Lochwinnoch
Encyclopedia
Lochwinnoch is a village in the council area and historic county
of Renfrewshire
in the west central Lowlands
of Scotland
. Lying on the banks of Castle Semple Loch
and the River Calder
, Lochwinnoch is chiefly a residential dormitory village serving nearby urban centres such as Glasgow
and Paisley
. Its population in 2001 was 2628.
The village also lends its name to a civil parish
of some fifty square miles of the surrounding countryside, including the nearby village of Howwood
. The parish borders seven others: Beith
, Kilbarchan
, Kilbirnie
, Kilmacolm
, Largs
, Neilston
and Paisley
.
under the higher control of Paisley
and Renfrew
, but the area has been inhabited since the neolithic period. The village's name probably derives from the Gaelic Loch eanach meaning 'marshy loch
', though local tradition attributes it to St Winnoc
.
The Early 18th Century St John's Church, also known as 'Auld Simon' (whose front gable still stands at the eastern end of the High Street) was probably built on the site of a pre-reformation church dating back to the Medieval period. It is dedicated to St. John, hence the name of Johnshill, more properly St.John's Hill, and St. John's well, located in the garden adjacent to the Church Yard. Its early 19th century replacement, the Church of Scotland administered Parish Church, complements the formal open space of Harvey Square, on Church Street.
Built not far from the village of Lochwinnoch, Barr Castle
is a 15th Century keep which was altered in the 16th century (and probably later, too). The gables of the castle have collapsed, apart from the chimney stack which juts up into the sky. Not much survives of the former courtyard of the castle. The main hall was on the first floor, reached by a turnpike stair, which continued to the rooms on the upper floors. It is clearly visible from the A760 road going south from the village to Kilbirnie
. It was built by the Glen family but passed in the late 16th century to the Hamiltons of Ferguslie
. A door lintel has a date of 1680 and the initials L.H./I.C. It was abandoned in the 18th century in favour of a new house.
The family variously known as Sempill, Sempil, Sempel and Semple had probably owned estates in the area from as early as the 14th century, and at some point, probably in the 15th century, built a tower keep at the east end of the north shore of the Loch. The Semples of Elliston fought for Robert the Bruce and came to Lochwinnoch area in 1474. They were appointed Hereditary Sheriffs of Renfrewshire and Hereditary Baillies of Paisley
, and were later created Lords Semple. The Semples steadily grew in power to become the Steward's hereditary Baillies of Renfrewshire and their extensive land holdings, Castle Semple, constituted some areas of Lochwinnoch and its hinterland.
In 1504 John, the first Lord Semple built the Lochwinnoch Collegiate Church, which became one of Scotland's finest church schools, and whose ruins can be found in Parkhill woods on the edge of the village. John was killed at the Battle of Flodden. In 1727 the Semples sold the estate to the MacDowalls of Garthland whose mansion house burned down in 1924. Castle Semple House remains only as ruined buildings such as the west gate, the garden wall, and a hexagonal building known as The Temple, which was built in 1770 on a hill overlooking the Loch.
In 1795, there were nine mills located in Lochwinnoch and the village was developed mainly to accommodate the work force. As such, the village is largely a planned community, rather than one evolving over time. Furniture makers also established in the village in the 19th century, and Lochwinnoch made furniture was to be found on the great Clyde built liners such as the Lusitania
, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth and even the RMS Titanic. Today, it chiefly serves as a residential village, as well as a satellite to the major city of Glasgow. In 1972, a number of buildings in the village were brought within a Lochwinnoch conservation area administered by the local authority.
in the area, since it is Celtic, as mentioned above) being located next to Castle Semple Loch. There is a long history of drainage schemes and farming operations in the Lochwinnoch area, with co-ordinated attempts dating from about 1691 by Lord Sempill
, followed by Colonel McDowal of Castle Sempil in 1774, James Adams of Burnfoot, and by others. Until these drainage works there was one big loch consisting of Castle Semple loch, Barr loch and, in times of flooding, Kilbirnie Loch. Early writers such as Boece, Hollings and Petruccio Ubaldini
regarded the three lochs as one, usually applying the name 'Garnoth' or 'Garnott'.
