News from Earlier years

As we approach the end of the year it can be very humbling and revealing to briefly look back at what was happening in Beith of yesteryear.

During November and December 1865 there was a great debate about the location of a fever and cholera hospital in the town. Beith Parochial Board wished to site it in a house in Whang Street (Eglinton Street) which belonged to the wife of one of a Parochial Board members.

The house was located on the Western end of the town adjacent to a cheese store and some 200 yards from the Smugglers' Well and several rooms were to be set aside to act as the town's hospital on a five-year lease. Several letters appeared in the letters column of the Western Supplement on the subject of the proposed hospital.

The house chosen to become the hospital had no running water, so the proximity of the well was seen as a distinct advantage. Conversely, one writer was concerned that disease would be spread to the general population of the town from the use of the well by the hospital servants.

The wed was already in constant use by the general population, as few houses had running water. Another suggestion was that the hospital should be located at Border Farm which would keep it apart from the town and other inhabited areas.

One writer also commented about the proposed Beith Town branch railway which was to be located near to Whang Street and this was seen as another way in which disease would be spread as passengers would require to pass the hospital on the town's main thoroughfare.  There was also great alarm by local inhabitants who felt that they would be at particular risk of catching diseases such as cholera and typhoid which seemed to occur with great regularity. At a subsequent and very rowdy meeting of the Parochial Board a few weeks later it was agreed to dispense with the lease of the house and examine other options for a hospital.

In the same edition an advertisement is published for Beith Public Library which was located at the home of the librarian, William Barr, New Street. The library had over 800 volumes of well-selected works in history, biography, science and general literature and was open to the public on Tuesday and Friday evenings from 7pm-9pm. There was an annual subscription of three shillings.

The Beith Instrumental Band were having financial problems in November 1865 and opened up a subscription to the more well-to-do people of the town, and also to the artisans. The band were gratified with the results of the labours of the committee and were delighted with the liberality of the subscribers. The band were meeting that night in their practice room after which they would parade through the town.