Curling Stone Factory

In times past before global warming and the seasons were more distinct than they are now, cold winters could be relied upon and curling was a sport enjoyed by all. It was described thus in an article from 1856:-

The game of golf is played at a season when those who earn their bread by the sweat of their brow must be engaged in their daily work; and, besides, as the competitors are matched two and two, golf can scarcely be regarded as a social amusement. Football, again is a game for boys and young men rather than for staid and elderly gentlemen, parsons, and peers. But curling is followed at a season when the earth is snow-bound and ice-locked, when agricultural labour is necessarily at a standstill, and a healthy spirit-stirring out-of-doors game is required to fire the blood and cheer the heart. 

At one time Lochwinnoch laid claim to the largest curling stone factory in the world. It was operated by John Keanie & Sons and was called The Caledonian Curlingstone Works. He himself was a keen curler and was a member of the Twelfth Province. The sports nickname is the “Roarin’ Game” derived from the rumbling sound the 19.96kg (44lbs) stone makes as it travels down the rink. The Keanie family went on to become better known as house builders.

John Young Keanie was born in Lochwinnoch in 1850 and died 3rd December 1904 aged 54. He served his time in the building trade working for his father David Keanie who traded under the name Young & Keanie (Young was his fathers uncle). In researching for this article I came across the reports shown below dated August 1876. The articles do not link to one another but they likely are. What led to these events we will never know. David Keanie is John Young Keanie's father and James Young is the brother of David Keanie's mother.

In 1887 John Keanie took over the old woollen mill at Knowes, which is very near the Loanhead quarry in Beith, where he established a curling stone factory. This operation was later re-located to Calderhaugh sometime between 1895 and 1901. The photograph below was taken between 1895 and 1901 because the factory is absent in the 1895 map and the new railway would be visible by 1901 running along the line of the hedge behind the factory. The advert below appeared in the 1900/01 edition of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club Annual. The photographic evidence and the advert place the move to 1896-1900 but probably closer to 1900 given the date of the advert.

You may be wondering exactly where the factory was situated. It was actually behind the cottages at Calderhaugh, towards the end of Lochhead Avenue. The montage below shows its exact location. The map dated 1911 has been rotated 90 degrees anti-clockwise to orientate with the image below it. In the image the factory has white smoke emanating from it and black smoke from its tall chimney. In the image to the left of the factory the roofs of the row of Calderhaugh houses can be seen above the canopy of the trees. In the foreground at the far edge of the field is Burnfoot Road.

He sold stones all over the world, Canada, USA, Russia, New Zealand, Switzerland and Newfoundland and employed around 17 staff in this enterprise. The fact he sold stones all over the world with only the odd advert in the Royal Caledonian Curling Club Annual is testament to the quality of the workmanship.

The photograph above was taken from within the factory gates of the Calderhaugh site. Numerous cut blocks of granite can be seen in the foreground all of which came from Ailsa Craig. With a hammer and chisel, some coarse sandpaper working down to fine, a lot of elbow grease and then giving it a final polish you get the result below.

I don’t think so!!!! The short video below from Kays website shows how it is actually done.

Below are two invoices for curling stones. Today a good quality stone could cost £600. Maybe should put the two stones in the photograph above behind the door!

James Waldron worked for John Keanie and it appears that on John's death James Waldron took on the operation of the Calderhaugh site. The above invoices claim the same manufacturing works. Keanie advertised from 1909/10 through to 1913/14 in the Royal Caledonian Curling Club Annual. Waldron advertised up till 2010/11 overlaping with Keanie suggesting they had different sites. The 1913/14 advert gives Keanie's address as High Street East. Waldron last advert was in 1910/11 suggesting he ceased trading at that time.

Our Uncle Robert recollects a second curling stone works that was located at “Auld Babies”. This was the ground upon which Our Lady of Fatima chapel was built. He was close, the second site was in the yard of Alexander W Keanie at 62 High Street. Alexander was born in 1886 the sixth son of John Keanie. At the date of the above invoice he was 26; at the date Keanie began advertising curling stones again in 1909/10 he was only 23. It is therefore likely it was his elder brother James Y Keanie who acquired this second site to recommence curling stone manufacture. He was after all a very keen and very good curler. In an advert from 1922/23 it was announced that James Y Keanie has absorbed the old established business of John Keanie and Sons Curling Stone Makers and moved the business to Floors Street Johnstone. This is the address of James Y Keanie's house building operation which was incorporated on 3rd February 1920.

1922 is possibly the date that Alexander W Keanie took over the High Street yard for his own operation as a builder. He was 36 in 1922. He may have shared the site with his brother prior to 1922 while he esablished his own business. In 1933 a notice was published by A W Keanie to raise £1000 by issuing shares with a nominal value of £1 for the purpose of establishing a curling stone factory. A montage of the location of the site is shown below, the top photograph is from 1954/60 and the bottom photograph is from 2021.

At the very time he was raising funds for this new enterprise he was competing in the 1933 World Championships in Edinburgh. He won through to the fifth round which if he had won would have got him into the semi-finals. He was beaten by Mr J Hay who went on to win the title. Alexander went on to win the title in 1935.

Kays purchased the James Y Keanie curling stone manufacturing business in 1926. Alexander continued to make curling stones and his last advert was in 1938/39. He died in 1946 and his business formally closed in 1951. In the article about Keanie there are photographs of Alexander Keanie workmen. One of these is Richard McKinlay who worked for the firm in the 1930's and left in 1939. His son Hugh confirmed his father worked on the curling stone side of the business. It makes you wonder if Richard's departure and 1938/39 being the last advert if this marked the time he stopped making curling stones. For a while after the closure of the yard the local pigeon fanciers used some of the buildings.