Have you heard the story of the sinking of the paddle steamship ‘Chusan’ at Ardrossan? It occurred on the 21st of October, 1874 and saw both the captain and 16 crewmen die. Sailing from Ireland, the ship was caught in a horrid storm and was dashed on the Crinan Rock just 50 yards from the pier head, splitting in two. …
Conserving the Caledonia!
Do you remember when we posted about our lovely model ship of the frigate Caledonia going for preservation? Built in 1804 by William Dunlop: “as thanksgiving for his survival during the Napoleonic Wars, was displayed in the Ardrossan Parish Church in Saltcoats until 1908, when it was moved to St Cuthberts Church. Where it was displayed until very recently, when …
Saltcoats Model Yachting Pond Has Been Added to the Stories Section
Did you know that in June, 1934 the Saltcoats Model Yachting pond was officially opened? Drawing a crowd of 5,000 spectators, the new pond was the largest in Scotland and had walls 7ft high at the tallest point. Construction was completed by Hugh Leggat Ltd and cost £2,208 6s. Learn all about this part of Saltcoats history by clicking the …
Tours at Haylie Neolithic Tomb
We have exciting news in regards to Haylie Neolithic Tomb to share with you all! There is both an excavation and a series of site tours scheduled for 14th-17th of September! Archaeology Scotland will be on site, conducting an excavation of the mound at the tomb. This is a ‘spoil heap’ from a previous dig in the 1950’s and it …
From Quiet Shores to Bold Words: The Declaration of Arbroath at the Heritage Centre
We are delighted to announce that on Saturday the 30th of May at the North Ayrshire Heritage Centre in Saltcoats, our friends from the Ardrossan Castle Heritage Society will be unveiling their replica of the Declaration of Arbroath. This stunning replica is one of only 7 in existence and will be the only one on public display in Scotland. Also …
What’s in the Box? by Sarah MacDiarmid
The following blog post was kindly written for us by our student volunteer Sarah MacDiarmid. During my current master’s course in Museum Studies at the University of Glasgow, I was given the invaluable opportunity of carrying out a work placement at the North Ayrshire Heritage Centre with a fellow student, Honor. The project we are undertaking is called ‘What’s in the box?’ which entails cataloguing the objects held in the centre’s collections room. …
Kilbirnie War Memorial Has Been Added to the ‘Stories’ Section
We are pleased to announce we have added yet another war memorial to our ‘Stories’ section and this time it is Kilbirnie War Memorial. Unveiled on the 7th of October, 1922, the war memorial in Kilbirnie takes the shape of a large memorial gateway which leads to the public park. At the time of the unveiling, it contained the names …
The Final Talk at Haylie Neolithic Tomb
Gordon Black of the Haylie Neolithic Tombsters has been conducting a series of very well received talks at Haylie Neolithic Tomb and the final one takes place on Tuesday, the 12th of May at 10:30am. Meeting at the entrance to Douglas Park (just off of Irvine Street with nearby street parking available) Gordon will inform visitors of the history of …
Beith Bronze Age Shield Returns to Scotland
A bronze age shield is finally returning to Scotland after more than 230 years! Found in 1779 in a peat bog, following an excursion at Luggtonrigge Farm, just outside of Beith, the shield was presented to the Society of Antiquaries of London in 1791 by Dr Ferris (who acquired it from the Estate owner) where it has remained ever since. …
Archive of Air Disasters in North Ayrshire and Arran Has Been Added to the Stories Section
We are delighted to announce that the Stories section of the site now has a new section, entitled ‘Air Disasters’, This section includes some of our own stories of air disasters in North Ayrshire, such as the crash of an RAF Liberator on Arran and the crash of Whitley Bomber Z9362 at Saltcoats Harbour. The new section also includes a …