Editing Beith (section)

===Spier's school===
{{Main|Spier's School}}

[[File:Spier's School, Beith, from the front garden.jpg|right|thumb|250px|upright|Spier's School]]
[[Spier's school|Spier's]] (pron. ''Speers'') school stood on the [[Barmill]] Road near the old [[Lands of Marshalland|Marshalland Farm]]. It was built for Mrs Margaret Spier of the Marshalland and Cuff estate in 1887 to commemorate John Spier, her son, who had died at the age of 28, the last of her ten children. It was designed by [[Campbell Douglas]].<ref>Dictionary of Scottish Architects: Campbell Douglas{{page needed|date=July 2014}}</ref> The school started as a fee paying day and boarding school, becoming part of the county education system in 1937. Following the construction of [[Garnock Academy]], [[Spier's school]] closed in 1973 and the buildings were demolished in 1984. Robert Spier and family lived in Beith at number 62 Eglinton Street, formerly Whang Street, and they unusually had their own private chapel in the grounds.<ref>[http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/sc-892-62-eglinton-street-whang-house-including-ru British Listed Buildings.] Retrieved : 2011-01-23</ref>

The {{convert|16|acre|ha|abbr=off|0}} of woodland and gardens remain a popular site for dog walkers, bird watchers, and those out to enjoy the rural surroundings.  There are a number of memorials to the Spier's family in the Auld Kirk grounds and in the local area.<ref name="Spiers_Memorial"/><ref name="Spiers_Auld_Kirk"/><ref name="Spiers_wife"/>
The Spier's family left a trust for providing financial help to those from the Garnock Valley pursuing further education. The Trust is a committee of North Ayrshire council. The trust committee decided in 2007 to investigate ways of making better use of the assets of the trust in particular the former school grounds and the council worked in partnership to set up a Friends of Spiers (FoS) organisation to develop ideas and seek funding. North Ayrshire Council was successful in an application to the Forestry Commission to provide funding for a footpath network around the woodland area.