The old narrow lane which lies behind the Mercat Hotel. It was named after the the old Black Bull Hotel – now the Mercat Hotel.

To be completed.

Named after Broomfield Park.

Named after Lord Bute.

A small close leading from the Square to Tower Street. Named after Cadam McClure who had a Confectioner and Tobacconists shop at 6 the Square.

To be completed.

To be completed.

To be completed.

Built in the 1960’s as part of the Barshare housing scheme and named after local Dr A M Campbell who served the local community from 1929.

To be completed.

To be completed.

It is likely that Craighead Close – which runs to the right of the Craighead Inn – is the oldest surviving part of the town. The Craighead Inn dates from before 1722 when a lease was drawn up for the annual payment of £21 plus 2 hens and 2 loads of coal. It is supposed to have a ghost in the attic.

Where Crossriggs Veterinary Clinic is situated. An old part of town which stood at the end of Townhead Street.

To be completed.

Named after Craigens Farm.

Built in 1954 and named after William Dalgleish, a woollen manufacturer who was one of the the first Commissioners for the new Police Burgh of Cumnock. He was also the first Senior Police Magistrate from 1866-1878. The title Provost of Cumnock was then the official designation after 1892.

To be completed.

The twisting exit from Tower Street with a dog leg turn into Elbow lane and was likened to the Devil`s elbow.

To be completed.

Named after Drumbrochan Farm.

The Dubb Ford (named after the Scots word “dub” meaning a puddle) is a continuation of the Tanyard over the Glaisnock Water to New Bridge Street then Ayr Road. This was replaced by a bridge in the mid 18th century, when the Tanyard was opened up.

To be completed.

To be completed.

This lane ran eastwards from New Bridge Street towards the Glaisnock Water. The kink in its alignment may explain the name. It continued on to the north as the Deil’s Elbow.

Named after Queen Elizabeth and built in the year of her coronation in 1953.

Built in the early 1950’s and named after Emrys Hughes, Keir Hardie’s son-in-law who married Nan Hardie. Emrys was a journalist and editor of the Socialist journal Forward. Hughes stood in the 1946 South Ayrshire by-election and was elected as the constituency’s MP, and re-elected in the general elections of 1950, 1951, 1955, 1959, 1964, and 1966. A left-winger, he was frequently at odds with the leadership of the Labour Party and twice had the whip withdrawn, between November 1954 and April 1955 (over German rearmament), and between March 1961 and May 1963 (over nuclear weapons). He was Provost of Cumnock from 1934-1935 and a member of the Town Council from 1927-1947.

Built in the early 1950’s and named after Robert Forbes, Burgh Surveyor and Sanitary Inspector, who came from Buckie to Cumnock as a fully qualified applicant with a certificate in Sanitary Sciences. He served the town for 41 years, from 1915 until 1956. After he died in 1963, he could have been named the “Architect of Cumnock”, as he had planned and built hundreds of the town’s houses.

Built in 1924 and named after Alexander Gemmell who was a local benefactor at the beginning of the 20th century.  He was a native of Cumnock where he worked in the Royal Bank.  He moved eventually to Bradford and to Barclay’s Bank where he held an important position.  In 1916 he noted the 50th anniversary of the burgh by presenting a Provost’s Chain currently on view in the Baird Institute.

6 blocks of flats built in the late 1960s adjacent to the New Cumnock Cemetery in Glaisnock Street. Named after George McTurk, who began his public service in 1894 as a member of a miners’ committee during a strike. Thereafter he served on local public authorities for 43 years. He joined Cumnock District Council in 1923 and was chairman for 9 years. For over 33 years he was on the County Council and was acclaimed for his long service and efforts at his retiral presentation in Cumnock Town Hall on 1st June 1951. George McTurk was awarded the OBE in the Coronation Honours List published in July 1953.

5 of the 6 blocks were demolished about 2020.

To be completed.

Named after the Glaisnock Water.

Named after the Glaisnock Water.

Opened in the late 18th century and named after the Glaisnock Water. The Gorbals bridge was built here in 1775. This is the other main street in the town and in days gone bye used to contain many of the town shops and bars.

Named after the Glebe lands belonging to the Old Established Church in the Square.

Part of the  housing development built in the late 1930s to rehouse miners from substandard miners’ rows.  Many of the streets start with Glen…  Named possibly after nearby Cairn farm.

Part of the “Glens” housing development built in the late 1930s to rehouse miners from substandard miners’ rows. Named after a farm above Cumnock.

Part of the “Glens” housing development built in the late 1930s to rehouse miners from substandard miners’ rows.

