1965
1965
1965
1965
1965
PB THE CAIRN
Lochwinnoch through the Ages
The Changing Face of Lochwinnoch
by
Dr Brian Smith
Lochwinnoch, like so many places has changed dramatically over the years, even in my lifetime. The village underwent it first major development between 1776 and 1810 when it moved away from Kirktoun (around Auld Simon) to a new centre based on "The Cross". The second was more recent with the developments of council housing on Calderpark Street, the White Houses, Crookhill Gardens and the prefabs during the 1940's to 1960. The last phase has been the private housing developments on the former industrial land occupied by the various cabinet works.
This section presents a photographic record of the village spanning the mid1800's up to 2018 when the most recent photographs have been taken. Through these years the village character has changed to serve the needs of the time. Initially to serve a farming community and one of the premier country estates in Scotland, then to service the needs of growing industrialisation and finally as a dormitory town for the larger conurbations of central Scotland such as Glasgow, Paisley and Renfrew.
As on other pages by clicking on an image it will enlarge and further information will be presented.
The two photographs above have provided an overview of the transformation of the village from serving a farming community and large private estate to becoming an industrial powerhouse to becoming a dormitory town for nearby large conurbations. Is this progress or is it a sign of our economic decline that we can no longer produce economically the goods that the world wants? Have we lost the entrepreneurship shown by our predecessors such that we cannot invest to keep ahead of the game unlike, for example Germay and the USA? These are questions for another website.
To finish this page the final photograph taken in 2015 shows the village as viewed from the roadhead. It is little wonder Lochwinnoch is a popular town given its setting against the Renfrewshire hills. The village is also partly sited on rising ground affording pleasing views of the loch and the wider valley stretching southwest towards the coast and northeast towards Glasgow and the Gleniffer Braes.
