Scotland Scottish Parliament electoral region.[44] The incumbent constituency Member of the Scottish Parliament is Natalie Don MSP.

By the early 2000s, before the introduction of proportional representation for local council elections in Scotland in 2007, Kilmacolm was considered a safe Conservative ward and typically elected the only Conservative member to Inverclyde Council.[45]

Following the death of Councillor Alex Calvert, a by-election was held in the Kilmacolm ward on 8 February 2001. Turnout fell to 43.9%, down from 65.3% in the 1999 election, and turned Kilmacolm into a Conservative-Liberal Democrat marginal area, with the Conservatives' (represented by the former councillor's wife, Helen Calvert) lead being slashed 29% to 6% over the Lib Dems who rose from fourth to second place in the poll. In 2003, Liberal Democrat Tom Fyfe was elected by a narrow margin in Kilmacolm, also marking the return of control of Inverclyde Council from Labour to the Lib Dems.[46] Since the 2007 local government elections, Kilmacolm has formed part of a larger multi-member ward named Inverclyde East.

There are number of community and recreational facilities in Kilmacolm. Set largely in open countryside, a number of outdoor pursuits such as angling and golf are available in the local area. Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park extends into the parish, which also contains Glen Moss Wildlife Reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest operated by the Scottish Wildlife Trust.[63]

A public park, Birkmyre Park, was donated by local merchant Adam Birkmyre for the benefit of the parish in 1897. The park is held and managed by the Birkmyre Trust.[64] Recent redevelopment has modified the park's pavilion to contain a fitness gymnasium, a café and changing facilities as well as including a new children's playpark.[65] Birkmyre Park also hosts association football, rugby and cricket within its grounds.[66] In 2009, the Trust proposed reopening the former tennis courts and putting green in Birkmyre Park following public consultation, as well as creating a court for basketball and netball.[67] Two smaller public parks exist within the Kilmacolm area: the smaller West Glen Park and a playpark in Quarrier's Village.[68]

Local sports teams generally meet at the village's Birkmyre Park. These include the Birkmyre Rugby Club, who compete in the Scottish Rugby Union's West regional league and Kilmacolm Cricket Club, an amateur team with a long history.[69][70] The park is also used by sports teams for the village's schools.

There is also a Kilmacolm Golf Club, Kilmacolm Tennis Club, Kilmacolm Bowling Club and Kilmacolm Squash Club, all of which have their own private facilities.[71][72][73][74]

There was formerly a funfair held annually in Birkmyre Park. Due to park refurbishment, it has not continued in recent years although alternative sites are under review.[68] A circus visited the park in 2010.[75]

The field beside the Knapps Loch is used for community events such as the Kilmacolm and Port Glasgow Agricultural Society's annual show and the Bonfire Night celebrations.

Kilmacolm is depicted as 'Kilellan' in R.J. Price's Renfrewshire short stories A Boy in Summer (2002) and features briefly in Raymond Friel's poetry collection Stations of the Heart (2009). The Scottish sketch comedy Chewin' the Fat also featured a character, a man who breaks cultural taboos or does something very anti-social. When challenged or criticized, he then explains away his actions by saying that he's "fae Kilmacolm", which would immediately win understanding of his superiority from everyone around him.

People with links to Kilmacolm are known as Kilmacolmics or Kilmacomics.[76][77]

The village has a long political tradition. The first Lord Maclay was a shipbuilder and later served as a minister from 1916 to 1922 in the coalition government. His son, the second Lord Maclay served as a Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) for Paisley. John Maclay, 1st Viscount Muirshiel, the younger brother of the second Lord Maclay, was a National Liberal and Conservative MP, who served as Secretary of State for Scotland from 1957 to 1962. Annabel Goldie, The Baroness Goldie, former leader of the Scottish Conservatives (2005–11) and member of the House of Lords was brought up in Kilmacolm.[78] Eleanor Laing, the Conservative Member of Parliament for Epping Forest and Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, was raised and educated in the village.[79]

In entertainment and the arts, musicians Jim Kerr of Simple Minds and Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders were residents of Kilmacolm,[80] as was Gerry Rafferty in the 1970s. Hedrick Smith, a broadcaster in the United States, and television presenter Dallas Campbell also originate here. In business and industry Sir Eric Yarrow, Bart., notable for his connection with Yarrow Shipbuilders, lived in the village from 1982 until his death in 2018 and served as a deputy lieutenant of Renfrewshire.[81] Ronald Campbell OBE – an engineer and pioneer of nuclear power in the UK – was also brought up in the area.[82][80] The late Wing Commander Hector McLean of the Royal Air Force was a lifelong resident of the village.[83]

In sports, Rachael Ferrier, who competed in the 2014 Winter Paralympics at Sochi as a sighted guide for visually impaired athlete Millie Knight also resides in Kilmacolm.

