Girdle Toll

Infobox UK place
official_name= Girdle Toll
gaelic_name= Unknown
scots_name=
local_name=
country= Scotland
map_type= Scotland
population=
population_density=
os_grid_reference= NS325395
edinburgh_distance=
london_distance=
latitude= 55.6201
longitude= -04.6614
post_town= IRVINE
postcode_area= KA
postcode_district= KA11 - KA12
dial_code= 01294
twin_town=
constituency_westminster= Central Ayrshire
civil_parish=
unitary_scotland= North Ayrshire
lieutenancy_scotland= Ayrshire and Arran
constituency_scottish_parliament= Cunninghame South

Introduction

Girdle Toll is a small town/village just outside the town of Irvine, North Ayrshire. It is situated just off the Stanecastle roundabout just next to the Stanecastle Keep. The area has a local bus service by Stagecoach western Scotland, which runs two routes to the area the 22 and 29. Also Shuttle Buses, Stewarton, East Ayrshire 113 route passes via the area.

Girdle Toll has Eglinton Country Park nearby. A lot of the locals can enjoy recreational activities such as cycling, football and walking. Eglinton country park takes its name from Eglinton Castle which is now closed off to the public because the building is unsafe. The country park covers a large area from Girdle Toll to Kilwinning, North Ayrshire.The main road in the area is called lochlibo Road; it used to form part of the A736 route to Glasgow. The A736 now bypasses the area just to the west. On this route there is a new housing development currently being built called Montgomery Park. There are now traffic calming measures been put in place, such as single-file traffic measures and speed bumps. Coming from the stanecastle roundabout the first right takes you into some of the local amenities. Go further up the road there is a mini roundabout which has a road going to the right and straight on. To the right is the old Stewarton road (B769) route, the new route bypasses to the south of the area. At the top of the road is the Littlestane Roundabout, to the left is some more local amenities, straight ahead takes you onto the old Glasgow road and turning to your right takes you into the Lawthorn farm area of Girdle Toll.

chools

* Annick Primary
* Lawthorn Primary
* Stanecastle Primary School for special needs Children

Annick Primary school and Stanecastle Primary school are within the same grounds as each other, they are merely 100m apart from each other. The children from Annick Primary School occasionally visit Stanecastle from time to do activities with the special needs children. Annick Primary and Stanecastle are situated in the fields between Bensley Rise and Burns crescent. The schools were built in 1979.

Lawthorn Primary school is situated close to the Spar shop and pharmacy at the Littlestane roundabout at the top of the Girdle Toll Road, you pass it when you head along the old Glasgow road. Lawthorn Primary school was built in the year 2000 to relieve the slightly overcrowded Annick Primary school.

Local Amenities, Public Houses and Restaurants

* Annick Lodge Public House
* Beauty salon
* BP Petrol Station
* Community Centres
**Lanfine and Girdle Toll Community Centre

* Convenience stores
** Costcutter
** Keystore
** Spar

* Doctors Surgery
* Girdle Toll Bowling Club
* Girdle Toll Parish Church
* Girdle Toll Postal Office
* Gulab Indian Restaurante
* Pharmacy
* Sun King chinese takeaway

*Woodland nature reserve at Lawthorn pronounced L'thorn by the locals - managed & owned by the Scottish Wildlife Trust.

The Gulab Indian Restaurant used to be situated within the town centre of Irvine at Bank Street, the move was made in November 1998 next to the Stanecastle Roundabout. The building used to be the Stanecastle hotel. The restaurant has been under new management since the beginning of the year 2006.

Two of the local shops and the BP Petrol Station have ATM machines. One at the Keystore charges for using the service and the other two are free to use.

Montgomerie Park

Montgomerie Park (formally known as Earlswood) is a future housing development. It is a fairly large development next to the Hill Roundabout just off the A736 Irvine to Glasgow route. It is currently being built; the timescale of the project is not known. It is just to the west of the Girdle Toll.

Annick Water

The Annick Water passes through Girdle Toll which also flows through Bourtreehill and passes by the outskirts of Eglinton Country Park. The river is well known for having a healthy stock of trout and salmon during the fishing season. The river is known to be mostly pollution free.

Irvine New Town Trail

"Main article Irvine New Town Trail"

The Irvine New Town Trail passes through Girdle Toll, it forms part of the British National Cycle Network with routes 7 and 73 forming part of the route. The route forms a ring around the town and passes through Eglinton Country Park, Kilwinning, Bourtreehill, Dreghorn and passes through the town centre of Irvine.

History

Before Girdle Toll was developed by Irvine Development Corporation (IDC), Girdle Toll was just a row of houses next to large areas of farmland. In the 1970s and 1980s IDC decided to develop the land into a large housing area with local amenities. Girdle Toll has been growing since, the most recent area to have houses built was in 2001 when a small development was built next to Bryce Knox court.

Prehistory

John Smith in 1895 records that "the GIRDLE stood 3 furlongs to the south-west of Lawthorn Mound and appears to have been so well constructed that it was the admiration of everyone who saw it." Smith, John (1895). "Prehistoric Man in Ayrshire". Pub. Elliot Stock. P. 97.] A Mr.Rodger, manager of Fergushill Colliry, recollected that the mound was about 30 feet in diameter and 3 feet high; surrounded by a turf dyke and a thorn fence, outside of which were a number of trees, mostly beech. The Girdle Mound was completely levelled circa 1860. This mound gave the name to the toll and then the area. Smith, John (1895). "Prehistoric Man in Ayrshire". Pub. Elliot Stock. P. 97.]

ee also

*Annick Water
*River Irvine
*Bourtreehill
*Bourtreehill House
*Broomlands
*Dreghorn
*Irvine
*Irvine New Town Trail
*Eglinton Castle
*Eglinton Country Park

References

External links

New Town trail on the North Ayrshire council website [http://www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk/na/DevelopProm.nsf/36e3faebea4c5c2280256e82002f5ea4/e67830763a971f3c80256f6d0038cdd0?OpenDocument]