Scotland > 1882-1915 - Slater's Royal National Commercial Directory of Scotland > 1886 - Slater's (late Pigot and Co's) Royal national commercial directory and topography of Scotland

AYRSHIRE
SLATER'S
AYR,
NEWTON AND WALLACETOWN, PRESTWICK AND MONKTON, AND THE PARISHES OF AYR, NEWTON, MONKTON,
AND ST. QUIVOX, AND SURROUNDING NEIGHBOURHOODS.
is a royal bnrgh, and the capital of the county and parish of [ the coast, as the harbour has been much improved by carrying an
at name 77 milesw.s.w. of Edinburgh, 33 s.s.w. of Glasgow, extensive stone pier into the sea, affording a greater depth of water
- — ■ '' -* it-si— -— — »i»- nn^i n c nf TrcJnA? for vessels entering, and security when in the harbour. Anew
dock has been built, eight acres in extent, with a quayage of 2,000ft.,
On
AYR
il that -»
84 s.s.w. of Paisley, 12 s.s.w. of Kilmarnock, and 11 s. of Irvine
situated in the north-west angle of the parish, where the river Ayr
flows past it into the Frith of Clyde. This portion of Scotland has
been inhabited from the earliest period of authentic history; for
•when, in the reign of Severus, the Roman fleet made the complete
seaboard survey of Magna Britannica, this part of the coast was
crowded with a population that evinced no amicable disposition
towards the foreign intruder; subsequently, however, the perse-
vering and insidious encroacher penetrated through southevn Cale-
donia, and the Celtic harp was hushed by the fanning wings of the
Roman eagle. Accordingly we find that the site of modem Ayr
retained in the 11th century the undoubted traces of a Roman
station, and tradition informs us that a hamlet, the vestige of this
station, was in existence until the latter part of the 12th century,
when William, surnamed the Lion, erased the odious blot, and laid
the foundation of a new town in the ashes of the former conqueror.
Here it was that the renowned William Wallace first openly em-
bodied that hardy host which made the Southern " backward reel,"
and the powerful garrison of Edward I. was compelled to cower
under his " thunder arm." There is still a remnant of the venerable
church of St. John, converted by Cromwell into a fort. Attached
to the old tower of St. John is a handsome residence in the old
baronial style, so that this old remnant of a bygone age is likely to
survive for many generations to come. At a short distance on the
southern shore is Greenan Castle, one of those uncouthly con-
structed square castles so frequently arresting the attention of the
stranger in this district; it stands on the summit of a rock over-
hanging the sea, and, from a distance, has an imposing aspect. In
the same direction, on a clear day, may be descerned the celebrated
Ailsa Craig, rising 950 feet perpendicularly out of the sea. The bay
of Ayr is very much admired, and its graceful curve bears a striking
resemblance to the beautiful bay of Naples. The river is crossed by
two bridges— one, the old bridge, or "Auld Brig o' Ayr," is one of
the few remaining relics of the ancient burgh, and a fine specimen
of the architecture of the 12th century, being still in a very perfect
state of preservation. The other is the new bridge, the original of
which was erected in the days of Burns. In fulfillment of the pro-
phecy of the poet, this bridge a few years ago became a " shapeless
cairn," and was replaced by a very handsome new erection of con-
siderably greater width, and of apparently substantial workman-
ship ; though there are not wanting prophets who say that the
" auld brie " will live to see even it crumble. Immediately opposite,
across the Frith of Clyde, is the Island of Arran, whose majestic
mountains present some features of the sublime, and whose summits
are visible to the naked eye, in fine weather, from the headlands of
Lame, in the county of Antrim, in Ireland. The most conspicuous
decoration of the town is the lofty spire, that rises to a height of
two hundred and nineteen feet above the Town's buildings, which
were erected in 1828, at a cost of £10,000; these buildings have
since been largely added to by the erection of a spacious hall suit-
able for public entertainments, and capable of containing comfort-
ably 1,400 or, at a stretch, 2,000 people. A very fine organ has been
Eut into the hall, at a cost of about £2,000. In addition the
uildiugs now afford accommodation for the Town Clerk, Town
Chamberlain, Corporation Waterworks and other publie offices
of the burgh. In these buildings are now kept the
burgh records, and the burgh courts arc held here. The
noble tower, called " Wallace Tower," in High street, is another
ornamental structure ; it is embellished with a statue, by Thom, of
the hero whose name it bears. A second statue of this warrior occu-
pies a niche in the wallof a house in the corner of Newmarket street.
