The 'cut' through the natural dam ridge that once held back the loch waters below Hillhead and Wheatrig lay near the old dwelling of Lochend.

[3] The nearby placenames of Lochend, Cranshaw (Wood of the Cranes or Herons), Langmuir and Lochridge are self-evident as indicators of the nature of the area and the one time existence of the loch.

Cranes or herons are still a common sight and in the past they may have nested in the wood on the nearby lands of Hillhead, hence the name.

The loch's drainage may have begun in the early 18th century when Alexander Montgomerie, 10th Earl of Eglinton, was pursuing a number of agricultural improvements on his extensive estates.

Many drainage schemes also date to the end of World War I when many soldiers returned en masse to civilian life.

[citation needed] The site is now represented by a low, marshy area centred at NS 358 543 on the OS map.

[3] On 27 January 2009, a BP tanker train carrying liquid fuels (diesel and heating oil) from Mossend to Riccarton was derailed near the bridge over the Stewarton to Kilmaurs road at Peacockbank Farm.