Prof William Arthur Harland FRSE, Professor of Forensic Medicine at Glasgow University lived in Kilmacolm.[84]

Patrick Thoms (1873–1946) architect specialising in hotels and clubhouses.

• Mérignies, Nord, France

In May 2014, Kilmacolm signed a twinning agreement with the village of Mérignies in north-eastern France. The twinning agreement with formalised with delegations from both villages first at Kilmacolm's annual show and again in Mérignies during the latter's Bastille Day celebration. A Kilmacolm-Mérignies Twinning Society co-ordinates activity around the twinning relationship, with support from the community council. [85][86]

'Windy Hill', Charles Rennie Mackintosh's largest work in the village.

Auchenbothie House (1898), now converted into multiple residential flats.

A number of large private homes are also notable in the parish, which are also drawn from a wide variety of architectural styles. The village hosts a number of examples of the arts and crafts style, most notably 'Windy Hill' (c.1900), designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh. This is one of a number of buildings Mackintosh was involved with in the village and alongside the Hill House is one of only two residential buildings wholly designed by him.[96][97]

In the adjacent plot to Windyhill is James Salmon's 'Rowantreehill' of the same era, an unusual building which was designed by Salmon as a family home for his own use.[98] James Salmon and Charles Rennie Mackintosh were friends and sharing influences a following of the Glasgow Style artistic movement.[99] Both Salmon and Mackintosh went on to contribute more of their work to Kilmacolm, Salmon designing four more listed homes. Following William Leiper, the architect of St Columba's Church, being commissioned to design Auchenbothie House, Mackintosh was again recruited to design the building's gatehouse and to contribute to the expansion of nearby Cloak, all of which fell within the estate of Major Hugh Brown Collins, a mining engineer.[51][87] Although Mackintosh planned for a tower to the constructed at Cloak, this was never executed.[100] Auchenbothie House was donated by former owner Sir James Lithgow to the town council of nearby Port Glasgow in 1949 to be used as a home for the elderly; it later lay vacant before being converted into residential flats.[101]

Other notable architects to have practiced in Kilmacolm include Sir John James Burnet whose works in the village include the Kidston Hall and the major late 19th-century renovation of Finlaystone House and James Austen Laird, who worked on numerous homes in the village.[87][102] Also of significance are the former orphans' homes at Quarrier's Village, many of which are listed. The homes were designed individually according to the wishes of donors, mainly by Glasgow architect Robert A. Bryden. As previously mentioned, Bryden was also responsible for a number of the non-residential buildings in Quarrier's Village including Mount Zion Church, Elise Hospital and what became Bridge of Weir Hospital, the latter two having been converted into a home for the elderly and a residential development respectively.[87]

Finlaystone House, a mansion house in the Baronial Revival style and former seat of the Earls of Glencairn, is Category A listed. The current building is mainly that constructed in 1760 around an earlier nucleus, and extensively added to and altered in the late 19th century.[87] It is now seat of the Chief of the Clan MacMillan, with both building and grounds used for public events and visits.[103]

Kilmacolm's war memorial. Seventy-seven men from Kilmacolm were lost in the "Great War".[104]

Duchal House, which was constructed from stone from the aforementioned (now ruined) Duchal Castle, is a Renaissance style country house originally built in 1710 and largely rebuilt c. 1768 incorporating some of the previous structure. It is now the seat of current Lord Maclay.[87]

The third historic seat of Kilmacolm, Newark Castle, is no longer within the parish, having been incorporated into Port Glasgow. It is currently in the possession of Historic Scotland.

Kilmacolm has a large Celtic cross-style war memorial sited on a hill to the south-east of the village. The land that it is built upon was donated for the purpose by the first Lord Maclay, who purchased Duchal House and its estates in 1915 and lost two sons in World War I.[105] In addition to his work on buildings in the village, there is also a gravestone in the parish churchyard designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh dated 1892 and erected to the memory of one James Reid.[106]

A monument containing a time capsule is also present in the village centre, outside the old schoolhouse. It was created in 1985 to celebrate International Youth Year.[107] A lion statue lies in Birkmyre Park.[108]