A Sunny Day in Logan | The Lost Villages

In the first week in March 2022, the Lost Villages held our first in-person oral history event in the Logan Church Hall. We were hosted by the wonderful people from the Lugar Heritage Centre project, one of our partners in the Coalfield Communities Landscape Partnership. On this trip the team were accompanied by our University of Strathclyde Work Placement Student, Billy Cassidy and also CCLP Project Officer Cynthia Bahi. We were very glad to have them along for the day.

It was cold but beautiful and sunny day in Ayrshire when we pulled in Logan to collect stories about the Lugar rows. Many of the people of Lugar were relocated to Logan when the rows were demolished.

colour photograph of three people, one presents a female, the other two make. they are standing next to a banner that read Lost Villages

IMAGE: Lost Villages Team in Lugar (Photograph Cynthia Bahi)

Isabel and Marion from Lugar Heritage Centre had pounded the pavements and phoned round to let local people know we were in the area for the day. We were most grateful for their efforts as we had a wonderful turn out. It was busy day and our recorders were constantly on as we listened to wonderful stories about the co-op, the Braes, women having babies, playing on the bing and much more.

black ad white photography with two rows of houses with a ironworks towering over it in the background. The iron works has three chimney stacks.

IMAGE: Lugar with the Ironworks above the Front Row and Brick Row, c.1900 (Ayrshire Archives)

Our student Billy has lovely long chat with Lugar man David Murray about his life in the village and his work a miner, which we are looking forward to listening to. While Yvonne spent the afternoon with a group of women hearing their stories from the rows. Lugar Heritage’s own Marion had a chat with Cynthia about her memories.

IMAGE: Yvonne with the Lugar women (Photograph: Arthur McIvor)

People brought along some of their photos and books. We are very pleased to see a picture of the Institute and the Co-op store.

Postcard, black and white photo of a row of buildings with some grass in the foreground

IMAGE: Lugar Co-operative shop and Institute (source: unknown)

IMAGE: Miner’s Lamps from the Lugar Heritage Centre collection

We also heard about a wee community of miners just outside of Lugar who mined a stone called Barytes. One of the woman who came along shared this picture of the miners and also samples of the white and pink stone that was mined there. It has many uses including in paints and also in medicine with x-ray technology.

IMAGES: Barytes Miner’s and two examples of pink and white stone brought along to Logan

It was great day out and we are so thankful to those who turned up to talk to us. Later this year, we plan to return to Lugar Heritage Centre to share some of the stories we heard about Lugar. Also, we will be curating the oral history into the future exhibition at the Lugar Heritage Centre. If you couldn’t make it down, then please get in touch as we can come to you directly and will be in the area again soon.