In Logan. Named after the Glenmuir Water

Part of the  housing development built in the late 1930s to rehouse miners from substandard miners’ rows.  Many of the streets start with Glen…

Part of the  housing development built in the late 1930s to rehouse miners from substandard miners’ rows.  Many of the streets start with Glen…

Built around 1924 and named after the first chairman of the Parish Council, James Gray, a coalmaster, who served from 1877 until his death on 25th February 1904 at the age of 81.

This area lies just to the east of Glaisnock Street and south of the bend in the Glaisnock Water. Literally it means “the top of the green slope”.

It may have been an early burial ground for plague victims.

Cumnock Pottery was established here in 1792.

Named after Greenholm Mills which was situated at the bottom of the hill by the river (The Glaisnock Water)

Named after the Town Hall beside it.

Hamilton Place sits just off Cumnock Square opposite the school buildings at the bottom of the Barrhill Road. This was originally part of Manse Lane.

The first shops were opened in 1904 to replace a row of thatched cottages. The first shops were owned by John Goldie, draper; John Andrew, chemist; Miss Grace Samson, draper; Thomas McCaughie, barber; and Hugh Black, solicitor. Most of these shops were later purchased by the Auchinleck Co-operative Society and converted into their main shop in Cumnock. The Co-operative modernised the premises in 1956 adding a second floor to the buildings.

Built about 2001 at Bankend.

Off Hearth Road. In 1945 Shankston Bing was acquired (by the Town Council) and 20 Swedish houses erected to form Hearth Place. Forty prefabs were erected in Hearth Place also. (Strawhorn 1966)

Leads off Ayr Road.

Possibly refers to Hillside House built on Barrhill in 1846 which also gave its name to Hillside School

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Built in 1954 and named after James Holland, a miner who was the 21st Provost of Cumnock 1947-1954. He also served for over 27 years on the town Council from 1932-35 and 1937-62.

A holm is low flat ground beside a river and the Holm lies by the Lugar Water. Historically there was horse racing here.

In Netherthird. Named after the nearby Holm Burn.

Holmburn Avenue, Holmburn Close and Holmburn Place are off Holmburn Road

By William Findlay

The name Holmhead, attached to a range of buildings, appears on maps of the 1850s on Auchinleck Road, part of the site is now occupied by Keir Hardie’s house Lochnorris. In the later 19th century, the name now is applied to the area north of Auchinleck Road. The name is later applied to the hospital, built in 1898, to the west of the original location between Broomfield and Underwood farms, north of Auchinleck Road. The hospital road followed an existing road, which left Auchinleck Road at right angles past a small curling pond and diverged to the left at the top of the pond, this became known as Hospital Road, the lower part being Holmhead Road.

By the 1950s the area on either side of the Holmhead and Hospital Roads was marked as Holmhead on the maps of the period. House building in the area began in the early 60s; initially people had houses built privately for them at the lower end of the road. Local Builders David King  & Son bought the upper part of the land, mostly to the east of Holmhead Road but including a strip of land on the west side. The King family built houses on Holmhead Estate for several decades, extending Holmhead Road to the North and built new roads to the East and covered the area with high quality houses. As the houses increased the council of the day revised the lower part of Holmhead Road, swinging it to the west to increase the visibility of vehicles joining Auchinleck road, the lower part of the original road was turned into a footpath.

In Holmhead, it led to Holmhead hospital which was originally  an infectious diseases hospital built after 1897, known as the Fever Hospital. Around 1920 a TB ward was added with a veranda.  It became a geriatric hospital in the 1960s and other units added. It has now been demolished.

Named in honour of Gordon Hoyle, founder and highly involved with the Boswell Society and the restoration of Boswell Mausoleum, Auchinleck. He and his wife, Margaret, had a knitwear factory in Orchard Place, Auchinleck just past Currie and Co. Ltd. where Tesco now is. Theyvalso had a shop in Main Street. He died in 1987.

Built in the late 1980s in the Holmhead development. The name Hunter has been significant in Cumnock for many years. Thomas Hunter, seed grain and cheese merchant was the 6th Provost from 1893-1896 and Council member from 1878-1895.  

His son Robert Dalglish Hunter was an agent of the Commercial Bank and a local solicitor. He became Town Clerk in 1924 and served the town in that capacity until his death in 1941. He was succeeded by his son, also R D Hunter, who had assisted his father from 1936. R D Hunter  was interested in sports, music, the arts and had a long association with the Boy Scout movement. Through his interests he played an important part in the cultural development of Cumnock. He was awarded an MBE in 1960. His son R D Hunter (pictured) was also a prominent local solicitor.

