Bryden is also responsible for the Coylton War Memorial, a stone cross located near the church at the eastern end of the village.

The author George Douglas Brown, notable for his pioneering 1901 novel "The House with the Green Shutters", was born in nearby Ochiltree and received his early schooling in Coylton.

[6] In its current form the village has various facilities, including a primary school,[7] activity center, tennis courts, a local shop, one of Ayrshire's top restaurants (The Coylton Arms) and a petrol station.

Coylton is one of the smallest civil parishes in Ayrshire in geographical sense, but it boasted a sizeable population during the peak of the coal mining industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The village is said to take its name from "Auld King Coil of Coilsfield" (Coel Hen) but old records have it spelt Quiltoun or Cuilton.

[8] The village at the heart of the parish is almost linear, being spread along the length of the Ayr to Cumnock A70 road - which is used by the heavy trucks sustaining the modern open-cast coal mining industry.

Low Coylton is the oldest part of the village, featuring the Coylton Arms and the few remains of an older life, such as the village cemetery and old kirk, a site of possibly medieval origins which was last repaired in 1776, along with the former manse dating from 1839, itself built on the site of an earlier manse.

The modern village features a number of residential developments seeking to provide homes for people working in Ayr and district.

The thorn which is situated on the land of Millmannoch, near Coylton has romantic memories for many couples in the village, and even now the old meeting place of lovers is still a popular spot for ramblers.

The tree was left for two years in the hope that it would recover, but finally it was removed and Mr JP Wilson, an enthusiastic Burns fan, along with a few helpers, decided to nurture the shoots which began to grow up on the spot where the old thorn had grown.

This was gradually killing the tree and Coylton Burns Club finally decided that if the thorn was to be preserved it would require to be moved farther from the roadway and ring-fenced.

National Service however meant that many young men were called up and limited information exists about the fate of tennis in Coylton which appears to have been suspended again in the 1960s.

The club continues to flourish with five adult teams and a very strong junior section also participating locally with noted success.