Kirkmichael

Kirkmichael lies 3 miles east of Maybole, and is a small, attractive village set in rolling hills. Its origins date back to the 13^th century, when John de Gemmelstoun dedicated a church there to St. Michael. The current village church dates from 1787, but the surrounding churchyard reflects the village’s medieval past.

Kirkmichael features two intersecting streets, mainly occupied by white cottages, which were built for hand-weavers in the 1790’s. You can see the red sandstone McCosh Hall, gifted to the village in 1898 by James McCosh, President of Princeton University. Nearby, you’ll also find the white-painted Kirkmichael Arms pub.

Kirkmichael House lies on the south-west side of the village, and dates from the 17^th century. It was home to the powerful Kennedy family, before becoming a miners’ welfare home, and later a boarding school.