Bourtreehill
Encyclopedia
North Ayrshire
North Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas in Scotland with a population of roughly 136,000 people. It is located in the south-west region of Scotland, and borders the areas of Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire to the north-east and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the East and South...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Etymology
A 'Bour Tree' is the Ayrshire name for the Common Elder tree, Sambucus nigraSambucus nigra
Sambucus nigra is a species complex of elder native to most of Europe.It is most commonly called Elder, Elderberry, Black Elder, European Elder, European Elderberry, European Black Elderberry, Common Elder, or Elder Bush when distinction from other species of Sambucus is needed...
, often found in the older and more biodiverse local woodlands.
Geography
Bourtreehill is north of the village of DreghornDreghorn
Dreghorn is a village near Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland. This parish comprehends the old parishes of Dreghorn and Pearston, which were united in 1668. The whole of the parish was historically the property of the De Morvilles, who were Constables of Scotland and Lords of Cunninghame...
. Annick Water, a tributary of the River Irvine runs through Bourtreehill. The river has a good stock of brown trout.
History
Bourtreehill (and BroomlandsBroomlands
Broomlands is district of Irvine in North Ayrshire, Scotland. Situated on a series of bends in the River Annick, Broomlands and its original features are now almost lost within the south-Bourtreehill and Broomlands housing scheme.-History:...
) housing estates were built in the late 1970s to meet the demands of a burgeoning population. They developed around the older Bourtreehill House
Bourtreehill House
Bourtreehill House and the enclosed land on which it was built form the original estate of Bourtreehill. The wooded hill-top, a distinctive feature of the estate, is now a landmark that sits at the centre of modern North Bourtreehill in the district of North Ayrshire on the west coast of...
estate. Rather than being controlled by local or regional government, they were managed by Irvine Development Corporation, a body set up for the purpose of regenerating Irvine.
Originally, Bourtreehill housing scheme was intended to be substantially larger than it is today, extending beyond the River Annick, further towards Perceton. However, with a considerable number of old mine workings, some of which have not been charted, this was abandoned.
North Bourtreehill has been a troubled community since its inception with several different construction companies being involved, some of which went bankrupt partway through the project. This has resulted in a wide variety of housing styles of varying quality. Since the disbanding of IDC, the houses which had not been sold to private ownership fell under either local council administration (Cunninghame
Cunninghame
Cunninghame is a former comital district of Scotland and also a district of the Strathclyde Region from 1975–1996.-Historic Cunninghame:The historic district of Cunninghame was bordered by the districts of Renfrew and Clydesdale to the north and east respectively, by the district of Kyle to the...
District Council, now North Ayrshire
North Ayrshire
North Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas in Scotland with a population of roughly 136,000 people. It is located in the south-west region of Scotland, and borders the areas of Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire to the north-east and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the East and South...
council) or, in some cases, were owned by a housing association.
Missing toddler
On 23 April 1976, the case of Sandy Davidson hit the headlines in Scotland as he had disappeared from the front garden, Broomlands in Irvine. Some say he was stolen, some say he was waking his dog and it ran down to the river five minutes away, where he was taken. Some believe he fell into the river. The story that is most believed is that a man who had been delivering leaflets had been going around for about two days, and that he had taken Sandy. None of the family have given up hope but they are wishing he is safe. There was a massive search but no evidence was found. There was a documentary but Loraine Kelly and still nobody phoned with information.Unsolved murder
In an incident that shocked the community of Bourtreehill a young mother was brutally murdered. In broad daylight on 10 November 1994 Shona Stevens had her life taken away from her violently while walking on the footpath in Bourtreehill Park / Middleton Park on the way back to her nearby house. This murder remains unsolved.Social problems
The community of Bourtreehill has a range of social problems such as drug dealing, underage drinking and petty acts of vandalism. This has been blamed on the lack of facilities for young people in the area, although several projects have sought to address this. These are however problems common in many areas of nearly every town up and down Britain. With new regeneration schemes and building works planned for the future, the social problems of old should lessen if not cease.There is a very high unemployment rate in Irvine which is partly due to well known companies moving out (Compaq
Compaq
Compaq Computer Corporation is a personal computer company founded in 1982. Once the largest supplier of personal computing systems in the world, Compaq existed as an independent corporation until 2002, when it was acquired for US$25 billion by Hewlett-Packard....
, Volvo
Volvo
AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...
and British Telecom) of the area which has resulted in big job losses to the local population and has damaged the local economy.
Amenities
Bourtreehill is home to a libraryLibrary
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
which was originally sited in the Towerlands Gate area. This original library was quite small, and also both users and library staff had concerns about the possibility of their cars being vandalised. In 1996, the library moved to a site directly next to the British Telecom exchange building in Cheviot Way. This custom built building cost 280,000 pounds sterling to build, and has since been vandalised on numerous occasions.
There are no public houses in Bourtreehill since both the But 'n' Ben and The Village Inn closed. There is, however, a Sports club located in the village centre.