Wellington square is a fine quadrangle, having a noble erection to
form the west side in the court-house and hall, built at the joint
expense of the county and burgh, at a cost exceeding £30,000.
The east front of this edifice, which is wholly of stone, is orna-
mented with an imposing portico. A verdant lawn forms the
centre of the square, enclosed with iron railing, and the surround-
ing houses are chaste, though plain, in architecture. Two fine
statues in bronze have been placed within the square — one to the
memory of the late Right Hon. Archibald William Earl of Eglinton
and Winton, who was Lord Lieutenant of the county, also for some
years Viceroy of Ireland, and who died in 1861; the other is to the
memory of the late Brigadier General J. G. Neill, c.b., and aide-de-
camp to the Queen, who was killed at Lucknow on the 25th of
September, 1857, and who was born in one of the houses in Wel-
lington square. A large gun, captured at Seljastapol, is placed on
an iron carriage in the enclosure round tha ; County buildings, at
the upper end of the square. In the County buildings aro the
public offices, in which are kept the records of "the county, and here
are held the courts for the county. Her Majesty's gaol is a com-
modious structure, at the back of the County buildings, its front
looking upon the bay; it is arranged upon the most modern ap-
proved system of discipline. Considerable additions to the town,
especially to the westward, have been built within the last few
years. Many neat villas give accommodation to the natives of
Glasgow and other inland localities, who repair to this fine watering
place during the summer months. Amongst receut improvements
made hi tho town, not the least is a broad substantial esplanade
that has been formed along the shore, affording a line carriage way
as well as a promenade for foot passengers.
An extensive trade is carried on in the export of coal from this
place to Ireland. Mines of this article,as well as tins quarries of stune,
abound in the neighbourhood. Tho other principle exports consist
of iron, ooal-tar, lampblack, and water of Ayr stone. Its imports
at a cost of £150,000 ; it has a depth of water at low tide of 15ft.
the south beach, immediately adjacent to the esplanade, is a large
ship-building yard, which was opened in 1883, and where iron
vessels, ranging up to 2,0(10 tons, have since then been constructed.
