Gateside, North Ayrshire

Gateside is a small village in North Ayrshire, Scotland about half a mile east of Beith. Co-ordinates 55 44' 52.4" N | 04 36' 33.0" W

Gateside Primary School was opened in 1903, and nowadays it has 74 pupils. The school has an extension built in 1998 which provided indoor toilets and a school hall, which is used by the nursery, PE classes and for school dinners and for assemblies.

Gateside Primary SchoolLEA: North AyrshireTelephone Number: 01505 502776Fax Number: 01505 502776Address: Main RoadGateside

AyrshirePost Code: KA15 2LF

Speir's school stood nearby and the grounds are now a public park used by the Gateside and Beith communities.

The Isobel Patrick Memorial Hall is a building in the Gothic style. Trearne House stood near Gateside, but it was demolished and the site is now a large worked out limestone quarry.

Gateside gallery

Geilsland House and School gallery

Geilsland school, run by the Church of Scotland, is located nearby.

Geilsland Lodge and main entrance.
The side of the house which faces Geilsland Road and Speir's school grounds.
The front of Geilsland House showing later alterations.
The chapel at Geilsland.

The Court Hill

A Moot hill or Court Hill survives near Gateside at Bog hall in the old Barony of Beith. Dobie states that the Abbot of Kilwinning used it to administered justice to his vassals & tenants. It is a sub-oval, flat-topped mound, situated at the foot of a small valley. A number of large stones are visible in the sides of the mound. It is turf-covered, situated on a low outcrop, and is mostly an artificial work. It pre-dates the channelling of the burn which detours around it, the mound was probably isolated in this once marshy outflow of the former Boghall Loch (see NS35SE 14). [http://www.rcahms.gov.uk/ RCAHMS Canmore archaeology site] ] It does not seem to lie in the area identified by Smith, the author of "Prehistoric Man in Ayrshire" and the excavator of Cleeves Cove cave.Smith, John (1895). Prehistoric Man in Ayrshire. Pub. Elliot Stock. P. 81.] .

Limestone and marble

Because of the underlying geology of this part of Ayrshire the presence of the many limestone quarries is to be expected. Lime kilns to produce lime for improving the soil, were a common feature of the countryside before the process became fully industrialised. Nettlehirst near Barrmill was one of the last large traditionally operated lime kilns to operate, surviving until the 1970s, however Broadstone has the substantial remains of one of the largest of the early stone built kilns. This must have created considerable pollution in the area, offset only by the employment it created. It sits right next to the limestone quarry which supplied it.

The old Ordnance Survey maps show that a marble quarry was located nearby.

The Broadstone Geocache

Geocaching is a popular new 'sport' which involves searching for 'hidden' caches of 'swaps' and a log book. The 'Broadstone Kiln' geocache is in the woodlands surrounding the old kiln and quarry and its co-ordinate scan be found by registering on the Geocaching website. You will really need a GPS to locate this cache.

References

See also

*Hessilhead
*Barony and Castle of Giffen