The Lugar Parish Church Heritage Project is entering an exciting new phase of its development as the final stages of funding and research nears completion.

The new initiative, headed up by the Lugar Church Group alongside The Church of Scotland, East Ayrshire Council, The Coalfield Communities Landscape Partnership and other funding bodies, will showcase the diverse history of Logan, Lugar and the nearby area.

The group is delighted to be able to deliver on its dream to establish the Heritage Trail and Community Hub in Lugar.

Elaborating on the project, Reverend John Paterson said: “The Lugar and Logan Heritage Trail will consolidate all of the local historical information and convey, in an open and easily digested way, just how fascinating the history of the local area has been for such a relatively small community.

Cumnock Chronicle:

“Lugar Church, an essential element to the wider Coalfield Communities Landscape Partnership, will host a Community Hub which will not only display artefacts and information on local history in a newly-designed exhibition space, it will also host a Tea Room where locals and visitors can relax in this lovely old building.”

Some of the fascinating local history includes the story of William Murdoch, the inventor of gas lighting which went on to transform towns and cities across the world.

Murdoch actually carried out his early experiments in a cave in Lugar.

The project will also tell the story of the Lugar Iron Works, an important national industry during the Industrial Revolution, as well as the Miners Cottages and Logan’s Pillar. Organisers insist that even if locals are unaware as to where these sites are, the project will relate the rich and diverse history of the area.

Reverend Paterson added: “At the heart of the project is the desire to ensure that local people are involved, not only through Lugar Church but also through a series of workshops with schoolchildren and interviewing initiative aimed at capturing and keeping for posterity the stories of the people who have lived, worked and grown up in Lugar and Logan area through generations.”