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    Kilmarnock Car Breakers

    4.0 (1 review)

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    18 years ago

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    Johnnie Walker Statue - Johnny Walker Statue, Kilmarnock

    Johnnie Walker Statue

    (1 review)

    This statue of Johnnie Walker, one of the men who 'put Kilmarnock on the map', was sculpted by…read moreAlexander 'Sandy' Stoddart. Stoddart was born in Edinburgh in 1959 and has been 'Her Majesty's Sculptor' in Scotland since 2008. He has been quoted as saying, My great ambition is to do sculpture for Scotland, and he has achieved this mainly through his large monuments to figures from the country's past. John Walker (1805-1857) was a grocer, but, although his name was given to the spirit, his son, Alexander, became more important in its history. A terrible flood in the town in 1852 destroyed all the Walker stock and, when Alexander afterwards went into the family business, he persuaded his father to give up the grocery trade and to start selling whisky instead. The family's blend of spirit was first known as Walker's Killme Whisky and it quickly became extremely popular, thanks to Alexander, and later, his own son, also named Alexander. Between them, they made the Johnnie Walker Whisky a common name worldwide and were also responsible for introducing many other blends and mixes of the spirit. In 2009, the world's largest distiller, Diageo, announced that it was closing the Kilmarnock plant, where more than 700 people were employed. It actually shut down on March 23rd, 2012 and the link between the firm and Kilmarnock came to an end after 192 years. The last bottle made was brought out to a single piper's lament. A song was especially written for the sad occasion, and the lyrics included, The great striding man knows we're his best fan but Killie's no part o' Diageo's plan. All employees and, indeed, the whole town, mourned the end of an era.

    Reformers' Monument - Reformers' Monument, Kilmarnock

    Reformers' Monument

    (1 review)

    I walk past this monument several times a week on my way to…read moreand from town and became very curious about it so I did some research! It's found at the north end of Kay Park and was the work of Charles Benham Grassby (1834 -1910). Although he originated in Hull, he moved to Scotland around 1864 and worked on important commissions throughout Glasgow and beyond. Built in 1885, this is a tall Corinthian stone column on a square plinth which actually used to have a graceful 'Statue of Liberty' on the top! Very unfortunately, she blew down and was smashed during a terrible storm in 1936 but was never replaced. (I think this is a great pity and would be a perfect opportunity for a local benefactor to grace it with something new, appropriate to the town) There were also steps at one time on either side but they were eventually removed. The monument commemorates a public gathering held in Dean Park on the 7th December, 1816, which was protesting against the voting system in the town. About 6,000 people (from a population of 13,000) attended to campaign for Parliamentary reform and representation for working class people. Astonishingly, just one man in Kilmarnock was eligible to vote! The whole of the county of Ayrshire had only 156 votes. Local people, Alexander McLaren, Thomas Baird, John Kennedy, Archibald Craig and John Burt all gave speeches which were afterwards published and sold to raise funds. McLaren and Baird were duly arrested for wickedly and feloniously printing, selling, publishing and circulating the said tract or statement. They were imprisoned in Edinburgh for six months and sadly both died shortly after their release. Craig and Kennedy were imprisoned but subsequently released without charge and they emigrated to America. John Burt also left the country but I couldn't find out where he relocated. In 1885, Lord Rosebery unveiled the monument. The Melbourne Age wrote, It is only right that posterity should treasure the names of Alexander McLaren and Thomas Baird. These men do not belong to Scotland alone. Wherever the British race is planted in the enjoyment of constitutional liberties, their memory ought to be cherished. A plaque on one side of the monument reads, To the memory of Captain Thomas Baird and Alexander McLaren, as also John Burt, John Kennedy, Archibald Craig and other Kilmarnock pioneers of Parliamentary reform who, in the early part of the 19th Century, devoted themselves with unselfish zeal to the cause of the people. Erected by public subscription 1885.

    Kilmarnock Car Breakers - localservices - Updated May 2026

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