Home Report Beith

Beith is a small, attractive town in the Garnock Valley, North Ayrshire, of roughly 6,000 residents approximately 20 miles south-west of Glasgow city centre, about 25 miles north of Ayr and about 3 miles east of Kilbirnie. The town is situated on the crest of a hill and was known originally as the “Hill o’ Beith” (hill of the birches).

The sleepy commuter town of Beith today hides a thriving past. In the 18th century Beith was a major trading settlement in linen cloth, later linen yarn, and later still silk gauze which was shipped across the British Isles and overseas. Furthermore, from the mid-19th century to as recent as the 1980s Beith was the most important furniture manufacturing town in Scotland, with a particular reputation for making high-quality items. Unfortunately, furniture is no longer produced in Beith, caused by several economic downturns over the decades as well as a shift in preference to self-assembled items of furniture.

Beith then today is a commuter town with the majority of working adults traveling to work elsewhere, mostly in Glasgow and surrounding areas. The nearest railway station is just over 2 miles away, at Glengarnock which provides direct rail links to Glasgow Central station and services to the Clyde coast and Glasgow Prestwick airport. The A737 trunk road effectively forms the eastern barrier of the town and allows residents fast travel to Glasgow or South Ayrshire by car and bus with travel time to Glasgow roughly 30 mins, and about 40 minutes to Ayr.

As for local amenities, Beith has the usual array of shops dotted around the area you would expect such as a local Co-op, newsagents, and takeaways. For more choice, residents would nip over to Kilbirnie. The town itself benefits from some tourism, particularly with visitors who enjoy seeing old architecture and town layouts. The Auld Kirk is a particular draw, with its remains dating from the late 1500s, and then impressive High Church that dates from the early 19th century. Eglinton Street is the most attractive part of the town, with small, neat two-storey buildings dating from the late 18th and 19th centuries. Beith also has its own 18-hole, 68-par golf course, in the Bigholm area just east of the town.

In terms of local schooling, Beith Primary, and slightly outside the town Gateside Primary are the local primary schools. Beith comes under the catchment area for Johnstone High School.