Old Photograph Shops Main Street Newmilns Scotland

Old photograph of shops, people and vintage vehicles on the main street in Newmilns in East Ayrshire, Scotland. Newmilns became a free Burgh of Barony on 9 January 1490, a privilege bestowed upon George Campbell of Loudoun, and consequently the people of Newmilns, by King James IV. This was an important stage in the development of Newmilns as it granted liberties over control of the local economy, the right to elect local Baillies and necessary local government officials and the right to hold weekly markets and annual fairs. Towards the end of the 16th Century, Hugenot refugees settled in the area and introduced Newmilns to the craft of weaving. About two centuries later, Britain began importing cotton from the USA and as Newmilns by this time had a long established weaving tradition, the town's handloom industry rose to national prominence. Newmilns is situated around seven miles east of Kilmarnock and twenty five miles South West of Glasgow.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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