Living close to the Garnock Valley and travelling through it on numerous occasions, the members of Largs Probus Club were fascinated by a recent talk by Iain Mills on the geology and history of the area. Iain advised that the Garnock Valley was formed during the Ice Age by the eroding impact of a glacier interacting with sedimentary and volcanic rocks below it, which left behind rich resources of coal, limestone, iron ore and various minerals along with fertile soils.
Background
The Garnock Valley includes the towns of Beith, Dalry, and Kilbirnie, and some smaller villages such as Gateside, Barrmill, Longbar and Glengarnock. It has a combined population of around 20,000. Historically, the area was built around the flax and weaving industries before iron and steelmaking took over in the 19th and early 20th centuries. If you want explore the area, Garnock Valley Trails and Garnock Valley Cultural Connections are helpful.
Back to Iain – Iron and Coal
Iain explained that we use what we find around us to make a living, so there was no surprise to find there were over 200 coal pits in the area in the mid-19th Century along with ironworks at Eglington in Kilwinning, Glengarnock, etc. These were aided by the opening of the Glasgow to Ayr railway with Glengarnock steel beams being used in the construction of Glasgow’s Central Station. The abolition of the slave trade in 1833 gave vast compensation to the local landed gentry who invested their newfound wealth in the coal and iron industries, while the Irish famine of 1845 led to a labour boom in the area with 30% of the workforce coming from Ireland.
Prospering Towns
Dalry and Glengarnock grew rapidly due to the prosperity from this industrial growth but other areas also benefited, such as from the Deepshank Coal Pit in Stevenston, the canal in Saltcoats, limekilns at Gateside, furniture making at Dalry and the salt pans in Saltcoats – which used eight tons of coal to make one ton of salt – with the salt benefitting local fishermen. However, not everyone benefitted, with Iain giving examples of child labour where two boys aged 12 and 11 years were included in a census as Miners, not Pit Boys, but surprisingly they lived to 67 and 70 years of age respectively.
Personalities
Iain concluded his talk with reference to the poets and radicals of the area, including Robert Service – known as the “Bard of the Yukon” and also the Garnock Valley – who was inspired by tales of the Klondike Gold Rush and wrote many poems, including “The Shooting of Dan McGrew”.
Jim Welsh thanked Iain for a very interesting talk on the history of the Garnock Valley and the legacy of the industrial activity in the area.
Our Next Meeting
Largs Probus Club will next meet in the Willowbank Hotel on Wednesday 13th November at 10.00am, when Sean Szmalc will speak to us about the Titanic.
New members are always welcomed at the Club. If you are 50 or over, retired, or nearing retirement, (men only, I’m afraid) you can attend three meetings as a guest and find out what a relaxed and friendly time we have. That’s plenty of time to decide whether to become a Club member or not. Please check out our programme and then use our Contact Form if you wish to attend as a guest, or to enquire about joining.