The Rise and Fall of Kilmarnock

In the 1970s a large area of Kilmarnock on the east side of The Cross was demolished to make way for the Burns Shopping Mall. Whole streets: Regent Street, Duke Street and Waterloo Street, along with all the alleys, lanes, wynds, vennels and closes linking all the buildings, were swept away by town planners who reckoned in all their misplaced wisdom that this part of Kilmarnock town centre had become obsolete. No thought was given to the architectural heritage of what was being destroyed, and many stunningly beautiful buildings were bulldozed. Historically important structures were flattened during what can only be described as a period of monumental madness. The old Star Inn and the close leading to it from Waterloo Street was one of many structural casualties. This was where John Wilson had his printing business, and where he printed the 'Kilmarnock Edition' of poems by Robert Burns. In demolishing such a large and historically significant area of the town to build the Burns Shopping Mall, Kilmarnock was effectively shooting itself in the foot. It was a scandal of epic proportions from which Kilmarnock never fully recovered.