Community Curators Project

An old picture of Maybole High Street with horse and cart and people crossing the road.

1833 time capsule from Ayr

In March 1898, Turner’s Ayr and Newton Brewery was established to acquire the Watson and Brown Ayr Brewery located on Mill Vennel (later known as Mill Street), previously owned by the Dominicans. During its construction in 1833, a time capsule was placed within the masonry of the building by James Watson and Robert Brown. In […]

The Citadel of Ayr and the 1660 Restoration

Events at Ayr played a part in the power struggle which followed the death of Oliver Cromwell on 3rd September 1658, and which led to the restoration of the monarchy (which had been abolished in 1649 following the execution of King Charles I). John Lambert, the dominant figure in the army’s council of generals, was […]

The Royal Visits to South Ayrshire 1956 and 1995

On 3rd July 1956, Queen Elizabeth arrived by train at the Burgh of Troon to begin a one-day tour of Ayrshire. She was joined by the Duke of Edinburgh, who had come ashore at Troon Harbour from the Royal Yacht Britannia, and a civic welcome was extended by Provost Henry McCall and other dignitaries. After […]

The Colourists of South Ayrshire

A rare opportunity to see an outstanding collection of Scottish Colourists is taking place at The Maclaurin Gallery at Rozelle, Ayr, from 18th August – 30th September 2018. The exhibition ‘Rhythm of Light: Scottish Colourists from the Fleming Collection’ normally tours museums and galleries south of the Border, and draws record crowds. However, as part […]

Robert Burns and smugglers at an ancient standing stone: an all-in-one image for the themes of this year’s South Ayrshire History Fair talks

This image encapsulates the themes of all of the talks at the 2016 South Ayrshire History & Family History Fair at the Walker Halls, Troon on Saturday 4th June. In one of his illustrations for the 1840 publication ‘The Land of Burns’, the artist and pioneer photographer David Octavius Hill imagined the farmer and smuggler […]

Speakers announced for History Fair 2013

Arrangements for our 2013 South Ayrshire History & Family History Fair on Saturday 1st June are well underway with three of the four speakers already booked. They are: Professor Dauvit Brown of the University of Glasgow, whose talk will feature new information about William Wallace, and a previously unknown letter of Robert the Bruce which […]