Crossing The Moor

A Memory of Irvine.

My secondary education was completed after spending 4 years at Irvine Royal Academy. The school was broken into two buildings known as the old school (pictured) and the new school in Kilwinning Road. Classes were conducted between both buildings and often meant crossing the moor to and from either building. This was fine and considered a great time-waster in good weather but was a pain in pouring rain and ice & snow etc. The old school was a beautiful building which was loaded with character and that also included some of the teachers who could be characters in their own right, the older of whom wore the black robes and generally carried a belt for discipline, although I never saw one used. The classes were split following the results from the 11+ exam and we were taught according to capabilities. I loved it. I loved the old building, the character, and the learning (although the exams were a bit stressful). However we survived and although that beautiful building is still standing proudly it did not survive as a place of learning but now houses various businesses. That's progress ??