Heritage Centre Cumnock
A gem that continues to sparkle
David Milloy
Having last visited the Heritage Centre Cumnock at the start of 2023, we thought it was high time that we dropped by again.
We were delighted to find that the Centre is going from strength to strength, and that its crowd-pleasing attractions, as detailed in issue 48 of Ayrshire Magazine, have been augmented by some exciting new additions.
The grounds of the Centre are now home to a children’s play area, which is home to The Big Red Fire Engine – a fire engine which has been carefully adapted into a play area suitable for children aged two to twelve. Children enter the fire engine’s cabin, where they can experience its driving controls before entering a hidden tunnel leading to a ladder, at the top of which is a slide.
The children’s play area also includes a number of smaller attractions, and there’s also a water feature which uses fire hoses supplied by water harvested from the Centre’s roof and stored within the Big Red Fire Engine’s tanks. As the Centre’s lead trustee, Jim Smith, points out, this means that it’s not only great fun but also environmentally friendly. The harvested water is also used to fill the water tank on the fire engines which the Centre occasionally displays at local galas and events.
Another important new attraction is a 1940 Albion coach with art deco-style upholstery. Built in Scotstoun, the coach is displayed in the South Yorkshire Motors livery it sported when in service. The coach, which has been given the name ‘Paddy’ by volunteers at the Centre, is in running order and plans are afoot to offer visitors to the Centre short trips around the Cumnock area in it.
The Centre is also now responsible for organising the annual Ayrshire Vintage Commercial Vehicle Roadrun, which takes place every July. This year’s event attracted 105 vintage commercial vehicles from near and far. Participating vehicles were displayed at the Barony School Campus in Cumnock before embarking on a road run that took them first to North Ayrshire before heading on to an overnight stop in Portpatrick. Next year’s event will take place on 11th and 12th July, with the vehicles again being on public display at the Barony School Campus on the morning of the 11th.
The Centre is open every Friday from 11.00am until 3.00pm, in addition to which there are a number of open days each year. Details of these, and other information about the Centre’s exhibits and activities, can be found on the Centre’s website:
www.heritagecentrecumnock.com.
Heritage Centre Cumnock
Block 7, Caponacre Industrial Estate,
Cumnock,
KA18 1SH
07966 555421
heritagecentrecumnock@btinternet.com
