+ Larger Font | - Smaller Font Latest News June 2008 "What's happening at Barony A Frame? The project will provide a way to enjoy and share the history of the community, making use of oral histories that have been collected. We will reflect all aspects of life at Barony pit, from the workers over - and underground to their families and communities. This is your opportunity to see and comment on what's planned for Barony A Frame."
August 2006
A comprehensive news story which covers the Pitheid Patter story has been posted on the BBC website. The story which tells about the history of Auchinleck and the Barony A Frame Colliery features in the news section.
Did you or a member of your family work at the Barony Colliery?
The Barony 'A' Frame will be shrouded in scaffolding and protective sheeting this month as Contractors move on site to restore the Barony 'A' Frame to its former glory. The last piece of the financial jigsaw fell into place in June, with a grant of £62,000 secured from The Coalfields Regeneration Trust. Over £1million of grants have now been awarded to The Barony 'A' Frame Trust, including £484,500 from The Heritage Lottery Fund and £237,239 from Historic Scotland. Smaller awards have been made by East Ayrshire Council, East Ayrshire Community Planning Partnership, Cumnock and Doon Valley Minerals Trust, Forward Scotland's Community Environmental Renewal Scheme and the Scottish Coal Industry Special Welfare Fund. This is a significant investment that indicates the level of support locally and nationally to preserve the structure as a monument to those miners who lived, worked and died at the Barony colliery. Work will commence late September with the restoration of the former winding tower – the 'A' Frame. On completion the structure will be floodlit, creating a powerful visual reminder of East Ayrshire's coalmining roots. The surrounding area will then be landscaped in the spring of 2007 to form a heritage and educational site that will be open to the public. If you can't wait until then why not visit the Barony 'A' Frame Trust's website at www.pitheidpatter.co.uk . Photographs of the restoration will be posted as work progresses. You can also share your views on life in a mining community in the discussion forum. Further information on the Barony 'A' Frame Trust can be obtained from Margaret Butler, Project Administration and Monitoring Officer on 01294 276434. July 2006
The Pitheid Patter has gone through a small update to make it run more efficiently and smoothly. This includes a brand new forum, which before hand was being attacked by automated messaging. This unfortunately means that anyone wishing to post to the forum will have to become a member with password access. Although the security implications make it slightly more lengthy, the forum does offer more options such as attaching avatars, signatures and images. Here at ATS Heritage, we hope that you will enjoy the changes that we have made to the entire site. Please contact us with any comments - ATS Heritage March 2006
Pitheid Patter, a community heritage project set up by the Barony Trust, takes its programme of recording memories of the old Barony Pit to Muirkirk village. With several meetings already held, the project consultants, ATS Heritage, are seeking interviews with ex-Barony miners and their families. They are especially interested in listening to anyone whose husbands or fathers worked at the Barony and can give their views on family life and how it was affected by employment, the ‘84 Miners’ Strike and closure of the Barony Colliery. Any (ex)teachers who took care of miner’s children during the latter years before the Barony’s closure would be also welcome. The recordings were held on Monday 13th March, 2006 at Muirkirk Bowling Green, 15, Wellwood Street, Muirkirk (tel: 01290 661701). Patter-merchants and worthies were welcome to come along between 10.30a.m. and 3pm where Jackie Lee, ATS consultant, chatted with them in groups with friends or individually over a cup of tea. The resulting interviews formed the basis for an Education pack for schools and selected pieces will be heard in the onsite interpretation. A dedicated website for the project contains news and photos: www.pitheid-patter.co.uk . Those with memories to share can contact Sam Gardiner on 01290 428355 or Robbie Frame, ATS Heritage tel: 0131 247 7435 Late 2005 Our thanks go to all the ex-Barony miners who came along for an ‘interview’ (more of a blether really). We now have 22 interviews completed. Interviews have taken place in private homes, Cumnock Town Hall and Auchinleck Indoor Bowling Club. See a list of interviewees here: how many do you remember? Advertising in local press, by word-of-mouth and valuable help from Trustees (Arthur!) have made these relatively well-attended and successful. These recordings were conducted individually and in groups, with at least three ex-miners coming back for more! We also filmed many of the speakers. Topics the men have covered ran through their experiences in the earliest days (1940s), the Mine Disasters, the ‘84 Strike (from varying perspectives) and its effects, daily working, descriptions of jobs, accidents, the wider mining communities, unions, other working practices, humour, language, local poetry and a whole host of very personal and controversial opinions. Once edited, we will be putting sound clips, more photos and video onto these pages. Both during and outwith the oral history meetings, we are receiving anecdotes, photos and documents which may be of some use to the Trust and Museum archives. Please contact Sam Gardiner (copies can be taken and originals returned). Contact details are available here Jackie Lee, a professional interpreter and educational specialist has been contracted to produce the education pack and will be commencing work after the Interpretive Plan has been finalized and working and interviews are edited. Watch out for news confirming date and location of our next round of ‘interviews’ (at New Cumnock). |