Therefore the two lochs of today, Castle Semple and Barr Lochs, lie in an area covered by one large loch which may have been known as ‘Loch Winnoch’ until the end of the 18th century when silt brought down by the River Calder
divided the one loch into two, creating Castle Semple and Barr Loch as separate entities.
plays host to a variety of watersports, being part of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park
and an RSPB bird sanctuary is nearby. There are three public houses in Lochwinnoch; the Corner Bar, the Brown Bull and the Garthland Arms. There is also one restaurant, the Junction Bistro. Lochwinnoch Golf Club (eighteen holes) is on Burnfoot Rd.
There are three places of worship in the village. Lochwinnoch Parish Church (Church of Scotland
) is located on Church Street and meets on Sunday at 11.00am, as does the Calder United Free Church also of Church Street. Our Lady of Fatima
Roman Catholic Church, meets at 10.00am in its building on the High Street.
on the Ayrshire Coast Line
. Opened in 1840, it lies to the south west of the village, and is unstaffed.
A second Lochwinnoch railway station
was opened in 1905 as part of the Dalry and North Johnstone Line
, with the first station being renamed Lochside, until reverting to its original name when the second closed in 1966. The former railway line serving this second station has been converted into a cycle path and is now part of the National Cycle Network
's National Cycle Route Number 7
, running from Glasgow
to Gretna
.
Renfrewshire (historic)
Renfrewshire or the County of Renfrew is a registration county, the Lieutenancy area of the Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire, and one of the counties of Scotland used for local government until 1975. Renfrewshire is located in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland, south of the River Clyde,...
of Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
in the west central Lowlands
Central Lowlands
The Central Lowlands or Midland Valley is a geologically defined area of relatively low-lying land in southern Scotland. It consists of a rift valley between the Highland Boundary Fault to the north and the Southern Uplands Fault to the south...
of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Lying on the banks of Castle Semple Loch
Castle Semple Loch
Castle Semple Loch is a 1.5 mile long inland loch at Lochwinnoch in Renfrewshire, Scotland. Originally part of an estate of the same name, it is now administered by Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park as a watersports centre...
and the River Calder
River Calder, Renfrewshire
The River Calder is a river mainly within Renfrewshire, Scotland, UK.The river rises in the hills to the east of the county and for some of its length forms the border between Renfrewshire and its neighbouring council areas of North Ayrshire and Inverclyde...
, Lochwinnoch is chiefly a residential dormitory village serving nearby urban centres such as Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
. Its population in 2001 was 2628.
The village also lends its name to a civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of some fifty square miles of the surrounding countryside, including the nearby village of Howwood
Howwood
Howwood is a village in Renfrewshire, Scotland. It is between Johnstone and Lochwinnoch, just off the A737 dual carriageway between the nearby town of Paisley and the Ayrshire border. It is served by Howwood railway station...
. The parish borders seven others: Beith
Beith
Beith is a small town situated in the Garnock Valley in North Ayrshire, Scotland approximately 20-miles south-west of Glasgow. The town is situated on the crest of a hill and was known originally as the "Hill o' Beith" after its Court Hill.-History:-Name:Beith's name is thought to emanate from...
, Kilbarchan
Kilbarchan
Kilbarchan is a village and civil parish in central Renfrewshire, in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The village's name means "cell of St. Barchan". It is known for its former weaving industry.- History :...
, Kilbirnie
Kilbirnie
Kilbirnie is a small town of 7280 inhabitants situated in North Ayrshire on the west coast of Scotland...
, Kilmacolm
Kilmacolm
Kilmacolm is a village and civil parish in the Inverclyde council area and the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on the northern slope of the Gryffe Valley south-east of Greenock and around west of the city of Glasgow...
, Largs
Largs
Largs is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" in Scottish Gaelic....
, Neilston
Neilston
Neilston is a village and parish in East Renfrewshire set in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies in the Levern Valley, southwest of Barrhead, south of Paisley, and south-southwest of Renfrew, at the southwestern fringe of the Greater Glasgow conurbation...
and Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
.
History
Lochwinnoch is first recorded in the 12th Century as a parishParish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
under the higher control of Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
and Renfrew
Renfrew
-Local government:The town of Renfrew gave its name to a number of local government areas used at various times:*Renfrew a town to the west of Glasgow*Renfrewshire, the present unitary local council area in which Renfrew is situatated....
, but the area has been inhabited since the neolithic period. The village's name probably derives from the Gaelic Loch eanach meaning 'marshy loch
Loch
Loch is the Irish and Scottish Gaelic word for a lake or a sea inlet. It has been anglicised as lough, although this is pronounced the same way as loch. Some lochs could also be called a firth, fjord, estuary, strait or bay...
