- Hurlford
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Coordinates: 55°35′54″N 4°27′07″W / 55.59846°N 4.45205°W
Hurlford Scottish Gaelic: Àth Cliath Scots: Hulfurt 
Hurlford
Hurlford shown within East AyrshirePopulation 4,968 OS grid reference NS456366 - Edinburgh 75 miles - London 404 miles Council area East Ayrshire Lieutenancy area Ayrshire and Arran Country Scotland Sovereign state United Kingdom Post town KILMARNOCK Postcode district KA1, KA3 Dialling code 01560 01563 Police Strathclyde Fire Strathclyde Ambulance Scottish EU Parliament Scotland UK Parliament Kilmarnock and Loudoun Scottish Parliament Kilmarnock and Loudoun List of places: UK • Scotland • Hurlford (Scottish Gaelic: Àth Cliath) is a village in East Ayrshire, Scotland. Including Crookedholm, it has a population of 4,968.[1] Hurlford's former names include Whirlford and Hurdleford.[2] The village was named Whirlford as a result of a ford crossing the River Irvine east of Hurlford Cross, near Shawhill.[3] It shares its name in Gaelic, Àth Cliath ("The Ford of the Hurdles") with the Irish capital Dublin.
The village's Blair Park is home to Hurlford United F.C. and many notable footballers have been trained there.
Contents
Local Council Wards
The village is mostly contained in the Kilmarnock East and Hurlford ward of East Ayrshire Council while some outlying hamlets are in the Irvine Valley ward.[4]
Religion
Traditionally part of Riccarton parish,[5] the village is now a quoad sacra parish in its own right. Hurlford is home to four church buildings—the Hurlford Kirk and Hurlford Church, both in Main Road, Crookedholm; St Paul's Roman Catholic Church on Galston Road; and the Mauchline Road Church.
Hurlford Church is part of the Church of Scotland.[6] Mauchline Road Church was formerly part of the Unitarian Church.[3] It is now used as luxury housing,[7] as is the Hurlford Kirk.[8]
Education
Hurlford Primary School
Hurlford Primary School, formerly Hurlford Grammar and Secondary School is the non-denominational primary school for the area and also houses Hurlford Nursery School.[2] The building itself dates back to 1885.[6]
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Rothesay, visited and congratulated the staff and children on 20 June 2005 on their achievements transforming school meals,[9] which was followed by the school winning the Soil Association's School Food Award at the BBC's Good Food Show, presented by Jamie Oliver.[10]
Crossroads Primary School
Crossroads Primary School serves the outlying areas of Hurlford and surrounding villages.[citation needed]
Economy
Shawhill House near Hurlford. The town developed rapidly in the 19th century, following the discovery of coal. Fireclay and ironstone were also worked extensively until production ceased in the 1970s. A poignant reminder of the heyday of the iron and steel industry of Hurlford is the ship's propeller erected at the Cross in the lately redeveloped town centre.[11] Today, industries found in Hurlford include brakepad manufacturing by Eurofriction Limited and whiskey production by international company Diageo.[citation needed]
Transport
Hurlford railway station is now closed. However, East Ayrshire Council have recently entered negotiations with ScotRail and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport to re-introduce passenger rail halts.[citation needed]
Hurlford also used to boast its own tramway system, which connected it to Kilmarnock. Nowadays, the main public transport links are provided by several Stagecoach Western bus services, including direct services to Glasgow.
Notable residents
- Gordon Cree - well-known pianist, composer, conductor, musician and general character
- Ross Tollerton - British Army soldier in World War I who awarded the Victoria Cross
- Robert Dunsmuir - industrialist, politician and developer of coal mines and the E&N Railway on Vancouver Island
- Jimmy Knapp - General Secretary of the RMT transport union
- George Wylie - awarded the George Cross in honour of his heroic attempts to defuse a Nazi bomb which had landed on St Paul's Cathedral in London
The village is often referred to as a "football nursery" due to its high output of footballers.
- Ian Bryson - Sheffield United F.C., Barnsley F.C., Preston North End F.C, and Rochdale A.F.C. footballer
- David Calderhead - Queen of the South and Notts County footballer and Chelsea F.C. manager
- William Goldie - Leicester City footballer
- Jack Picken - Manchester United, Bolton Wanderers and Plymouth Argyle footballer
- Sandy Turnbull - Manchester City and Manchester United footballer
- Arthur Young, Manchester United footballer[citation needed]
- Gary Chisholm - appears in CNN documentary How to catch a paedophile,[citation needed]
- Dean Schofield - appears in E4 documentary Embarrasing Bodies,[citation needed]
References
- ^ http://www.scrol.gov.uk/scrol/browser/profile.jsp?profile=Population&mainArea=hurlford&mainLevel=Locality
- ^ a b East Ayrshire Council Minutes, page 217, Item 7
- ^ a b http://www.kilmarnockstandard.co.uk/ayrshire-news/latest-news/2007/10/04/john-helps-put-hurlford-history-on-the-world-map-81430-19894925
- ^ Boundary Commission for Scotland, Fourth Statutory Review of Electoral Arrangements East Ayrshire Council area maps
- ^ http://www.rcahms.gov.uk/pls/portal/canmore.newcandig_details_gis?inumlink=111621
- ^ a b http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/259099/0076820.pdf
- ^ http://www.lumaxhomes.com/hurlford/HurlfordChurchFloorplans.html
- ^ http://www.lumaxhomes.com/hurlford/index.html
- ^ http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/newsandgallery/news/trh_join_children_taking_part_in_a_healthy_eating_scheme_in__642.html
- ^ http://www.soilassociation.org/web/sa/saweb.nsf/ImageUnlocked/D3CCCB73D83F366C802570C3004807C1/?OpenDocument
- ^ http://www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk/comser/my%20area/hurlford.asp
Categories:- Villages in East Ayrshire
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