In Bourtreehill there are two clusters of shops. The first at Towerlands Gate has a small grocery and a fish and chip shop. With the demolition of the flats there, these businesses are also being closed. What will be erected in their place is still uncertain. Towerlands Gate is one of the trouble spots of Bourtreehill. The other is the area called the Village Centre. This has a number of stores ranging from a Grocery, a newsagent
Newsagent
A newsagent's shop , newsagency or newsstand is a business that sells newspapers, magazines, cigarettes, snacks and often items of local interest. In Britain and Australia, these businesses are termed newsagents...
and sub post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, bookmaker
Bookmaker
A bookmaker, or bookie, is an organization or a person that takes bets on sporting and other events at agreed upon odds.- Range of events :...
and chemists.
There is also a community centre in the old Towerlands Farm. The farm had lain derelict for a number of years until it was refurbished. A group was set up called BABCA (Bourtreehill and Broomlands
Broomlands
Broomlands is district of Irvine in North Ayrshire, Scotland. Situated on a series of bends in the River Annick, Broomlands and its original features are now almost lost within the south-Bourtreehill and Broomlands housing scheme.-History:...
Community Association), and the community centre is used for various activities. BABCA at one point used to issue an irregular local newsletter making residents of the Bourtreehill and Broomlands area aware of coming events in the community centre and local issues which might affect them. This practice seems to have stopped some years ago.
The local Health Centre is located in Cheviot Way. There has been a Health Centre in Cheviot Way for many years. Originally it was a small prefabricated
Prefabrication
Prefabrication is the practice of assembling components of a structure in a factory or other manufacturing site, and transporting complete assemblies or sub-assemblies to the construction site where the structure is to be located...
building which was situated just a short distance down the road across from the Telecom building where there is now a sheltered housing
Sheltered housing
Sheltered housing is a British English term covering a wide range of rented housing for older and/or disabled or other vulnerable people. Most commonly it refers to grouped housing such as a block or "scheme" of flats or bungalows with a scheme manager or "officer"; traditionally the manager has...
complex. Now it is in a newer, larger building with other facilities, including a dentist.
The Irvine New Town Trail is a cycle and pedestrian route which passes through Bourtreehill, giving relatively 'car free' access to Girdle Toll
Girdle Toll
Girdle Toll is a small village on the outskirts of Irvine, North Ayrshire.-Geography:It is situated off the Stanecastle Roundabout just next to the Stanecastle Keep. The village is from Prestwick Airport and only from the city of Glasgow....
, Eglinton Country Park
Eglinton Country Park
Eglinton Country Park is located in the grounds of the old Eglinton Castle estate, Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, Scotland . Eglinton Park is situated in the parish of Kilwinning, part of the former district of Cunninghame, and covers an area of 400 hectares...
, Broomlands
Broomlands
Broomlands is district of Irvine in North Ayrshire, Scotland. Situated on a series of bends in the River Annick, Broomlands and its original features are now almost lost within the south-Bourtreehill and Broomlands housing scheme.-History:...
, Springside
Springside
Springside may refer to:*Springside, Ayrshire, a village in Scotland*Springside , estate of Matthew Vassar with landscaped grounds in Poughkeepsie, New York, U.S.A....
, Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of 44,734. It is the second largest town in Ayrshire. The River Irvine runs through its eastern section, and the Kilmarnock Water passes through it, giving rise to the name 'Bank Street'...
and beyond.
Transport
The area is served by StagecoachStagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
Western buses Ltd, the number 21, 23 & 28 bus serves this area of the town.
Education
Bourtreehill itself is served by three Primary schools. These are Towerlands Primary School, near Heatherstane Way in the eastern edge of Bourtreehill. Fencedyke Primary school is notable for being powered by Solar Panels. This then revolutionary idea became more important in the 1984-85 Miners Strike, when pupils from other schools were ferried in there as other Primary Schools were then heated by coal. The third school is St John Ogilvie Primary, the last of the three schools built. It is primarily a Roman Catholic Primary school and is situated near both the Chapel and the Church of ScotlandChurch of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
Relief Parish Church.
Young people of senior school age from the area attend Greenwood Academy
Greenwood Academy
Greenwood Academy is a secondary school situated in Dreghorn, Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotlandrubbish school.- External links :* **...
in Dreghorn, St Michaels Academy
St Michaels Academy
St Michael's Academy was a Roman Catholic secondary school in Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, Scotland. The secondary school served the Roman Catholic community of the towns of Irvine and Kilwinning and the villages of Beith, Kilbirnie and Dalry, which make up the Garnock Valley...
in Kilwinning or the Irvine Royal Academy
Irvine Royal Academy
Irvine Royal Academy is a six-year non-denominational secondary school in Kilwinning Road, Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland.-History:In 1572, King James VI provided funds to found the King's School of Irvine at Kirkgatehead...
.