Newton Carpet works, Ayr

[mbriscoe]

I came across a 1922 newspaper report on a memorial bowling green pavilion being opened.

 

The carpet works closed long ago.  Anyone around Ayr know any more?  There is a Newton Park Bowling Club so I have tried to contact them.

 

 

[IPT]

Where Northfield Bowling Club is, in Newton Park, is very close to the carpet works.  There are no bowling greens there on a 1911 map, but there are by 1937.

 

A possibility, anyway. 

[MBrockway]

The carpet works were on the south side of McCall's Avenue about halfway along and filling the land between the street and the railway.

 

The old Newton Park is fairly close, but this has now been lost to development.

 

I'll ask my mother to see if she knows more - she was born about 1.5 miles away .

 

Mark

 

Edited 18 December , 2018 by MBrockway

[mbriscoe]

Thanks to both, sounds quite possible then.

 

I found a website for the club a webform so tried a message through that, will see if I get a reply.  There is a Farcebook page but as usual no way to send a message without joining Farcebook.

 

 

[MBrockway]

9 minutes ago, IPT said:

Where Northfield Bowling Club is, in Newton Park, is very close to the carpet works.  There are no bowling greens there on a 1911 map, but there are by 1937.

 

A possibility, anyway. 

 

6 minutes ago, MBrockway said:

The carpet works were on the south side of McCall's Avenue about halfway along and filling the land between the street and the railway.

 

The old Newton Park is fairly close, but this has now been lost to development.

 

Mark

 

 

The original Newton Park was used for Newton Park School and the park relocated to its current position a little to the NW of the old park.

 

In the Great War period the area that is now bowling green in the 'new' Newton Park was a cricket ground.

 

I'm investigating when the school was built and the park relocated.  If in the 1920's, then it's a fair chance this is where the memorial pavilion will be.

 

Mark

 

[IPT]

13 minutes ago, MBrockway said:

 

 

The original Newton Park was used for Newton Park School and the park relocated to its current position a little to the NW of the old park.

 

In the Great War period the area that is now bowling green in the 'new' Newton Park was a cricket ground.

 

I'm investigating when the school was built and the park relocated.  If in the 1920's, then it's a fair chance this is where the memorial pavilion will be.

 

Mark

 

 

I'm not sure about this, Mark.  On the 1897 map, the cricket ground was where the bowling greens currently are.  By 1909, Newton Park is identical to it's current overall shape and the cricket ground is gone. 

 

Have a look at some of these - https://www.old-maps.co.uk/#/Map/234510/623521/10/101750

 

(Although, i'm not prepared to disagree with your mother, if she says otherwise)

 

 

 

Edited 18 December , 2018 by IPT
Mrs Brockway

[MBrockway]

1 hour ago, MBrockway said:

 

The original Newton Park was used for Newton Park School and the park relocated to its current position a little to the NW of the old park.

 

In the Great War period the area that is now bowling green in the 'new' Newton Park was a cricket ground.

 

I'm investigating when the school was built and the park relocated.  If in the 1920's, then it's a fair chance this is where the memorial pavilion will be.

 

Mark

 

 

52 minutes ago, IPT said:

 

I'm not sure about this, Mark.  On the 1897 map, the cricket ground was where the bowling greens currently are.  By 1909, Newton Park is identical to it's current overall shape and the cricket ground is gone. 

 

Have a look at some of these - https://www.old-maps.co.uk/#/Map/234510/623521/10/101750

 

 

 

See here ...

Quote

NEWTON PARK COURT
Name approved in October 1991.  This is a sheltered housing complex built on the site of the demolished Newton Park School.   The school, in its turn, had been built on the southern part of the original Public Park in Newton: land which the Town Council offered to the Ayr Burgh School Board in January 1902.

The common lands of the Freemen of Newton, of which this piece of land was once a part, were generally known as the Newton Park.  The name NEWTON PARK is now restricted to the replacement open space, in Hunter’s Avenue, with bowling greens, &c., which was also, initially, part of the common land.

 

Source (for the original Newton Park School and parks info): Ayr Town Council Minutes 1901-02, 30, Works Committee 22nd January 1902

 

Mark

 

 

Edited 18 December , 2018 by MBrockway

[mbriscoe]

Thanks again to both.

[MBrockway]

The large pavilion in the centre of the Newton Park bowling greens is the Scottish National Centre For Bowling.

 

I've found a few pictures of it in the background of various bowls events, but it's rather difficult to date it as it seems to have had a good bit of alteration in its time.

 

Northfield Bowling Club and Newton Park Bowling Club are also both based on these greens.  Their pavilions *seem* to be along the road side of Northfield Avenue.

 

Shame my grandfather's long gone - he could have answered this in a trice!  My mother's not really a bowls fan!

 

Mark

 

[mbriscoe]

Thanks, perhaps try asking Northfield club as well.  If I can get one to confirm the existence of any sort of plaque then will see if I can get a photograph from them.

 

 

[mbriscoe]

I had a reply from the bowling club, I copied the comments here to them.

 

Quote

Hi Martin,

 

How interesting !

I’m afraid it is not there any more, but I think I’ll do a little research and find out where it was and what happened to it.

I’ll let you know if I can find anything.

 

Regards,

 

[MBrockway]

6 hours ago, IPT said:

(Although, i'm not prepared to disagree with your mother, if she says otherwise)

 

LOL!

 

I've spoken with my mother - she knows the 'new' Newton Park, but has no knowledge of the bowling club pavilion(s) nor of any Great War memorial tablets there!  The family was mainly based in the Seafield/Doonfoot/Alloway areas on the south side of Ayr, but my great grandparents lived their last years in Prestwick.

 

Looks like we'll have to rely on the documentary sources ... unless one of the bowling clubs comes up trumps

[AJM]

Local newspaper report from the opening in 1922 gives the location as a vacant piece of land adjacent to the works. It also states that a beautiful bronze shield above the main doorway has the simple inscription 'In memory of the employees of Newton carpet Works who fell in the Great war 1914 - 1918. from OS maps the area of the carpet works expanded considerably between the wars and there are new buildings evident so perhaps the bowling green fel victim to the expansion. I also tracked down a newspaper report from 1947 on the Newton Works Bowling Club presentation of prizes and the report mentions a hope that they would one day have their own green. perhaps an indication that the memorial bowling green had ceased to exist by 1947 ?