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Galston, set in pleasantly wooded countryside 4 miles up-river from Kilmarnock,
has a population of 5194. Galston is steeped in history and has associations
with Wallace and Bruce.
After it received its charter in 1717 it developed rapidly as a centre
of handloom-weaving and later the manufacture of gauze and lawn. From
the beginning of the 19th century until 1933 it was a major
coal mining area. The textile industry flourished until it declined in
the 1960’s.
Barr Castle is the oldest building in Galston. It is a fortified tower
house built by the Lockhart family of Barr in the 15th century. It has
three floors and would have originally had battlements. George Wishart
and John Knox have both preached within Barr Castle. In the 17th century
Barr passed to the Campbell family of Cessnock but was unoccupied after
the covenanting period. In later times part of one of the walls of the
Castle was concreted over to be used in the game of handball. Galston
handball players became world champions - and large crowds gathered on
Glasgow Fair Saturday to watch the competition for the silver Challenge
Cup.
Today, industry has diversified to include meat processing and canning,
mechanical and electrical engineering, road haulage and telecommunications.
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