Being West Kilbride by Stephen Brown

Val Penny ♦ June 14, 2016 ♦ 2 Comments

When I first met my husband, he told me he lived in West Kilbride. I had never heard of the village so assumed I had misheard him and said “East Kilbride?” back to him. He replied, “No, West Kilbride, I know where I live.” That established, he as been patient and dogmatic in equal measure ever since.

The author of Being West Kilbride, Stephen Brown, originally trained as an accountant but is now a business owner based on the west coast of Scotland. He lives in West Kilbride, and has done so for most of his life. Brown is passionate about the village and its history. As a result of this, he has tried to play an active part in its development and regeneration. Brown has also written a book on internet gaming.

Being West Kilbride details the history of the village, explains place names and tells about various arifacts and points of interest in the village and around it. This is a mercifully slim volume which I found difficult to complete. However, as the subject is my husband’s village, and he bought me the book, I did finish it.

Should you have an interest in this area of Ayrshire, Scotland, Being West Kilbride is doubtless a useful resource. Otherwise, it is a rather parochial book that is unlikely to be of interest.

Valerie Penny