A primarily industrial location and former estate in North Ayrshire, Shewalton (pronounced 'sh-ool-ton') lies 1¼ miles (2 km) northwest of Dundonald and a similar distance southeast of Irvine. The most prominent industrial concerns today are the Caledonian Paper Mill and a large pharmaceuticals plant operated by GlaxoSmithKline. There are also two further industrial estates and a sewage works, all separated by green spaces, woodland and nature reserves.
Shewalton was the property the Fullartons and then, by 1545, the Wallaces before being bought by the Boyles in 1715, who were cousins of the Earl of Glasgow. Colonel John Boyle (1765 - 1837) built a substantial mansion on the south bank of the River Irvine in 1806 but this was demolished in 1958. Associated farm buildings are all gone. Coal was mined here, with Shewalton Colliery combining deep and surface mining and operating between 1924 and 1955. Sand and gravel was also extracted. These areas now form the Shewalton Sandpits Wildlife Reserve and the Oldhall Ponds Nature Reserve. Shewalton Moor extends to the south, with Shewalton Moss beyond. The latter was exploited for peat in the early 20th C. and now forms the Shewalton Wood Nature Reserve.
The Ayrshire Coastal Path passes through Shewalton.
