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Ayr

For centuries Ayr rivalled Glasgow as a major seaport. When its importance as a trading centre declined, the town’s fine beaches provided a new lease of life as a popular Victorian resort. A whole new community of wide streets, boulevards, imposing public offices such as the County Buildings, and an esplanade sprang up making this part of Ayr stand in marked contrast to the narrow lanes and alleys of the Old Town - “Auld Ayr” as Robert Burns put it, “wham ne-er a toun surpasses for honest men and bonnie lasses”.

The most notable survivor of Ayr’s medieval buildings is the Auld Brig, a sturdy 15th century construction made famous by Burns in his poem Twa Brigs. Elsewhere, the poet described the bridge as “a poor narrow footpath of a street where two wheel-barrows tremble when they meet”. Auld Brig was restored in 1910 and is now only open to pedestrians.

The second oldest building in the town is Loudoun Hall, in the Boat Vennel close to the New Bridge. It was built about 1513 as a fine town house for the Campbells of Loudoun, hereditary sheriffs of Ayr. It was due for demolition just after the war, but was saved when its importance was realised. South of Loudoun Hall, in the Sandgate, is Lady Cathcart’s House, a tenement building which dates from the 17th century. Within it, in 1756, John Loudon McAdam, the roads engineer, is believed to have been born.

Ayr’s most distinctive feature is the tall, elegant steeple of the Town Hall, built between 1827 and 1832 to the designs of Thomas Hamilton. Seen from the north, it blends beautifully with a cluster of fine Georgian buildings beside the river.

The ruins of 13th century St Cuthbert’s Church stand at the heart of Monkton. At one time the Rev. Thomas Burns, Robert Burns’s nephew, was minister here. William Wallace, it is said, once fell asleep in the church, and had a dream in which an old man presented him with a sword and a young woman presented him with a wand. He took it to mean that he must continue his struggle for Scotland’s freedom.

After the Battle of Bannockburn, Bruce held his first parliament in Ayr to decide on the royal succession after he died. That assembly was held in the ancient kirk of St John the Baptist of which only the tower still stands. Known as St John’s Tower, it can be found among Edwardian villas near the shore. Oliver Cromwell dismantled the old church and used the stone to build Ayr Citadel. That too has gone, apart from a few feet of wall near the river and an arch in a side street. To compensate, Cromwell gave the burgh £600 to build a new church, which is now known as the Auld Parish Kirk. situated on the banks of the river. It is now a mellow old T-plan building surrounded by tottering gravestones. Within the lych gate can be seen a couple of mort-safes, heavy iron grilles which were placed over fresh graves to prevent grave robbing in the early 1800s.

Robert Burns and Ayr are inseparable. He was born in Alloway village to the south of the town which has now become a well-heeled suburb, and his influences are everywhere. Ayr was the starting off point for Tam o’ Shanter’s drunken and macabre ride home after spending the evening at an inn, as portrayed in Burns’s poem of the same name. In the High Street is the thatched Tam o’ Shanter Inn, where the inebriated cobbler was supposed to have started his journey. At one time the pub was a small museum, but now it has thankfully reverted to its original purpose, and you can enjoy a drink within its walls which are adorned with quotations from the great poet. A few yards from the pub stands the 115 feet tall William Wallace Tower which commemorates the Scottish patriot who was imprisoned in the town in 1297 for setting fire to a barn with 500 English soldiers inside. About 400 yards to the south of the tower, Burns himself gazes thoughtfully over Burns Statue Square.

The bridges of Ayr take you to Newton upon Ayr on the north bank of the river, which was once a separate burgh with a charter dated to 1446, but now part of the town. Part of its old Tolbooth survives as Newton Tower, caught in an island in the middle of the street.

The Belleisle Estate and Gardens are to the south of the town, with parkland, deer park, aviary and pets corner. Nearby is Rozelle House Galleries and Gardens. There are art exhibitions within the mansion house, plus a tearoom and craft shop.

Ayr Racecourse is Scotland’s leading racecourse, and is the venue for the Scottish Grand National in April and the Scottish Derby in July.