Bonnyton, East Ayrshire

Bonnyton (Bonnietoun in Scots) is a neighbourhood in the burgh of Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire, Scotland, situated in the west of the town. Bonnyton is home to a mix of residential and commercial properties, centred around estates such as Bonnyton Road, Munro Avenue and Gibson Street. The area is home to the Bonnyton Industrial Estate and nearby Kilmarnock railway station.

Bonnyton
Suburb

Junction of Bonnyton Road and Munro Avenue, 2021
Bonnyton
Location within East Ayrshire
Population3,741 
OS grid referenceNS4138
District
Council area
Shire county
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townKilmarnock
Postcode districtKA1
Dialling code01563
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament

The area is also home to Bonnyton Thistle F.C. who became members of the South of Scotland Football League, however, despite the name, the club now plays at The Synergy Arena on Harriet Road in the Townholm area of Kilmarnock.

History

The area of Bonnyton is believed to date back to 1316 where it is mentioned in a royal charter when Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, granted Sir Robert Boyd extensive lands at the Dean, including land at Bondington (now Bonnyton) and Hertschaw (now Hereshaw), for the support in the First War of Scottish Independence. In 1665 the Scottish Parliament passed an act to encourage cloth production in Scotland and soon afterwards three wool mills were set up at Ayr, Newmilns and Bonnyton. Bonnyton became a part of Kilmarnock in 1871.[1]

The first Morrisons supermarket in Scotland opened in the Bonnyton area of Kilmarnock in West Langlands Street in 2004.[2]

Barclay House

Barclay house is a conversion of the former Caledonia Works, which is a category B listed building of the former Andrew Barclay & Son Railway Engineers; and is now home to 62 apartments in a contemporary style. The development is central to Kilmarnock Town Centre and the Bus and Railway Stations.

Grange Campus
Main article: Grange Academy, Kilmarnock

Bonnyton is now home to 3 newly built schools, Grange Academy, Annanhill Primary and Park School which have been joined together to form Grange Campus. The 3 schools were built for a cost of around £30.000.000 by Barr Construction Ltd. The schools feature a swimming pool, 2 sport halls and a games hall which can also be split into another 4 sport halls. The school is owned and run by MITIE Group property management which leases the three schools to East Ayrshire council as part of a 30-year deal.

Grange Academy plays host to a SRU 'School of Rugby'.[3] In 2012, the school was selected as the Ayrshire base for the Scottish Football Association's Performance Schools, a system devised to support the development of the best young talented footballers across the country (there are seven such schools across Scotland). As of 2018, the dedicated coach for the young players at Grange Academy is James Grady.[4]

Grange Academy is home to the Scottish Football Association performance school, one of seven schools in Scotland that have been operating since 2012 with the aim to support the development of Scotland's best young footballing talent. The Performance Schools programme is designed to give talented boys and girls, with the best potential to develop their abilities, the opportunity to practise football everyday within an educational environment.[5] Footballer Billy Gilmour previously attended Grange Academy and the SFA Performance School for four years between 2013 and 2017.[6]

Andrew Barclay Railway Heritage Centre

First Minister Alex Salmond visited Kilmarnock to officially open the Andrew Barclay Railway Heritage Centre. Opened in January 2008 The Heritage Centre is home to Drake 2086, a locomotive originally built by Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. in 1940.

Politics and government

Bonnyton is represented on East Ayrshire Council as Ward 3 (Kilmarnock West and Crosshouse). The current political structure consists of four local councillors; Lillian Jones (Scottish Labour Party), Tom Cook (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party), Ian Linton (Scottish National Party) and Douglas Reid (Scottish National Party, also leader of East Ayrshire Council).[7]

In the Scottish Parliament, Bonnyton is represented as part of the Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley constituency. The current MSP for the area is Willie Coffey.

In the UK Parliament, Bonnyton is represented as part of the Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency. The current MP is Alan Brown.

Streets in Bonnyton
Typical housing in Bonnyton, consisting of four in a block flats and semi-detached houses

Some streets in Bonnyton include

  • Bonnyton Road
  • Munro Avenue
  • Gibson Street
  • Carmel Avenue
  • Sannox Road
  • Carmel Terrace
  • Lennox Crescent
  • Yorke Place
  • Munro Place

Economy
Bonnyton Cafe located on Bonnyton Road

The area is home to the Bonnyton Industrial Estate situated in Munro Place, just off Munro Avenue. The estate serves as the production base for companies including Brownings the Bakers, All Things Office and The Electrical Network.[8] Popular fish and chip shop, The Bonnyton Cafe, is located on the Bonnyton Road area and has long been a popular eatery for locals.[9]

Fashion brand and retailer Jaeger formerely occupied a large unit in the Bonnyton Industrial Estate which closed in 2002. At the time of the closure, 300 people were employed at the factory.[10] Delivery firm Yodel had, until 2021, had its main delivery depot in Bonnyton, just off Munro Avenue. The company left the site in 2021 and moved to nearby Munro Place.

The former depot used by Yodel is now occupied by another delivery firm, Kilmarnock Same Day Couries.[11]

Window and Doors company, Ayrshire Agencies, has a large showroom on Munro Avenue/Southhook Road.[12][13]

Sports

Bonnyton Thistle F.C. became members of the South of Scotland Football League in 2017.

See also

References
  1. The Words & Works of Frank Beattie (25 January 2017). "BONNYTON: This picture from about 1938 shows Bonnyton Place". Facebook.
  2. "Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC, Kilmarnock".
  3. "Bennett launches East Ayrshire Schools of Rugby | Scottish Rugby Union". Scottishrugby.org. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  4. "JD Performance Schools: Grange Academy - Kilmarnock". Scottish Football Association. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  5. "Scottish FA JD Performance Schools | Performance | Scottish FA".
  6. "Performance School graduate moves to Chelsea".
  7. "Your councillor · East Ayrshire Council". 7 January 2019.
  8. "Google Maps".
  9. "Popular Ayrshire takeaway closes down for two weeks as refit gets underway". 18 January 2022.
  10. "Ayrshire blow as 300 workers are faced with plant closures".
  11. "Google Maps".
  12. https://ayrshireagencies.co.uk/
  13. "Contact Us - Ayrshire Agencies - Visit Our Showroom".
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