Ice Skating, Curling and Skelmorlie

Early Curling in Skelmorlie

The earliest recorded evidence of curling in the vicinity of Skelmorlie dates to December 1818. At that time, “a party of the [Largs Noddle Curling] Club met on the Loch on Skelmorlie Muir, where they had some good play till stopped by a fall of snow.” The precise location of this loch is not recorded, although the Scottish Curling Trust suggests it may have been the Mill Dam near Barr Farm, visible on maps of that time. ^[3]

At some point between 1860 and 1880, Skelmorlie acquired its own designated skating and curling pond. This pond lay to the west of Skelmorlie Castle Road and north‑east of Annetyard Farm (see map above). Before this, the pond had functioned as the village reservoir. However, following the opening of the new upper and lower reservoirs near the Golf Club, it was no longer required for water storage and was repurposed for recreational use. During winters when weather conditions permitted and the ice was sufficiently thick, the pond was used for skating and curling. ^[2][4]

Skelmorlie Skating and Curling Club

The Skelmorlie Skating and Curling Club was formed in November 1880, following the dissolution of the original Skelmorlie Skating Club. At a meeting held immediately afterwards, members agreed to establish a new club for both skating and curling and a set of rules to govern the group.  To ensure continuity, former members were admitted without paying an entrance fee. Also at the meeting, a managing committee was elected, key roles were provisionally assigned, and plans were made to organise activities, including evening skating sessions. ^[5]

Photos 1. Skelmorlie Skating & Curling Club minutes & accounts book. 2. Minutes of inaugural meeting. 3. Club Accounts from 1880. 4. List of Club members in 1880 with leavers at the end of the year. [5]

The club remained active until 1895. Throughout its existence, the committee organised annual meetings, managed memberships, and undertook ongoing maintenance and improvements to the skating pond. The latter included securing and renewing the pond lease, extending and repairing the pond, installing water supplies and fencing, and regulating the pond’s use. The club also worked closely with the Eglinton Curling Club (more below), granting access to curl while maintaining separate memberships, improving the facilities and ensuring both skaters and curlers co-existed harmoniously. ^[5]

Skelmorlie Eglinton Curling Club

Although membership of the Skelmorlie Skating and Curling Club allowed members to curl and hold competitions locally, it did not permit participation in matches against other clubs. To compete more widely, curlers needed to be members of a club affiliated to the Royal Caledonian Curling Club. As a result, Skelmorlie Curling Club (No. 393) was founded in 1881.^[7]

The club’s patron and patroness were Mr and Mrs John Graham of Skelmorlie Castle. Its president was James Hamilton, aged 43, a coalmaster and contractor residing at Glenorchy, Upper Skelmorlie. The vice‑president was Newton Wright, a 40‑year‑old master shoemaker living at 82 Victoria Place, Upper Skelmorlie. The Rev. John Keith served as club chaplain, while Charles Dow, a 36‑year‑old schoolteacher living in the schoolhouse, combined the roles of secretary and treasurer. ^[7][8]

Somewhat mysteriously, a second club—the Skelmorlie Eglinton Curling Club (No. 394)—was also established later that same year. Its patrons were the Earl and Countess of Eglinton and Winton, Archibald William Montgomerie and his wife Sophie, then resident at Eglinton Castle, Kilwinning. The president was Robert Sinclair Scott, aged 37, a shipbuilder and engine maker living at Craigievar, Skelmorlie. James Hamilton, president of the earlier club, served as vice‑president, and once again the Rev. John Keith acted as chaplain. The secretary was James Fleming, aged 33, of Kilmory, while Mortimer Evans, a 41‑year‑old civil engineer living at Hope Villa, was treasurer. ^{[7][8][9][10]}

Questions have been asked about why two clubs.  A member of the present‑day club believes that this was because the conditions under which the first club was established did not allow participation in the Ayrshire leagues, necessitating the formation of the second. The overlap in committee members and the absence of further references to the first club lend weight to this theory.^[11]