Irvine Schools

A Memory of Irvine.

I attended this school for almost 6 years. and at the time it was the Old Building which was part of two buildings, the other part being The Annex on Kilwinning road.(now demolished). At first we walked the path between the schools over the Moor but then after the New Town was built we had to use the new footbridge. We'd often get totally soaked if the weather was blowing a westerly gale from the sea.

I was born and brought up at Kilwinning Road, Irvine. My parents were both Art teachers in Irvine. Ian Clark who taught Art at Ravenspark School before it was re-named Irvine Royal Academy (his father was Allan Clark who along with Helen Murchie lived at Waterside at the low Green before emigrating to New Zealand in the 1960s) and Edith Clark who taught art to primary pupils in Loudon Montgomery PS and John Galt PS as well as at St Mary's PS.

I have so many memories of this school which must be one of the few original Irvine buildings still standing!! We saw Irvine changing from the old town it was into the New Town that it became and so many old and familiar building go in the process. The Saddler's shop at Irvine Cross was one that I remember which is now gone along with the Linen Bank and Dicks shop at the bridge which always had great Christmas displays!!

I still come back to Irvine occasionally but it has changed a lot since our glory days of the late 1960s early 1970s. The Harbour Arts has at least remained as a legacy to our dad who was instrumental in its beginning.