Ardrossan
| Ardrossan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Population | 10,952 [1] (2001 census) est. 10,520[2] (2006), |
| OS grid reference | NS232424 |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ARDROSSAN |
| Postcode district | KA22 |
| Dialling code | 01294 |
| Police | Scotland |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Ardrossan (Gaelic: Aird Rosain) is a town on the North Ayrshire coast in south-western Scotland. The name "Ardrossan" describes its physical position — 'ard' from the Gaelic aird meaning height, 'ros' a promontory and the diminutive suffix 'an' - height of the little promontory. Ardrossan is becoming an affluent commuter town with a population of roughly 11,000 and is in a three-towns corroboration act with the nearby towns of Saltcoats and Stevenston.
History
Ardrossan's roots can be traced back to the construction of its castle 'Cannon Hill', thought to be in around 1140, by Simon de Morville. The castle and estate passed onto the Barclay family (also known as Craig) and it passed through successive heirs until the 14th century. Then it passed onto the Eglinton family on the death of Godfrey Barclay de Ardrossan, who died without leaving an heir. Sir Fergus Barclay, Baron of Ardrossan was said to be in league with the Devil and in one of his dealings he set the task of the Devil to make ropes from sand; upon failing to do Satan kicked the castle with his hoof in frustration and left a petrosomatoglyph hoofprint.[3]
In 1292, under the reign of John Balliol, the castle fell to the invading English army, who held it until 1296, when it was scene of the infamous event known as Wallace's Larder. William Wallace lured the English garrison out of the castle by setting a decoy fire in the village. He promptly slaughtered them, throwing their remains into the castle dungeon.
The castle stood until 1648, when Oliver Cromwell's troops had it destroyed, taking much of the stonework to Ayr to built the fort there. The ruins still stand, but are overgrown and in a dangerous condition.
Ardrossan developed quickly during the 18th and 19th centuries thanks to its position on the coast. Exports of coal and pig iron to Europe and North America were the main trade from the town's port, which became a centre for shipbuilding. Fishing vessels and small cargo boats were the mainstay of the shipyard until the 1950s, when the yard all but ceased to exist as a result of foreign competition. A smaller yard, McCrindle's, operated until the 1980s before it ceased trading.
Passenger services from Ardrossan harbour to Brodick on the Isle of Arran started in 1834, and services to Belfast in Ireland (later Northern Ireland) and the Isle of Man followed in 1884 and 1892 respectively. Clyde sailings were operated initially by the Glasgow and South Western Railway Company from Winton Pier and the Caledonian Railway from Montgomerie Pier. The Earl of Eglinton's ambitious plan for a canal link to Glasgow was never realised.
Between 1841 and 1848 Ardrossan was a part of the "West Coast Main Line" equivalent of its time. The fastest route from London to Glasgow was by train to Fleetwood, and thence by packet boat to Ardrossan. After 1848 the entire journey could be made by rail, avoiding Ardrossan.[4][5][6] The link to the Isle of Man no longer operates, having first been moved to Stranraer, then all Scottish services terminated altogether. Shell-Mex developed an oil refinery in Ardrossan from a World War II aviation-fuel canning factory, and the harbour was expanded for the company's tanker ships to berth. Local residents blocked plans in the 1960s for further expansion of the refinery, limiting the operations that could be carried out there. Operations at Shell-Mex ceased in 1986.
The harbour has been substantially redeveloped as a marina, and the passenger and vehicle ferry to Brodick is still operated by Caledonian MacBrayne.
Ardrossan was one of the last towns in Scotland to be made a Burgh, in 1846, with a Provost, magistrates and commissioners. Its Burgh status was lost in 1974 on the formation of Strathclyde Regional Council, whereupon it came under Cunninghame District. It is now part of North Ayrshire, created as a unitary authority in 1996.
Since 2006 Ardrossan has been part of a regeneration area, overseen by the Irvine Bay Regeneration Company. Their vision for Ardrossan is as a gateway to Arran and a good place to live and relax next to the sea in a regenerated town centre serving the existing and incoming community. This has started to be achieved through renewal of the town centre, which includes A derelict office in Princes Street which has been turned into two modern shops. The former Jack Miller's Hotel building at 78 Princes Street has been redeveloped and the refurbished building was completed in autumn 2010 and has been let out and is now open as an art gallery and artists studio space called Phoenix [1] The Studio displays Scottish Art as well as holding art classes and demonstrations. The old pumphouse has also been transformed into a popular contemporary Italian restaurant cecchinis [2]. The future development of the harbourside in a co-ordinated and overall plan. The Ardrossan North Shore project is now taking shape, which includes the redevelopment of the oil refinery site and the extension of the marina.
