Pawkie's Close, Irvine

Pawkie's Close can be found in Irvine, directly across the street from the Bank of Scotland building on the High Street. A plaque commemorating John Galt can be found on the wall of the Bank building.

Pawkie Close is a narrow path between buildings leading east from the High Street and is typical of the many closes which would have led from the houses and businesses here.  Pawkie's Close is paved, and some of the slabs have words and phrases etched into them.  There is no information about where these quotes originated.

The Close was named after Provost Pawkie in one of John Galt's best loved books - The Provost which was published in 1822.  Pawkie in Scots means sly or cunning and Galt describes his character as:

 “exhibiting a tolerably correct picture of a Scottish borough, I had in view, while writing it, a gentleman, who, when I was a boy at school, had the chief management of the borough council in my native town.  I believed he was dead, and had no scruple about choosing him for my model.”

The man being described was Robert Fullarton (1740-1835) who was a councillor in Irvine for 42 years.  Read more about Galt and Irvine on a previous post - Galt and the Freedom of Irvine.

Yesterday on the anniversary of the birth of John Galt, a short ceremony took place at the Bank of Scotland building which replaced the house in which he lived as a child.  A floral tribute was placed on the wall beside the plaque.