Historic Sites
Stumpy Tower
Knockcushan Street, Girvan, KA26 9AG
Stumpy Tower also known as Auld Stumpy sits in a prominent position in Girvan town centre. The tower was built in 1827 to replace the former jail that used to sit on the southwest corner of market square.
The old jail badly needed replacing as its thatched roof made it too easy for prisoners to make their escape. Law and order restored, Stum...
Carrick Castles
Dunure Castle
Dunure, KA7 4LN
Today Dunure Castle sits as a ruin in the North of Carrick, however, it was once the main fortress of the Earls of Cassils, the Kennedy Family. The building which originates back to the 1200’s is steeped in both family and national history. It is even said that Mary Queen of Scots once stayed at the castle.
Though today the family is more clo...
Historic Sites
Turnberry Lighthouse
Turnberry Point, Ayrshire, KA26 9LT
An icon of the area Turneberry lighthouse was built in 1873, standing 24 metres high, it takes 76 steps to reach the top.
The Northern Lighthouse Board commissioned the structure to warn boats about the nearby Bistro Rock which had wreck many ships throughout the years.
However, what makes this lighthouse so special is the site it was buil...
Historic Sites
Mckechnie Institute
40a Dalrymple Street, Girvan, Ayrshire, KA26 9AE
The
McKechnie Institute, which opened in 1889, was designed in the Scottish
Baronial style with some Renaissance detailing by the Glasgow architects
McKissack & Rowan.
The Institute has a collection of memorabilia from
Girvan and the surrounding Carrick area, covering areas such as Ailsa Craig,
local trade, fishing, social activities...
Historic Sites
Souter Johnnie’s Cottage
Main Road, Kirkoswald, South Ayrshire, KA19 8HY
See Scottish literature come to life in this 18th-century thatched cottage in the heart of Kirkoswald, Ayrshire. The former home of cobbler – or souter – John Davidson, the real-life Souter Johnnie immortalised in the Robert Burns poem Tam o’ Shanter, it features a thatched tavern in the garden, complete with life-sized sandstone statues of the ...
Historic SitesCrossraguel Abbey, Maybole, KA19 5HQFounded in the early 13th century by the Earl of Carrick the remains include the church, cloister, chapter house and much of the domestic premises....