Sir Alexander Fleming (1881–1955) was born at Lochfield Farm, near Darvel in Ayrshire. He was a Scottish scientist who discovered penicillin, the world’s first antibiotic.
In 1928, he noticed that a type of mould had killed bacteria in one of his lab experiments, producing a substance that could fight infection, which he named penicillin. Although he discovered penicillin, other scientists later developed it into a medicine and penicillin went on to save millions of lives, especially during the Second World War.
Sir Alexander Fleming was knighted in 1944, shared the Nobel Prize in 1945, and is remembered as one of the most important figures in modern medicine.
He is commemorated by a monument, a small bust mounted on a stone plinth, in Hastings Square, Darvel.
In April 2025, a mural of Sir Alexander Fleming was unveiled on the gable wall of the old Co-op building in Darvel.