The parliamentary 'and municipal burgh of Ayr embraces the
greater part of Newton and Wallacetown. These parishes in con-
junction with Ayr proper form the burgh of Ayr; and;-the civil
government is vested in a provost, four bailies, a dean of guild, a
treasurer, and eleven councillors. Ayr has hitherto been connected
with the burgh of Irvine, in this county, and (Campbeltown, Inverary
and Oban, iu Argyleshire, in returning a member to Parliament,
but under the new Redistribution Act this arrangement can hardly
fail to terminate. The present representative is R. F. F. Campbell,
Esq. of Craigio. The Lord Lieutenant of the county is the Right
Hon. the Earl of Stair; vice Lieutenant, R.F. F. Campbell, Esq., and
John Cowrie Thomson, Esq. is the sheriff. There are two members
for the county, the gentlemen at present Jsitting being W. R. Coch-
rane Patrick, Esq. of Ladyland, for North Ayrshire,and Major-General
C. Alexander, of Balloehnioyle, for South Ayrshire.
An Academy founded by subscription in 1798, stands'foremost
amongst the public establishments. It' ( is conducted by a rector
and four masters, with able assistants. The management of the
academy was formerly vested in certain directors appointed by the
Crown, by which the seminary was created a body corporate. The
original building has been taken down, having become too limited for
the number of pupils, and has been replaced by a very elegant build-
ing of larger proportions, erected at a cost of about £10,000. The
management has now been transferred to the burgh School Board,
the school now ranking as one of the high class schools under the
Education Act. The education given is of a high order, and judged
by results at the universities there are few schools in Scotland of tho
same class equal to it. Ayr library, which contains several thousand
volumes, affords recreation to its numerous subscribers; it is now
combined with the public library and reading room in Macoeille
buildings, Newmarket street, to which strangers are admittad on
payment of one penny each visit. There are also other libraries of
lesser note. Four newspapers are published in Ayr, namely, the
Ayr Observer, ob Tuesday and Friday ; the Ayrshire Post, on Friday ;
the Advertiser, on Thursday, and the Argus and Express, on Wednes-
day. Races are held here annually in the autumn ; an excellent
pack of foxhounds hunts the county, and in the town are spirited
curling and bowling clubs.
There are two churches of the Establishment in the town, and
one in course of erection, two in the parish of Newton, and one in
Wallacetown. The otherplaces of worship in Ayr and its vicinity
are for the Free Church, the United Presbyterians; the Episco-
palians, Methodists, Moravians, Original Seceders, Evangelical
Unionists, and Roman Catholics. The charitable institutions are
numerous and liberally conducted; tho poor are assisted from
funds arising from lands and donations, and a dispensary gives
medicine and surgical aid to the sick. A large and handsome new
hospital has been erected, also a large industrial school, an institu-
tion which has been most successfully conducted here and has done
much good. Besides these, there are a Sailors' Society, instituted
in 1581 ; a Merchants' Society, established in 1655 ; a fund formed
in 1H21 for decayed members, their widows and orphans; the Ayr
Sabbath School Union Society, and the Ayr Universal Society.
The Scottish bard, Robert Burns, whose 100th anniversary was so
universally celebrated throughout the civilized world on the 25th
of January, 1859, was born about two miles south of Ayr, in a small
cottage, which formerly belonged to the Incorporation of Shoe-
makers of Ayr, and was long let by them for a public house, but is
now the property of the trustees of the Burns' Monument, who
\ have placed a person there to take charge of the building, a small
fee being taken from visitors for admission. A collection of relics
of the poet has been formed, and the grounds are neatly laid out,
making the whole much more worthy of the poet. About a quarter
of a mile from the house a very elegant monument has been
erected to his memory ; it is placed on the banks of the river Doon,
amidst objects and scenery which had often inspired his muse ;
and the locality in which the scene was laid of his much-admired
poem " Tarn o' Shauter" lies in the immediate neighbourhood of
the cottage. In the summer season this place is visited by
strangers from nearly all parts, anxious to view the monument,
Alloway's Auld Haunted Kirk, and the Brig o' Doon. An elegant
and commodious parish church has been erected close to the monu-
ment, of which the Rev. Samuel M. Dill is pastor. The Chevalier
Ramsay, author of " Cyrus' Travels," &c. was a native of the town.
The parish of Ayr comprises 6,939 acres.
The aro two weekly markets in the town — Tuesday for grain,
cattle, and dairy produce, and Friday, for the sale of dairy produce,
poultry, and general business. Fairs are held on the Thursday and
Friday before the second Wednesday in January; the third Tuesday
in April for hiring; the last Friday in April; the Thursday and
Friday before the second Monday in July; third Tuesday in October
for hiring; and on the second Thursday and Friday iu October.
Population of the parliamentary burgh in 1871, 17,851; in 1881
20,812.
Newton parish is divided from that of Ayr by the river, which is
spanned by tho two bridges already referred to. On the Newton or
north side of the river Ayr, are the principal manufactures of the
town. There are several chemical works, a largo engineering works.
enmpriae hides, tallow, barley, yarn, linen, spars, deals and hemp. 1 a carpet manufactory, lace works, two shoe faotories, and"several
The convenience for shipping is superior to most of the towns on | other manufacturing establishments. The railway communicates
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