Possibly refers to Hillside House built on Barrhill in 1846 which also gave its name to Hillside School

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Built in 1954 and named after James Holland, a miner who was the 21st Provost of Cumnock 1947-1954. He also served for over 27 years on the town Council from 1932-35 and 1937-62.

A holm is low flat ground beside a river and the Holm lies by the Lugar Water. Historically there was horse racing here.

In Netherthird. Named after the nearby Holm Burn.

Holmburn Avenue, Holmburn Close and Holmburn Place are off Holmburn Road

By William Findlay

The name Holmhead, attached to a range of buildings, appears on maps of the 1850s on Auchinleck Road, part of the site is now occupied by Keir Hardie’s house Lochnorris. In the later 19th century, the name now is applied to the area north of Auchinleck Road. The name is later applied to the hospital, built in 1898, to the west of the original location between Broomfield and Underwood farms, north of Auchinleck Road. The hospital road followed an existing road, which left Auchinleck Road at right angles past a small curling pond and diverged to the left at the top of the pond, this became known as Hospital Road, the lower part being Holmhead Road.

By the 1950s the area on either side of the Holmhead and Hospital Roads was marked as Holmhead on the maps of the period. House building in the area began in the early 60s; initially people had houses built privately for them at the lower end of the road. Local Builders David King  & Son bought the upper part of the land, mostly to the east of Holmhead Road but including a strip of land on the west side. The King family built houses on Holmhead Estate for several decades, extending Holmhead Road to the North and built new roads to the East and covered the area with high quality houses. As the houses increased the council of the day revised the lower part of Holmhead Road, swinging it to the west to increase the visibility of vehicles joining Auchinleck road, the lower part of the original road was turned into a footpath.

In Holmhead, it led to Holmhead hospital which was originally  an infectious diseases hospital built after 1897, known as the Fever Hospital. Around 1920 a TB ward was added with a veranda.  It became a geriatric hospital in the 1960s and other units added. It has now been demolished.

Named in honour of Gordon Hoyle, founder and highly involved with the Boswell Society and the restoration of Boswell Mausoleum, Auchinleck. He and his wife, Margaret, had a knitwear factory in Orchard Place, Auchinleck just past Currie and Co. Ltd. where Tesco now is. Theyvalso had a shop in Main Street. He died in 1987.

Built in the late 1980s in the Holmhead development. The name Hunter has been significant in Cumnock for many years. Thomas Hunter, seed grain and cheese merchant was the 6th Provost from 1893-1896 and Council member from 1878-1895.  

His son Robert Dalglish Hunter was an agent of the Commercial Bank and a local solicitor. He became Town Clerk in 1924 and served the town in that capacity until his death in 1941. He was succeeded by his son, also R D Hunter, who had assisted his father from 1936. R D Hunter  was interested in sports, music, the arts and had a long association with the Boy Scout movement. Through his interests he played an important part in the cultural development of Cumnock. He was awarded an MBE in 1960. His son R D Hunter (pictured) was also a prominent local solicitor.

the Brae leading from Barrhill Road down to Townhead Street past where the old town jail was situated. It comes out at the bottom of the Strand.

is a retirement complex in Craigens Road, Netherthird.

James Young Avenue is names after James Young who devoted a lot of time to the local community. He ran the youth club, helped with the amateur football team , was a councillor and justice of the peace so when he died suddenly the street was still being built and it was named after him. His son Hugh lives in the street and this year (2022) marks its 50th  anniversary.

In Skerrington, named after John Allan

Leading down from Barrhill Road to Townhead Street, this thoroughfare was built in 1908 on land belonging to the John Baird Trustees. Named after John Baird, architect and draper, who in his will made a bequest that his estate be used to provide a public building in Cumnock which would contain a museum, recreation and reading rooms on the land owned by him in Lugar Street, known as Baird`s Place. The Baird Institute was opened on March 2nd, 1891.

In Barshare

Built in 1936 just off the Barrhill Road this scheme of local authority housing  was named after James Keir Hardie the founder of the Independent Labour Party and the first Labour Member of Parliament. Keir Hardie lived in the Barrhill with his young family in in a two roomed cottage until he built Lochnorris in Auchinleck Road where he lived until his death.

In Craigens

In Holmhead. Named after the local builder David King.

In Barshare, named after Provost John King

An old street off Lugar Street in the town centre.

This street, in the Knockroon Development, is called after a poem by Robert Burns. It was named after the disturbances that were taking place in the Church of Scotland in the later eighteenth century. The Cumnock minister James Young is referred to as Jamie Goose, some neighbouring ministers were also referred to.

In Holmhead