Kilwinning by Google Street View

Take a virtual walk around the peaceful Ayrshire town of Kilwinning, also the birthplace of Freemasonry.

"TRACTORS OF DEATH" AT LOCHWOOD FARM

The countryside can be a dangerous place. These tractors were working for Lockwood Farm (near Stevenson), where, going by the size and speed of these vehicles, road safety seems to be very low down the list of priorities.

Daniel Defoe on Irvine in the 1720s

Daniel Defoe (1660-1731) is now mainly famous as the author of the adventure novel "Robinson Crusoe" (1719), but he was a prolific writer of his times, who would turn his pen to any topic. 

Between 1724 and 1727 he published his "Tour Thro' the Whole Island of Great Britain," which included early descriptions of Ayr and Irvine, which Defoe has seen with his own eyes. While Ayr was described as a somewhat decayed town, his description of industrious Irvine was much more positive.  

Some 80 years later, in 1801, Irvine had a population of 4,584 to Ayr's 5,492. [p. 258, Anecdotes and Facts of Scotland and Scotsmen (1825), James Mitchell]

"From Air, keeping still north, we came to Irwin, upon a river of the same name; there is a port, but barr'd and difficult, and not very good, when you are in; and yet, here is more trade by a great deal than at Air; nay, than at all the ports between it and Dumfries, exclusive of the last; particularly here is a considerable trade for Scots coal, of which they have plenty in the neighbouring hills, and which they carry by sea to Ireland, to Belfast, to Carickfergus, and to Dublin itself, and the commerce occasioned by this navigation between the two countries is very considerable, and much to the advantage of the town of Irwin. 

They have also of late, as I was told, launch'd into a considerable trade abroad to other countries, and have some share in the fishery: but this I cannot come into the particulars of here. The town is the capital of that division of the shire of Ayre, which they call Cunningham, and is really within the Firth of Clyde, though not actually within the river itself; they stand so advantagiously for the herring fishing, that they cannot but go beyond their neighbours of Greenock, who sometimes cannot come out as the wind may blow, when the fishing-boats of Irwin can both go out and return.

As the town is better employ'd in trade than the other parts I have been speaking of, so it is better built: Here are two handsome streets, a good key, and not only room in the harbour for a great many ships, but a great many ships in it also; and, in a word, a face of thriving appears every where among them.

As is the town, so is the country in which it is situated; for when we came hither, we thought ourselves in England again. Here we saw no more a Galloway, where you have neither hedge or tree, but about the gentlemen's houses; whereas here you have beautiful enclosures, pleasant pastures, and grass grounds, and consequently store of cattle well fed and provided. The whole country is rich and fruitful, fill'd with gentlemen's seats and well-built houses: It is said this enclosing the country was owing to the English soldiers, who were placed here and in Kyle by Oliver Cromwell..." 

The Marine Hotel in Troon Reopens Under New Management

One of Ayrshire's most iconic hotels, the Marine in Troon, is set to reopen from July after being taken over by a firm of Chicago-based investors who claim to have carried out a 'senstitive' restoration.

The hotel overlooks the famous Troon golf course, often used to host the British Open.

Last year in October, The Scotsman reported:

Chicago-based Adventurous Journeys (AJ) Capital Partners have purchased the landmark Ayrshire venue for an undisclosed amount amnd have pledged the 89-room hotel will open in summer 2021 with ‘revitalised guest rooms, two unique food and beverage concepts, expansive meeting and event space and an updated fitness and leisure centre.’

The interior design will, according to the new owners, ‘take inspiration from Scotland's rich golf history and coastal positioning’.

The firm already has two hotels in popular golf centres, Rusacks St Andrews in St Andrews, Scotland and the Marine North Berwick.

Ben Weprin, AJ Capital Partners Founder and CEO said: “We’re thrilled to share the news of the Marine & Lawn Collection, a hand-crafted hospitality experience for travellers embarking upon once-in-a-lifetime visits to the storied Scottish golf coast.

