We are delighted to announce that our video interview with John and Ian McCallum about the crash of Whitley Bomber Z9362 at Saltcoats Harbour in 1943 is now live on YouTube for everyone to watch. In this fascinating interview, Ian McCallum tells the story of the crash, what went wrong and what happened to the crew. Then, he passes to …
1911 Irvine Meadow XI v Kilwinning Rangers – Scottish Cup, 3rd Round Replay
The following post was kindly submitted to us by Gordon McCreath, who is a keen Ayrshire junior football historian. There are photographs of Irvine Meadow XI going all the way back to the beginning of their step up to the Junior ranks in 1897. In fact, there is also a photo from their days as a Juvenile club which is …
Doors Open Day 2025 in North Ayrshire
Doors Open Day in Ayrshire takes place on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th September, a chance to explore as many buildings as you can, some of which are not normally open to the public. All are free entry. Over the next couple of weeks, we will highlight some of the North Ayrshire buildings that are opening their doors that weekend …
Charles Miller Has Been Added to the Stories Section
Charles William Miller was the son of John Miller, who was born in Fairlie and emigrated to Brazil to work on the Sao Paulo railway. It was there that he met and married Carlota Alexandrina Fox who gave birth to their son Charles. Charles would go on to be credited with introducing football to Brazil, founding Sao Paulo Athletic Club …
New Exhibition: Fabric of North Ayrshire
Our new exhibition is now on display at our Heritage Centre in Saltcoats! ‘Fabric of North Ayrshire’, which runs until the 17th of December 2025, was inspired by two Glasgow University Students (Grace & Julia) who spent their placement with us. They both wrote fascinating blog posts on working with us, you can read Grace’s HERE and Julia’s HERE. The …
Crochet at the Heritage Centre
The following blog post was kindly written for us by one of our student volunteers, Julia Kahn. At the North Ayrshire Heritage Centre, I have had the pleasure of inventorying the costume and textile collection over the past several months. The collection holds many treasures, from Harry Kemp’s costumes to beautiful Ayrshire white work. As a crocheter myself, my favourite …
New Video Tour of Haylie Neolithic Tomb
We were recently at Haylie Neolithic Tomb in Largs for the unveiling of the new interpretation board which now sits at the site. The board tells the story of the tomb and was created in conjunction with Historic Environment Scotland, Archaeology Scotland, Forestry & Land Scotland, Largs Museum volunteers and the North Ayrshire Council Heritage Team. While there, we managed …
New Interpretation Board at Haylie Neolithic Tomb
On Monday the 19th of May, North Ayrshire Council Provost Anthea Dickson was joined by fellow councillors at Haylie Neolithic Tomb in Largs for the unveiling of a new interpretation board at the site. Created in conjunction with Historic Environment Scotland, Archaeology Scotland, Forestry & Land Scotland, Largs Museum volunteers and the North Ayrshire Council Heritage Team, the board tells …
The Marymass Derby
The following post was kindly submitted to us by Gordon McCreath, who is a keen Ayrshire junior football historian. Over the years Meadow XI has dominated the traditional Marymass Derby against local rivals Irvine Victoria, but it wasn’t like that right at the start. Up until 1921 both clubs had enjoyed free Marymass Saturdays to allow the people of the …
Return of the Bell
We have had a lot of conversation in the Heritage Centre over the last while as to the whereabouts of the bell that used to hang in the bell tower in Ardrossan Parish Church, which is now the Heritage Centre. Over a month ago our lovely volunteer and local history enthusiast, Frances Gilmour, brought a post by Three Towns Explored …