Kilmarnock Cross, 1840 - 2010

This page shows five images of Kilmarnock Cross and adjacent areas.

1.   A view of Kilmarnock Cross,
      from "Scotland in 1840".

2.   Cheapside leading to Bank Street and
      the Laigh Kirk, 2010

3.   Kilmarnock Cross, 2010

4.   Portland Street, from the Cross, 2010

5.   Former George Hotel and Portland Street
      Arch, with West High Kirk beyond, 2010.

In "Rambles Around Kilmarnock" (1875) Archibald R Adamson wrote "Kilmarnock Cross is most spacious, although of a most peculiar form, having no less than seven streets branching off it. In the centre stands a marble statue of Sir James Shaw, who rose from a humble position to that of Lord Mayor of London".

The seven streets were Portland Street, Fore Street, Regent Street, Duke Street, Waterloo Street, King Street and Cheapside (leading to Bank Street). The seventh street, Croft Street, opened onto Portland Street, close to the Cross.  This street is shown on the fourth image, between Peacocks and Topshop.

This street pattern, with the exception of Duke Street, can be recognised in John Wood's 1819 Plan of Kilmarnock and the 1856 Ordnance Survey Map of the County.  King Street and Portland Street date from 1804, following the 1802 Parliamentary Bill that allowed development of the town centre.  Duke Street was "opened" up in 1859.  In the early years of the 19th century the Cross was the town marketplace, as can be seen in the engraving.

The engraving from "Scotland in 1840" shows King Street to the left and Cheapside (leading to Bank Street, with the Laigh Kirk.  Image #2 shows Bank Street and the Laigh Kirk as they appear today (with Christmas decorations in place).

In the early 20th Century, the main road from Irvine to Edinburgh (A71) and the route from Ayr to Glasgow (A77) passed through the Cross.  There was a tramway from Riccarton to Beansburn on the Glasgow Road, following the line of King Street and Portland Street, with a spur passing through Duke Street to London Road and Hurlford.  This tramway closed in 1926.

Today, the Cross is much changed. Traffic through the town centre had become increasingly heavy and the convergence of the town trunk roads made the transit of the town extremely difficult.  The creation of the Kilmarnock bypass paved the way for significant developments which saw all traffic through this area of the town being stopped.

The redevelopment of the town in the 1970s saw some of the streets demolished, including Duke Street, Fore Street, Regent Street and Waterloo Street. Shops were built along the line of Fore Street's northern end becoming the Foregate.  The Burns Shopping Mall covered the old Duke Street area, and the Bus Station and Multi-storey Car Park replaced the Regent Street area. Some of the new shops are built over the top of the Kilmarnock Water, along the line of the former Waterloo Street.

A statue of Robert Burns and John Wilson, the printer of Burns' First Edition has been placed at the Cross. Other pieces of sculpture are placed in King Street to signify where the water runs under the streets.

In the changes introduced in the 1970's, King Street lost many fine buildings, to be replaced by nondescript flat-roofed shops.  The Town House and the King Street Relief Church were also demolished at this time.  The tower of the Relief Church is visible in the 1840 engraving.

Returning to Archibald R Adamson's "Rambles Around Kilmarnock" (1875) we find a description of Portland Street that contrasts starkly with today's aspect. 

"Portland Street now assumes a thorough business aspect. Down to the Cross, where it terminates, both sides are lined with tall buildings, in which there is a continuous row of well-stocked shops. On the left, a little below East George Street, are situated the premises of the Kilmarnock Equitable Co-operative Society. On the ground floor there is a large retail provision store named "the Central," and two doors from it a shop devoted to cloth and drapery goods. The flat above "the Central" contains the library, reading-room, and offices of the Society. The library possesses over one thousand volumes, and the reading-room is well supplied with newspapers, magazines and periodicals."

"Jostling along Portland Street, there is nothing remarkable beyond what is to be met with in business thoroughfares in all populous districts."  140 years later, Adamson's comment remains apt, although one might see it as derogatory rather than complimentary.

One building that survived the demolition fervour in the 1970's was the former Royal Bank of Scotland overlooking the Cross.  Situated in the gushet between Portland Street and the Foregate, this site was occupied by a wine and spirits business throughout the 19th century, initially by Rankins and later by Johnnie Walker. 

The site was acquired by the bank and a new building was commissioned from the architectural firm Dick Peddie, Todd & Jamieson of Edinburgh.  The office fittings were by Wylie & Lochead of Glasgow and the focus of the banking hall was an ornate mosaic floor with a 1939 three penny piece at its centre.  

The building is "Listed" as a good example of a 1930's bank and for its focal point within the overall townscape of Kilmarnock.

At the head of Portland Street, on the corner of George Street is the former George Hotel, one of the few substantial buildings remaining in the street.  This "Listed" property is now occupied by Mason Murphy House Furnishers.

To the west of the Cross is the John Finnie Street and Bank Street Conservation Area containing numerous listed buildings.  There is a comprehensive describing the nature of the area and assessing the prospects for improvement of the urban townscape.


1.  Reproduced from engraving in Scotland in 1840
2, 3, 4 & 5. 
Date: 5th January, 2010
Photographer: Mike Bailey