Ayr
Ayr
is situated at the mouth of the river Ayr It is on a fine
bay and its beautiful sands attract thousands of summer visitors.
Ayr proper lies on the south bank of the river, which is crossed
by three bridges, besides the railway viaduct the Victoria
Bridge (erected in 1898) and the famous Twa Brigs of Burns.
The Auld Brig is said to date from the reign of Alexander
III. (d. 1286). The New Brig was built in 1788, mainly owing
to the efforts of Provost Ballantyne. The prophecy which Burns
put into the mouth of the venerable structure came true in
1877, when the newer bridge yielded to floods and had to be
rebuilt (1879); and the older structure itself was closed
for public safety in 904.
The
Gothic Wallace Tower in High Street stands on the site of
an old building of the same name taken down in 1835, from
which were transferred the clock and bells of the Dungeon
steeple. A niche in front is filled by a statue of the Scottish
hero by James Thom (1802 1850), a self-taught sculptor. There
are statues of Burns, the 13th earl of Eglinton, General Smith
Neill and Sir William Wallace.
In
1873 the municipal boundary was extended northwards beyond
the river so as to include Newton-upon-Ayr and Wallace Town,
formerly separate. Newton is a burgh or barony of very ancient
creation, the charter of which is traditionally said to have
been granted by Robert Bruce in favor of forty-eight of the
inhabitants who had distinguished themselves at Bannockburn.
About
3 miles north of Ayr is Prestwick, a most popular watering-place
and the headquarters of one of the most flourishing golf clubs
in Scotland.
Nothing
is known of the history of Ayr till the close of the 12th
century, when it was made a royal residence, and soon afterwards
a royal burgh, by William the Lion. During the wars of Scottish
independence the possession of Ayr and its castle was an object
of importance to both the contending parties, and the town
was the scene of many of Wallaces exploits. In 1315 the Scottish
parliament met in the church of St John to confirm the succession
of Edward Bruce to the throne. Early in the 16th century it
was a place of considerable influence and trade. The liberality
of William the Lion had bestowed upon the corporation an extensive
grant of lands; while in. addition to the well-endowed church
of St John, it had two monasteries, each possessed of a fair
revenue. When Scotland was overrun. by Cromwell, Ayr was selected
as the site of one of the forts which he built to command
the country. This fortification, termed the citadel, enclosed
an area of ten or twelve acres, and included within its limits
the church of St John, which was converted into a storehouse,
the Protector partly indemnifying the inhabitants by contributing
towards the erection of a new place of worship, now known
as the Old Church. A portion of the tower of St Johns church
remains, but has been completely modernized.
