Auchinleck

Over the years it has grown into a thriving community that is proud of its heritage and of its people. Coal mining was a main feature of the village even in those early times. The evidence of just how important it must have been to the economy and to the way of life can be seen in the numerous pit bings and ruins dotted around the area. A glance at a centuries-old map shows that the number of coal mines in the parish of Auchinleck, which included the village of Lugar and the small hamlet of Cronberry, was in the teens at one point. All the mines were privately owned, the coal from these was hard won and the dangerous working and harsh living conditions served to cement the men, women and children in the miners’ rows into fiercely proud and close-knit communities.

These smaller communities were the forerunners of the village we now know as Auchinleck. Coal mining expanded under the private ownership of the William Baird and Dalmellington mining companies who were responsible for the sinking of two new deep pits of Highouse and Barony Collieries. Conditions remained difficult but the nationalisation of the mining industry in 1947 saw a huge improvement of miners’ working conditions and wages and a period of relative prosperity saw the village grow to a population of over 5,000.

With the expansion of the pits came also the introduction of a large number of supportive industries, which provided much-needed employment for men and women outside the pits themselves. Shops selling everything a growing community needed stood alongside Currie’s lemonade factory and the Co-operative Laundry. Along with plentiful employment came a vibrant and dynamic social infrastructure with the local Community Centre at its heart. Entertainment from the local Operatic Society to international concert parties from Russia and elsewhere as well as youth activities and clubs of all descriptions ensured the villagers were never short of cultural fulfilment. The pinnacle of the 50’s and 60’s was of course Auchinleck dance which could boast that it attracted all the bands of that era who were worth listening to. A study of the history of Auchinleck shows that even in the 60’s the local Councils were worried about the future of industry in the area.

A disaster which killed four men and temporarily closed the Barony Pit in 1962. This was a major blow to the community and resulted in frantic efforts by the Miner’s Unions, local Councillors, MPs and local people to keep the mining industry and the community alive. They all succeeded in forcing the Government and Coal Board to sink a new shaft and re-open the Barony in 1966. Alongside the colliery, the Barony Power station was built which was fuelled by the by-products from the pit. Sadly however, there was a slow but steady trickle of decline in the country as a whole and while the community rallied behind the miners, who remained the prime workers in the area when they felt it necessary to strike for better wages in 1972 and 1974 to save the pits from closure. The latter battle was finally lost and the heart of the community weakened when both local pits, Highhouse and Barony, closed for the final time in 1983 and 1989, respectively.