Transport
Railway
There are three railway stations in Ardrossan: Ardrossan South Beach, close to the boundary with Saltcoats; Ardrossan Town, in the centre of town, closed 1968 and reopened 1987; and Ardrossan Harbour, which is near the port for the Arran ferry. East-bound trains to Glasgow Central run every half-hour and a westbound service to Largs runs every hour. Rail services are operated by First ScotRail.
Roads and Bus Services
Ardrossan is linked to Glasgow via the A737 road and to Ayr via the A78 road. The A78 Three Towns Bypass was opened in December 2004 and has provided a much-needed improvement to local transport links, reducing local travelling times significantly. The bypass has also helped to divert a significant amount of heavier traffic from the Three Towns. Bus services are available to the town and are operated primarily by Stagecoach West Scotland.
Ferry services
A regular ferry service from Ardrossan to Brodick on the Isle of Arran has run since 1834. Today, a ferry to Brodick departs every two hours and 45 minutes Monday–Saturday with each journey lasting 55 minutes.
Education
Ardrossan is served by 3 Primary schools and 1 Secondary school.
Secondary schools
- Ardrossan Academy - A non-denominational school opened in 1882 which has a school roll of approx. 1050 people, coming from Ardrossan, Saltcoats, West Kilbride and Seamill.
Primary schools
- St Peter's Primary School
- Stanley Primary School
- Winton Primary School
Environment
While being an exemplar of post-industrial Scotland's socio-economic malaise, Ardrossan is located on the edge of an area of exceptional natural beauty. The towering peaks of the Isle of Arran are starkly visible on a cold sunny day. Beyond, one can see the Paps of Jura and the Mull of Kintyre.
Offshore from Ardrossan is the small Horse Isle, an RSPB reserve and home to nationally important populations of herring gulls and lesser black backed gulls. The Holm Plantation area dividing Ardrossan and Saltcoats is a popular area for alternative walks to the seaside. The current regeneration[7] of the area has led to the plantation receiving many new amenities such as lighting and landscaped flower areas.
Energy
Ardrossan is located near two nuclear power stations, Hunterston A nuclear power station (currently being decommissioned) and Hunterston B nuclear power station. A 24 Mega-Watt (MW) windfarm which opened in 2004 overlooks the town.
Religion
In Ardrossan, there are two churches. St.Peter-in-chains is a Roman Catholic church and Barony St.Johns, which is Church of Scotland.
Politics and Government
Ardrossan is in the Ayrshire North & Arran constituency in the House of Commons and Cunninghame North constituency in the Scottish Parliament. The Westminster seat is held by the Labour Party, and the Holyrood seat was gained by the Scottish National Party from Labour in the May 2007 election by a mere 48 votes.
Historically, Ardrossan has been part of the UK parliament constituencies North Ayrshire (1868–1918), Bute and Northern Ayrshire (1918–1983) and Cunninghame North (1983–2005). These constituencies traditionally returned Conservative or Unionist MP's until 1987, when the constituency was won by the Labour Party.
Ardrossan has a Unionist Club on Princess Street, which was established in 1901 and a Labour Social Club is present in the neighbouring town of Saltcoats.
In North Ayrshire council, Ardrossan is represented by 2 Independent councillors, 1 Labour councillor and 1 SNP councillor. The results were:
| Party | Candidate | FPv% | % | Seat | Count | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Margie Currie | 1,439 | 2 | 4 | ||
| SNP | Tony Gurney | 1,414 | 1 | 4 | ||
| Labour | Peter McNamara | 1,007 | 3 | 7 | ||
| Independent | John Hunter | 952 | 4 | 9 | ||
| Conservative | Gordon Allison | 857 | ||||
| Labour | Margaret Munn | 829 | ||||
| SNP | William McLaren | 573 | ||||
| Independent | Kenneth MacDougall | 228 | ||||
| Scottish Socialist | Nigel Hunter | 144 | ||||
The town has two diplomatic missions, a Danish and a Norwegian consulate.[8]
Culture
Ardrossan has some notable buildings, for example Barony St John's Church and St Peter-in-Chains Roman Catholic Church. St Peter's is of modern construction in an all-brick, Swedish style. Its architects were the notable Gillespie, Kidd & Coia. Barony St John's dates from the mid-nineteenth century. Both buildings are on the South Crescent, overlooking South Beach and Irvine Bay. The crescent is lined by large villas dating from the 19th century, many of which have been converted into multiple residences.