', though local tradition attributes it to St Winnoc
Winnoc
Saint Winnoc was an abbot or prior of Wormhout who came from Wales. Three lives of this saint are extant. The best of these, the first life, was written by a monk of St. Bertin in the middle of the ninth century, or perhaps a century earlier.St. Winnoc is generally called a Breton, but the...
.
The Early 18th Century St John's Church, also known as 'Auld Simon' (whose front gable still stands at the eastern end of the High Street) was probably built on the site of a pre-reformation church dating back to the Medieval period. It is dedicated to St. John, hence the name of Johnshill, more properly St.John's Hill, and St. John's well, located in the garden adjacent to the Church Yard. Its early 19th century replacement, the Church of Scotland administered Parish Church, complements the formal open space of Harvey Square, on Church Street.
Built not far from the village of Lochwinnoch, Barr Castle
Barr Castle
Barr Castle is a late medieval tower house. It can be seen today as a ruin on a low ridge to the south of the village of Lochwinnoch.-History:...
is a 15th Century keep which was altered in the 16th century (and probably later, too). The gables of the castle have collapsed, apart from the chimney stack which juts up into the sky. Not much survives of the former courtyard of the castle. The main hall was on the first floor, reached by a turnpike stair, which continued to the rooms on the upper floors. It is clearly visible from the A760 road going south from the village to Kilbirnie
Kilbirnie
Kilbirnie is a small town of 7280 inhabitants situated in North Ayrshire on the west coast of Scotland...
. It was built by the Glen family but passed in the late 16th century to the Hamiltons of Ferguslie
Barr Castle
Barr Castle is a late medieval tower house. It can be seen today as a ruin on a low ridge to the south of the village of Lochwinnoch.-History:...
. A door lintel has a date of 1680 and the initials L.H./I.C. It was abandoned in the 18th century in favour of a new house.
The family variously known as Sempill, Sempil, Sempel and Semple had probably owned estates in the area from as early as the 14th century, and at some point, probably in the 15th century, built a tower keep at the east end of the north shore of the Loch. The Semples of Elliston fought for Robert the Bruce and came to Lochwinnoch area in 1474. They were appointed Hereditary Sheriffs of Renfrewshire and Hereditary Baillies of Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
, and were later created Lords Semple. The Semples steadily grew in power to become the Steward's hereditary Baillies of Renfrewshire and their extensive land holdings, Castle Semple, constituted some areas of Lochwinnoch and its hinterland.
In 1504 John, the first Lord Semple built the Lochwinnoch Collegiate Church, which became one of Scotland's finest church schools, and whose ruins can be found in Parkhill woods on the edge of the village. John was killed at the Battle of Flodden. In 1727 the Semples sold the estate to the MacDowalls of Garthland whose mansion house burned down in 1924. Castle Semple House remains only as ruined buildings such as the west gate, the garden wall, and a hexagonal building known as The Temple, which was built in 1770 on a hill overlooking the Loch.
In 1795, there were nine mills located in Lochwinnoch and the village was developed mainly to accommodate the work force. As such, the village is largely a planned community, rather than one evolving over time. Furniture makers also established in the village in the 19th century, and Lochwinnoch made furniture was to be found on the great Clyde built liners such as the Lusitania
Lusitania
Lusitania or Hispania Lusitania was an ancient Roman province including approximately all of modern Portugal south of the Douro river and part of modern Spain . It was named after the Lusitani or Lusitanian people...
, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth and even the RMS Titanic. Today, it chiefly serves as a residential village, as well as a satellite to the major city of Glasgow. In 1972, a number of buildings in the village were brought within a Lochwinnoch conservation area administered by the local authority.
The history of the lochs
Lochwinnoch is probably not named after a Loch called 'Loch Winnoch' (the name almost certainly predates the use of the Scots languageScots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
in the area, since it is Celtic, as mentioned above) being located next to Castle Semple Loch. There is a long history of drainage schemes and farming operations in the Lochwinnoch area, with co-ordinated attempts dating from about 1691 by Lord Sempill
Lord Sempill
Lord Sempill is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in circa 1489 for Sir John Sempill, founder of the collegiate Church of Lochwinnoch. Sempill was killed at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. His grandson, the third Lord, was known as "The Great Lord Sempill"...