"Our background is rooted in restoring iconic community landmarks and creating distinctive spaces for both locals and travellers alike. We are excited to provide memorable destinations that will leave visitors with memories to be cherished for years to come.”

The renovation and relaunch was timed to coincide with this Summer and now appears to be complete. According to the hotel's website bookings are available from July, with a basic twin room starting at £119 per night.

It is not known how much AJ Capital Partners paid for the hotel, but the premises have changed hands frequently in recent years, and were valued at £7 million in 2014.

Ben Weprin, the new boss of the Marine

WHO OWNS AYRSHIRE'S STATELY HOMES (5) LANFINE HOUSE

Lanfine House is a large Georgian Neoclassical property located on the South side of the upper River Irvine valley about 2 miles from Darvel and a roughly equal distance from Newmilns. It was built in 1772 for John Brown (1729-1802) a successful textile manufacturer and banker, who purchased the land when the Cessnock Estate was sold by the Hume family in 1769.

The building work was carried out by James Armour of Mauchline, who was to become the father-in-law of Robert Burns.

On the death of John Brown in 1802, his son Nicol Brown took over as Laird of Lanfine. When he died in 1829, the estate was inherited by his cousin Thomas Brown, a Professor of Botany at Glasgow University, who planted many exotic trees and shrubs.

The Lanfine estate grew from the original 400 acres acquired by John Brown in 1769, to over 10,000 acres today.

According to the site Who Owns Scotland, the estate is now owned by Dr. Eberhard Sasse, a Munich-based German businessman through his cleaning services and communication company Sasse Co. It was apparently purchased on 15th October 2002 for a prize of £1.3 million. 

Owners of Lanfine House

WHO OWNS AYRSHIRE'S STATELY HOMES? (4) CESSNOCK CASTLE

 

Cessnock Castle, which lies about one mile south-east of Galston, is a pretty typical Scottish castle home. It goes back to the middle ages and has been added to and altered ever since. The structure is made up of a massive 15th-century rectangular tower of three storeys and an attic, adjacent to a 16th-century mansion, all modernised.

It was formerly associated with the Campbells from the 15th to the 18th centuries. George Campbell of Cessnock is on record in 1479. Mary, Queen of Scots, came to Cessnock after her defeat at Langside, when one of her ladies died here, and is said to haunt the castle. The reformers George Wishart and John Knox also visited.

The property then passed through the families of Dick in the 1720s, the Wallaces of Cairnhall, and the Scotts of Balcomie in 1786, then by marriage to the Dukes of Portland in 1795, then to the De Fresnes in 1946, who held it until 1995. The building was restored in 1890 and again in recent years. In 1995 the castle with 20 acres of grounds was on sale for £95,000, according to The Independent.

It appears to have been bought by the Cogley family, which at least includes Sally Cogley, a councillor on East Ayrshire Council and the leader of the Rubbish Party, a local anti-litter and dog-poo prevention group.

Follow her on Twitter.

Sally Cogley campaigning for election to East Ayrshire Council.

Painting: Ballochmyle Viaduct Over the River Ayr

"Ballochmyle Viaduct over the River Ayr" was painted in 1851 by the artist David Octavius Hill (1802–1870) to commemorate the opening of the viaduct for the Glasgow and South Western Railway. The viaduct was was completed on 2 March 1848 but the line was not completed until 9 August 1850. 

The viaduct is located  between Catrine and Mauchline in South Ayrshire on the Glasgow to Carlisle line, and was notable when it was built for having the largest masonry arch in the world, with a span of 55 meters and a height of 52 meters. 

The painting now belongs to Glasgow Museums, having been donated by British Railways in 1967. The viaduct is a Category A listed structure and had been designated a "Historic Civil Engineering Landmark" by the Institution of Civil Engineers in 2014. It is still in use today.