Castlehill
Also known as 'Cannon Hill' by locals, it is a great place to visit, including a swing park. An historic ancient burial place on Castle Hill was vandalized in the 1950s. One tomb was taken to the Barony Church on South Crescent for safekeeping.
A prehistoric shell-mound, measuring 102 ft by 16 ft, on the side of Cannon Hill, close to Ardrossan Town railway station, was excavated by the Ayrshire historian John Smith in the 1890s. Its length was mostly overhung by a few feet, by the rock face, which had formed a rock-shelter, which the excavation showed had been occupied at intervals over a considerable period of time. The railway workings had cut a longitudinal section in the mound, which overlay a 1 ft layer of raised beach sand.[9]
The mound was composed of seashells, mainly periwinkle and limpet, and animal bones. Relics found included a stone 'anchor' with a groove cut round it for a rope, a possible stone sinker, fragments of very coarse, hammer stone, hand-made pottery, also pieces of wheel-turned, glazed pottery, a bone chisel, two bone needles, etc. No sign of the mound is visible today.[10]
Notable citizens and alumni
Arguably the town's most notable son was physicist John Kerr.[11] He discovered the quadratic electro-optic effect, a change in the refractive index of a material in response to an electric field, now known as the Kerr effect.
Former pupils of Ardrossan Academy include Flying Officer Kenneth Campbell, recipient of the Victoria Cross,[12] and Campbell Martin, journalist and former Independent Member of the Scottish Parliament for West of Scotland,[13] now editor of the3towns.com, an online local newspaper covering Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston.
Former pupil David T. Denver is Professor of Politics and International Relations at the University of Lancaster.[14] Professor Denver is a frequent media commentator on Scottish political issues and voting patterns and has published several books in the field of statistical analyses of voting patterns.[citation needed]. His daughter, Rachel Bell, has followed in his footsteps and has published several statistical reports within financial services.
Calum Kennedy (1928–2006), popular exponent of Scottish Gaelic song in the 1950s and 60s, ran a hotel in Ardrossan towards the end of his life.[citation needed]
From the core of its now-gone industrial workers, Ardrossan has produced a number of people of individual note.[citation needed] Ardrossan Academy has produced several former pupils that hold US and international patents for their scientific work.
W.B. Young who holds one of the records for longest Scottish rugby career was also from Ardrossan.
Other places with the same name
The name Ardrossan has also been given to places elsewhere in the world:
- Ardrossan, South Australia
- Ardrossan, Alberta
- Ardrossan is the name of a large estate outside Philadelphia, once owned by Robert Leaming Montgomery. His daughter, Helen Hope Montgomery Scott, was the inspiration for Tracy Lord, heroine of The Philadelphia Story.[15]
Amenities
- Eglinton Country Park is linked to Ardrossan by the Sustrans Cyclepath.
See also
References
- ^ "Comparative Population Profile: Ardrossan Locality". Scotland's Census Results Online. 2001-04-29. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
- ^ http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/publications-and-data
- ^ Ardrossan & Neighbourhood. Guide. 1920s. pp 29-30.
- ^ Greville, M.D. and Holt, G.O. (1960) Template:PDFlink, Railway Magazine, vol 106, February 1960 no 706, p.96
- ^ Welch, M.S. (2004) Lancashire Steam Finale, Runpast Publishing, Cheltenham, ISBN 1-870754-61-1, p.28
- ^ Suggitt, G. (2003, revised 2004) Lost Railways of Lancashire, Countryside Books, Newbury, ISBN 1-85306-801-2, p.36
- ^ Irvine Bay Regeneration
- ^ "Consular Representation Outside London" (PDF). Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Retrieved 2008-09-27. [dead link]
- ^ Smith, John (1894). The Ardrossan Shell-mound. Arch Hist Coll Ayr & Gall. V. VII. pp. 62 - 74.
- ^ RCAHMS
- ^ Robert Steele (2004). Kerr, John (1824–1907). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2008-12-13.
- ^ "Citations For RAF Holders Of The Victoria Cross". Vickers VC10. Retrieved 2008-12-13.
- ^ "Campbell Martin". Retrieved 2008-12-13.
- ^ "Professor David Denver". Lancaster University. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
- ^ Diane Mastrull (2007-09-16). "Scott has a plan for storied estate". Philadelphia Inquirer. p. A01.
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Further reading
- McSherry, R&M (1996) Old Ardrossan