, followed by Colonel McDowal of Castle Sempil in 1774, James Adams of Burnfoot, and by others. Until these drainage works there was one big loch consisting of Castle Semple loch, Barr loch and, in times of flooding, Kilbirnie Loch. Early writers such as Boece, Hollings and Petruccio Ubaldini
Petruccio Ubaldini
Petruccio Ubaldini was an Italian calligraphist and illuminator on vellum, who was working in England in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and seems to have enjoyed the favor of the Court...
regarded the three lochs as one, usually applying the name 'Garnoth' or 'Garnott'.
Therefore the two lochs of today, Castle Semple and Barr Lochs, lie in an area covered by one large loch which may have been known as ‘Loch Winnoch’ until the end of the 18th century when silt brought down by the River Calder
River Calder, Renfrewshire
The River Calder is a river mainly within Renfrewshire, Scotland, UK.The river rises in the hills to the east of the county and for some of its length forms the border between Renfrewshire and its neighbouring council areas of North Ayrshire and Inverclyde...
divided the one loch into two, creating Castle Semple and Barr Loch as separate entities.
Places of interest
The lochLoch
Loch is the Irish and Scottish Gaelic word for a lake or a sea inlet. It has been anglicised as lough, although this is pronounced the same way as loch. Some lochs could also be called a firth, fjord, estuary, strait or bay...
plays host to a variety of watersports, being part of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park
Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park
Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park is the collective name for areas of countryside set aside for conservation and recreation on the South Clyde estuary in Scotland....
and an RSPB bird sanctuary is nearby. There are three public houses in Lochwinnoch; the Corner Bar, the Brown Bull and the Garthland Arms. There is also one restaurant, the Junction Bistro. Lochwinnoch Golf Club (eighteen holes) is on Burnfoot Rd.
There are three places of worship in the village. Lochwinnoch Parish Church (Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
) is located on Church Street and meets on Sunday at 11.00am, as does the Calder United Free Church also of Church Street. Our Lady of Fatima
Our Lady of Fatima
Our Lady of Fátima is a famous title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary as she appeared in apparitions reported by three shepherd children at Fátima in Portugal. These occurred on the 13th day of six consecutive months in 1917, starting on May 13...
Roman Catholic Church, meets at 10.00am in its building on the High Street.
Transport
The village is served by Lochwinnoch railway stationLochwinnoch railway station
Lochwinnoch railway station is a railway station serving the village of Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire, Scotland. The station is managed by First ScotRail and is on the Ayrshire Coast Line.-History:...
on the Ayrshire Coast Line
Ayrshire Coast Line
The Ayrshire Coast Line is one of the lines within the Strathclyde suburban rail network in Scotland. It has 26 stations and connects the Ayrshire coast to Glasgow...
. Opened in 1840, it lies to the south west of the village, and is unstaffed.
A second Lochwinnoch railway station
Lochwinnoch (loop) railway station
Lochwinnoch railway station was a railway station serving the village of Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire, Scotland. The station was part of the Dalry and North Johnstone Line on the Glasgow and South Western Railway.- History :...
was opened in 1905 as part of the Dalry and North Johnstone Line
Dalry and North Johnstone Line
The Dalry and North Johnstone Line was a branch of the Glasgow and South Western Railway in Renfrewshire and Ayrshire, Scotland, connecting the stations in Elderslie and Dalry via a route running parallel to the existing line built by the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway...
, with the first station being renamed Lochside, until reverting to its original name when the second closed in 1966. The former railway line serving this second station has been converted into a cycle path and is now part of the National Cycle Network
National Cycle Network
The National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes in the United Kingdom.The National Cycle Network was created by the charity Sustrans , and aided by a £42.5 million National Lottery grant. In 2005 it was used for over 230 million trips.Many routes hope to minimise contact with motor...
's National Cycle Route Number 7
NCR 7
-Route:For mapping purposes, the route is split at Glasgow into Lochs and Glens and -Carlisle to Glasgow:The route runs from Carlisle across the border to Dumfries; this section takes a long route at present, but may change following the construction of an "all-purpose route" alongside the M6...
, running from Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
to Gretna
Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway
Gretna is a town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Because they are near the Anglo-Scottish border, nearby Gretna Green and to a lesser extent Gretna, are historically linked to weddings because of the more liberal marriage laws in Scotland...
.