Our visit to the Burns Monument Centre

On Wednesday 13th May 09 we visited the Burns Monument Centre to research the history of New Farm Loch and Kilmarnock in general.

The pupils looked at old maps from the 1800s up to the 1960s when New Farm was being built. They also looked at old copies of the Kilmarnock Standard to see news items about the area. Some pupils researched specific topics, such as the history of industry and manufacturing in Kilmarnock. Other pupils researched important Kilmarnock families such as the De Waldens.

We were really lucky to have a special guest come to the BMC to speak to us - Willie Kidd, who lived on one of the original farms in New Farm before the houses were built. He spoke to us about the history of the area and showed us maps of where his farm was.

We all learned lots from our trip to the BMC and would like to thank the staff at the Centre for being so helpful and also to Willie Kidd for speaking to us.

[MORE PICTURES TO FOLLOW]

JHA pupils walk around New Farm Loch

On Tuesday morning a group of staff and pupils went for a walk around New Farm Loch, taking photos and notes on their impressions of NFL in 2009, what they liked, what they didn't like, what they'd like to change, etc. The photos will become part of a time-capsule which is being created as part of the 40th anniversary. The idea is for it to be hidden away somewhere and opened in another 40 years! Hopefully New Farm Loch residents will find it interesting in 2049!

More info on the time-capsule to follow.

There is a slide show of some photos on the right of this page.

You can add comments, stories or memories by clicking on the 'Comments' link below.

Tell us about the New Farm Loch's past

We are looking for current residents and ex-residents of New Farm Loch to tell us their stories and share their memories about the estate. Pupils at James Hamilton Academy want to know the real history of the place, and we will be interviewing people connected to NFL as well as gathering written recollections on this site.

All contributions are welcome -

- If you are young, tell us about your memories of NFL in the 1990s or at the millenium.

- Did you grow up in NFL in the 1970s or 1980s?

- Did you move to NFL in the 1960s when it was just built?

- Do you remember the area before the houses were built? Did you skate on the loch?

To contribute via this site, just click on the 'Comments' link below and type your contribution in the box. Feel free to leave your name / email address.

If you prefer you can write to us at - James Hamilton Academy, c/o Librarian, Sutherland Drive, Kilmarnock KA3 7DF.

We will post your memories on the site for others to see and hopefully we will find some old pictures too.

UPDATE - See post below for some example of the contributions so far (or go to the 'Comments' link).

Some great memories so far!

Thanks so much to everyone who has contributed so far - these are excellent stories of New Farm's past, and the kids at JHA will be delighted to read them. Hopefully more will follow!

I've copied some of the contributions below to make them more visible on the site. The full list of contributions can be found in the 'Comments' section above.


"I moved into the courts in the late 60's. The original farm house was still standing and a magnet for us kids back then, much to the dismay of our parents. I can even remember them building the bypass and leaving a large "hill" of dirt at the top of Grassyards Road. Long time ago now, but can anyone remember the "love tree"?"


"Moved to New Farm Jan 1969, aged 7 - lots of great memories as it was a fantastic place to grow up, with loads of kids around the same age. Surprised there are not more entries so far, but it's early days yet. I remember the "hairy hill" at the back of MacIntyre Place, where the Jimmy Hamilton is now - we used to play there all the time, and an awful lot of wellies were lost in the mud! There were still farmers fields then as well, and we played hide and seek and rounders in them. There seemed to be so many things for kids to do then (maybe I'm just showing my age!), but there were youth clubs and summer schemes to keep us from getting into trouble. Like the person posting the comment on 30th Jan, I can remember the bypass being built, I went down it on my bike with my pals, all the way to the Bellfield Interchange...that was after it was finished, but before it was opened. Lots more memories,but I will leave some space, hopefully for more people to leave for us all to share. Good luck with this."


"I lived in the original NEW FARM fifty years ago when I was 10. My grandparents bought the farm around 1957/58. I attended Loanhead and then James Hamilton in London Road. I remember the hundreds of curling stones that were strewn around the grounds and in particular remember a wonderful Art Exhibition in the Dick Institute of the Curlers on the Loch - fantastic oil paintings. I have some photos somewhere of the Farm House."


"I moved to the bottom end of NFL around 1967. There were not that many houses around and the bypass was not yet built, in fact my Dad ended up working there. I do remember the football parks where the Jimmy Hamilton now stands and the disco's at St Matthews and St Josephs that I used to fo to as a teenager...Seems a lifetime ago now.."

"I was one of the first children to grow up in New Farm Loch. It was a great place to grow up! Does anyone rember hanging about the Oakstaple at the Loch at the communiy centre? or the summer play schemes at the Joes? The Jimmy discos? Playing tennis at the garages when Wimbledon was on? Did you hang about the top shops or the bottom shops?! The fetes at the loch were great too. Does anyone remember these? This is an excellent idea for a site. Wonder what it is like to live there now growing up?All the best to the site."