The village lies on the River Ayr which previously provided water power for local industry. It is in the parish of Sorn, south east of Mauchline.
Transport
The A76 road lies south west of Catrine. A railway branch line to Catrine was one of the last to be built in Scotland in the 20th century. Catrine's station opened in 1903. The line closed to scheduled passenger services in 1943, although it continued to be used for freight and the occasional enthusiast railtour until the 1960s when the line was closed.
History
Catrine lies at the edge one of the longest-lasting Gaelic-speaking areas in the Lowlands of Scotland. The original Gaelic name of the village appears to be based on the root 'ceit' meaning dark or gloomy place, perhaps referring to thick woods near the village. Catrine was constructed around one of the first cotton mills in Scotland in 1787 by Claud Alexander of Ballochmyle in partnership with David Dale. A plan of Catrine at that time shows the hamlet consisted of 11 buildings, including a smithy and corn mill. In 1801 the factory was purchased by Messrs James Finlay & Co., of Glasgow. In 1802, two artificial lochs, covering between them, were constructed above Muirkirk, near the village of Glenbuck, to supply the cotton works. The business was greatly enlarged in 1823 when they added extensive bleaching works. The motive power for the works was supplied by wooden wheels, made from oak grown on Drumlanrig estate. In 1828, the wooden wheels were replaced by two large iron wheels; steam engines of were later added as auxiliary. When constructed, the iron wheels were the largest in Britain. The diameter of each wheel was, in circumference, and broad, or within the buckets. There were 120 buckets on each wheel. Each bucket contained of water. The wheels made three revolutions per minute, and passed 360 buckets per minute, of water per wheel, 7,920 for the two, equal to 210 tons of water per minute. They were 500 nominal horsepower. These wheels were a tourist attraction in their day and continued in service until the 1940s. A new mill was completed in 1950 but closed some 20 years later. The old mill was destroyed by fire during its demolition in 1963. The new mill was used for several years as a large furniture warehouse, but was eventually demolished in 1985. Iron Age rock art in the form of Cup and ring marks have been found at nearby Ballochmyle.
Catrine today is a village of around 2,500 inhabitants. The site of the former bleaching works of Messrs Finlay & Co. is now occupied by Glen Catrine Bond which bottles whisky and vodka and markets them under a number of different brand names. In 2006, the so-called Catrine Voes, the Radical Brae and the Chapel Brae were designated as a Local Nature Reserve. The weir, the reservoirs and other structures comprise a Scheduled Monument and are in the ownership of Catrine Community Trust, a charitable trust. Catrine Community Trust is actively engaged in seeking funding to conserve and restore these for future generations to enjoy. Former Kilmarnock FC goalkeeper Barry Holland is from Catrine.
