Andrew Kay & Company (Curling Stones) Limited,

trading as A trade name, trading name, or business name is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is fictitious business name. Registering the fictitious name with ...

Kays Scotland, is the only remaining UK manufacturer and supplier of curling stones. Founded in 1851, it retains exclusive rights to harvest granite from

Ailsa Craig Ailsa Craig (; ) is an island of in the outer Firth of Clyde, west of mainland Scotland, upon which microgranite has long been quarried to make curling stones. The now-uninhabited island comprises the remains of a magmatic pluton formed d ...

, granted by the

Marquess of Ailsa Marquess of Ailsa, of the Isle of Ailsa in the County of Ayr, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 10 September 1831 for Archibald Kennedy, 12th Earl of Cassillis. The title Earl of Cassillis (pronounced "Cass-ell ...

. Kays of Scotland produces the only stones used in competition by the

World Curling Federation World Curling, formerly the World Curling Federation (WCF) is the world governing body for curling accreditation, with offices in Perth, Scotland. It was formed out of the International Curling Federation (ICF), when the push for Olympic Winter ...

and is the sole supplier of curling stones to the

Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held in ...

History

Prior to the foundation of Kays of Scotland, there was little regulation to the sport of

curling Curling is a sport in which players slide #Curling stone, stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area that is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take t ...

and stones of any shape or size were used. Through a process of elimination, stones from Ailsa Craig were found to be highly resistant to splintering, making them desirable for this purpose. In 1851, William Kay and sons Andrew and Thomas created Kays of

Mauchline Mauchline (; ) is a town and civil parish in East Ayrshire, Scotland. In the 2001 census Mauchline had a recorded population of 4,105. It is home to the National Burns Memorial. Location The town lies by the Glasgow and South Western Railway ...

, a workshop in Haugh, East Ayrshire, Scotland and later received permission from the family who owned the island of Ailsa Craig to harvest granite for the manufacture of curling stones. The company eventually found itself under the stewardship of Thomas Kay's wife's brother-in-law, James Wyllie, and has remained a business wholly owned by the Wyllie family. Descendant James "Jimmy" Wyllie currently owns the company. Kays_of_Scotland_curling_stone_works

In 1911, Kays of Scotland moved their operation north from their original water-powered mill at the bank of the

River Ayr The River Ayr (pronounced like ''air'', ''Uisge Àir'' in Gaelic) is a river in Ayrshire, Scotland. At it is the longest river in the county. The river was held as sacred by pre-Christian cultures. The remains of several prehistoric sacrificial ...

. A shipment of 278 Kays Excelsior Ailsa curling stones destined for three curling clubs in Canada was among the cargo of the SS Athenia passenger liner when a

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...

from a German submarine sank her in the

Western Approaches The Western Approaches is an approximately rectangular area of the Atlantic Ocean lying immediately to the west of Ireland and parts of Great Britain. Its north and south boundaries are defined by the corresponding extremities of Britain. The c ...

on 3 September 1939. This was the first British ship to be sunk by Germany during World War II. Kays of Scotland have supplied curling stones to every

since Chamonix in 1924, with the exception of the 2002 event in Salt Lake City.

Manufacture of curling stones

For the main body of each curling stone Kays uses Ailsa Craig Common Green granite. Kays inserts Ailsa Craig Blue Hone granite "Ailserts" as the running surface of the stone. Due to its status as a wildlife reserve by the

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a Charitable_organization#United_Kingdom, charitable organisation registered in Charity Commission for England and Wales, England and Wales and in Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, ...

, blasting and quarrying at Ailsa Craig is restricted. In 2002, Kays of Scotland was permitted to collect 1,500 tons of granite already displaced on the island. Its next collection of granite from the island was in 2013, harvesting 2,000 tons, expected to yield 10,000 curling stones. The Kays workshop employs six craftsmen and produces five stones a day.

References

External links

* {{coord, 55.514312, -4.381062, display=title History of East Ayrshire Organisations based in East Ayrshire Curling 1851 establishments in Scotland Manufacturing companies established in 1851 Mauchline