page_title: Cunninghamhead railway station
section_title: Additional information
hierarchical_section_title: Cunninghamhead railway station / Additional information
caption_attribution_description: A map of the Overtoun area in North Ayrshire, circa 1897.
context_page_description: Cunninghamhead railway station was a railway station serving Cunninghamhead Estate, the village of Crossroads, North Ayrshire and the town of Stewarton, East Ayrshire, Scotland. The station was originally part of the Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway.
context_section_description: Many of the Ayrshire or Cunninghame breed of cattle were sent from here to all parts of the United Kingdom and the British Empire beyond. The Ayrshire cattle breed were even sent from nearby Wheatrig Farm to restock the Falkland Islands after the war with Argentina.  A tragic accident is recorded in which an Elizabeth Kennedy lost both arms when she fell beneath a train here at sometime around 1885 to 1900. A dedicated horse-drawn carriage service operated to carry passengers from Stewarton to the station for a number of years.
  A mineral line running from near the station passed Overtoun Farm and running towards Southhook and Springside is shown in 1895, but is not present in the 1912 OS. Overton Row is marked on the 1912 OS with a school, coal; pit, clayworks and a number of other buildings, but by 1928 only the school building remained, only the foundation being visible today (2007). A short siding, seemingly to supply domestic coal to the Annick Lodge Estate, is indicated in 1860, but this was not marked in 1912 or subsequently.
  Above the station in 1860 was a cottage, called Standalane, lying on the left hand side of the old road to Springside, which is now closed, as a new road has been made closer to Irvine for traffic safety reasons. Standalane's position in 1897 is shown as being almost on the mineral line; The OS maps after this date do not show it at all. In 1776, plate 45 of G. Taylor and A. Skinner's 'Survey and maps of the roads of North Britain or Scotland' shows 'Standalone' marked, so the dwelling was of some significant antiquity. The old sandstone parapet of the bridge overlooking the site of Cunninghamhead railway station has many naive carvings on it, made over the years by local children and pupils from the local school as they waited and watched the old steam and diesel trains going by.
   
  Nearby a network of mineral railways linked the collieries at Annick Lodge, Perceton and elsewhere to the main railway network. Annick Colliery and the coal pit at East Wood linked directly to the G&SWR main line, the Annick Colliery lay near to the road to Holehouse Farm. Perceton Colliery, near Law Farm, linked directly to Irvine on the line from Busbie (or Busby) Junction at Crosshouse. A Fireclay Works was situated close to Springside where a coal pit was also located. Numerous old coal pits dot the area.
caption: A map of the area in 1897.
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