The tiny village of Dalgarven in 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...

, Scotland is located just north of Kilwinning

Kilwinning

Kilwinning is a historic town in North Ayrshire, Scotland. It is known as The Crossroads of Ayrshire. The 2001 Census recorded it as having a population of 15,908.-History:...

 on the road to Dalry.

In 1881 some two hundred people lived in the village, the mill being at its heart, with a Sunday school, smithy, joiner's shop and Dalgarven House. Most of the women were weavers, dressmakers, farm or domestic servants. The men were stonemasons, joiners, farm labourers, platelayers, railway surfacemen, etc. Monkcastle House is at one end of the village and Smithstone House at the other. The coming of the new road resulted in the demolition of most the village apart from the smithy and a cottage row.

A pre-reformation chapel is said to have existed in the vicinity and the old yew tree may be indicative of this.

Located here on the River Garnock

River Garnock

The River Garnock, the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of this starting point the untested stream tumbles over the Spout of Garnock, the highest...

 is Dalgarven Mill, home to the Museum of Ayrshire Country Life and Costume.