Kilmarnock is a town in Scotland and is the second largest town in Ayrshire. The name is comprised of three different words that translates into Church of my little Eman. This may be the name of a saint that started the church in the 7th century. Much of the first town is part of the Low Church area. There are not many old buildings left in Kilmarnock because of a fire that destroyed the town in 1668.
Most of the industry revolved around heavy engineering and textiles. Locomotives and valves are still produced and carpets are still a big industry. BMK carpets has been in Kilmarnock since the end of the 1800s and they produced carpets up until 2005.
Kilmarnock also had one of the first tram railways of anywhere in the world. The Glasgow and South western Railway also have production lines in Kilmarnock. Today locomotives are built and serviced by Hunslett-Barclay.
Johnny Walkers scotch whiskey originates in Kilmarnock. This whisky has been produced for 189 years in Kilmarnock though the bottling plant is scheduled to close in 2011. Since the industries have declined the town council has started to make plans to regenerate the town. This not only includes heritage sites but also the quality of life for residents.
The Dick Institute contains a museum, library and art gallery in town. The institute was founded by an Australian James Dick and was opened in 1901. The Burns monument was built to remember the poet Robert Burns. Burns work was published in Kilmarnock and combines neo-Gothic, Scots Baronial and Italianate elements. The monument was damaged but plans have been made to restore it.
Dean castle was first built in 1350 and was the home of the Boyd Family for over 400 years. The land and castle was given to the Boyd family by Robert the Bruce. The castle was built originally for defense purposes. It was later expanded into a palace and gatehouse. In 1946 the entire castle and grounds was restored.
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