|
Nicknamed The Lang Toun due to its depiction in early Ordnance
Survey maps, Darvel lies at the head of the Irvine Valley and lies near Loudoun Hill.
The most easterly of the textile towns, has a population of 3522. Locally
grown flax was the basis of the linen industry. It was replaced at the
end of the 18th century by cotton handloom weaving, which was
revolutionised in 1876 when Alexander Morton introduced power looms and
the manufacture of lace. In recent years it has been replaced by the manufacture
of warp-knitted fabrics.
Alexander Fleming, discoverer
of penicillin was born at Lochfield farm near Darvel on 6th August 1881
and educated in the parish. A memorial commemorates this. It is situated
in Hastings Square, Darvel and opposite the Fleming Memorial is another
interesting monument - the prehistoric Dagon Stone, which is thought to
have had religious and astronomical significance.
Darvel War Memorial is situated in Hastings Square in the heart of Darvel.
It is a light grey granite obelisk with a square base. Behind it is Darvel
Church; to the east the Dagon Stone and to the west a memorial to Sir
Alexander Fleming. The East side is plain apart from the 1914-18 incised
on the square base. The west side is similar but with 1939-45 incised
on the base. The north side has a carved cross at the highest point with
a bronze relief laurel wreath immediately below.
Towards the base of the obelisk are the words
To the memory of
Those who gave themselves
A living sacrifice
Then there are 5 columns of names in relief on a bronze plaque.
On the south side names are etched into the stone in two columns
On Friday, November 02, 2001 Provost Jimmy Boyd unveiled a memorial to honour the men and officers of the 1st Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment who, under the command of Lt. Col. R. B. Mayne were stationed in Darvel during the early part of 1944. This is a joint project between The Blair Mayne Association and the Darvel Heritage Committee. Some of the members of the SAS were at the Town Green to see the unveiling of the memorial cairn, which recognises their service to the country and their heroism.
The memorial – located at Burn Road, Darvel – takes the form of a stone cairn with a black granite plaque bearing the inscription...
Dedicated to
the men and officers of The 1st Special Air Service Regiment
Stationed at Darvel 1944
Commanding officer
Lt. Col. R. B. Mayne DSO (3 bars)
Legion D'Honneur Croix De Guerre
COL. PADDY
After 44 years employment with G.P.O. Telephones & B.T. and with duties covering the installation of telephones & switchboards, it was only natural that Max Flemmich should carry on his interest in telephone memorabilia by putting together a collection of "100 years of the Telephone". This is housed in a former bakery adjacent to his home in Darvel, Ayrshire and it is the only one of its kind in Scotland. The museum is very "hands on". The manual switchboards are operational; phones will dial through the automatic mechanical Strowger equipment, and semi digital systems. There are many examples of early phones from the first half of the last century, as well as more modern switchboards and telephone equipment. There are opportunities to operate an old A & B coin box with its old style 2p's & 10p's, an earlier coin box using pennies, sixpences and shillings. A visit to the museum gives an insight to the world of communications in the days gone by.
|
