Lowes Loch

Lowes Loch, The Lochs or Loch of Hill is now a small natural freshwater loch in the North Ayrshire Council Areas, lying in a glacial kettle hole, once of greater extent, lying below Brownmuir and Lochland Hills on the Threepwood Road, near Beith, in the Parish of Beith. The loch may once have had a small island within it. Lochs siteMarked on Ordnance Survey maps as 'The Lochs', it was locally known as the Lowes Loch and lies on the old 'Lowes Lands'. Four lochs may have once been present, a small one in front of Lows Cottage, a second along to the west of the surviving loch, and a smaller fourth one, now partly drained by a deep ditch, sitting next to the older of the two Lochlands Farms ruins. The name 'Lowe' is said to have derived been from the Celtic for 'Hill' and Lochlands Hill was once known as Lowes Hill. Before the Cadgerford Burn was deepend the lochs level would have been higher and may have once drained to the west and east. Lows CottageThis building was originally a retting or rhetting cottage, later becoming a small farm with a byre attached. Cartographic evidenceBlaeu's map of 1684, pbased on Timothy Pont's map of circa 1604, names a 'Loch of Hill' and Roy's map of circa 1747 shows two small lochs, with the outflow of the western loch running down to the Muir Burn and then into the Roebank Burn. Thomson's map of 1832 shows a single loch lying below Lows Farm and draining east into the Dusk water. OS maps of the 1850s do not indicate open water and a discreet clump of trees suggests a small island. The abandoned Rakerfield Farm lies above the site on the lower slopes of Brownmuir or Brimmer Hill. This farm was occupied by the elderly couple, Mrs & Mrs Blair, at the time of the construction of Kirklee Green reservoir and was purchased upon their death by Ayrshire County Council and the roof removed.

Lowes Loch, The Lochs or Loch of Hill is now a small natural freshwater loch in the North Ayrshire Council Areas, lying in a glacial kettle hole, once of greater extent, lying below Brownmuir and Lochland Hills on the Threepwood Road, near Beith, in the Parish of Beith. The loch may once have had a small island within it. Lochs siteMarked on Ordnance Survey maps as 'The Lochs', it was locally known as the Lowes Loch and lies on the old 'Lowes Lands'. Four lochs may have once been present, a small one in front of Lows Cottage, a second along to the west of the surviving loch, and a smaller fourth one, now partly drained by a deep ditch, sitting next to the older of the two Lochlands Farms ruins. The name 'Lowe' is said to have derived been from the Celtic for 'Hill' and Lochlands Hill was once known as Lowes Hill. Before the Cadgerford Burn was deepend the lochs level would have been higher and may have once drained to the west and east. Lows CottageThis building was originally a retting or rhetting cottage, later becoming a small farm with a byre attached. Cartographic evidenceBlaeu's map of 1684, pbased on Timothy Pont's map of circa 1604, names a 'Loch of Hill' and Roy's map of circa 1747 shows two small lochs, with the outflow of the western loch running down to the Muir Burn and then into the Roebank Burn. Thomson's map of 1832 shows a single loch lying below Lows Farm and draining east into the Dusk water. OS maps of the 1850s do not indicate open water and a discreet clump of trees suggests a small island. The abandoned Rakerfield Farm lies above the site on the lower slopes of Brownmuir or Brimmer Hill. This farm was occupied by the elderly couple, Mrs & Mrs Blair, at the time of the construction of Kirklee Green reservoir and was purchased upon their death by Ayrshire County Council and the roof removed.