Kilwinning

Kilwinning is an attractive and historic town surrounded by new town estates. The vision for Kilwinning is of an historic abbey town offering an excellent quality of life, high quality services in a bustling town centre and attractive housing with easy transport links to Glasgow and the rest of Scotland.  

A Kilwinning regeneration plan is now in place to revitalise the main streets and promote the town centre businesses and work is nearing completion to improve the Main Street. The official opening of the revitalised Kilwinning Main Street took place on 21 October 2010.

In 2003, James Watt College established its Ayrshire campus immediately north-west of the town centre. Since then, the campus has been a major success for both Kilwinning and the college and is an important element in the local education offering.

Dorothy Lynam, Kilwinning Community Council:

We need to attract more people into the centre of Kilwinning, open up the town centre and provide better facilities. Historically its an important centre and people do come to visit the Abbey and Masonic Lodge at the weekend, but at the moment there is nowhere for visitors even to get a cup of tea.

 A historical town

Kilwinning in Scotland has a long and rich history. Its Abbey was founded in the 12^th century and its builders became the world's first Freemasons.  The Masonic Lodge in the town is known as the Mother Lodge and is numbered 0, the first in the world. With such a history the town should be a magnet for visitors and residents. Kilwinning was part of the Irvine new town and its neighbourhoods were largely developed by the new town authorities. However, the town centre was largely untouched by the new town planners and has retained much of its character.

During late summer 2010 local people enjoyed the chance to explore the long and rich story of the town through the Kilwinning Archaeological dig. 

Kilwinning is the point where the coastal road crosses the river and where the two rail lines join. It is therefore a gateway to the area and the most accessible point to Glasgow. This is reflected in a strong residential market.