Ayr Town Centre

1.  Town  Hall Spire.

Date:  April 2010
©M.Bailey


2.  Assembly Rooms with lower section of the town spire.

Date:   July 2010
©M.Bailey

The view down Sandgate towards the New Bridge and the Town Buildings, dominated by its spire, is an unforgettable image of Scottish townscape at its finest.

On the Sandgate the pale yellow building at the corner with Cathcart Street is known as Lady Cathcart's House. It is believed that the road surveyor John Loudon McAdam (1756-1836) was born here. Presently, the building houses the tourist information office at street level., with four flats above.

Like Loudoun Hall, this house is a relic of the medieval town, and may date from as early as the 16th century. In 1988 it was saved from demolition by the efforts of the Civic Society and others. It has been given a new lease of life by the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust.

In the middle of the Sandgate, near Lady Cathcart's House, stood Ayr's second Tolbooth. This was built in 1574 to replace the decaying original at the Fish Cross. It was deteriorating by 1785 when proposals for its reconstruction were obtained from Robert Adam. It was removed in June 1825.

At the bottom of the Sandgate stand the Town Buildings. The soaring landmark spire of over 200 feet is one of the finest in Scotland.

In 1824 the Edinburgh architect Thomas Hamilton was asked to find a suitable site for a building to replace the Tolbooth. He suggested this site, on which the old Assembly Rooms stood. The functions of the Tolbooth and the Assembly Rooms were to be incorporated in one building. Still used as Council offices, and for concerts and other events, this is one of the most impressive buildings in Ayr. Its external design is worth close examination. It is massively detailed, with tall pilasters and round-headed windows. The various stages of the spire are guarded by griffins, eagles and a Triton.

A short distance from the Town Buildings, at the junction with High Street, is a cross-shaped marking in the road. (These marks can be clearly seen in image 2 on this page.)  These marks show the position of the Malt Cross, another of Ayr's old market places, which was erected during the reign of Charles II, and was a replica of the imposing Edinburgh Market Cross. In 1778, when the first New Bridge was built, the cross was removed as it would have become an obstruction to traffic

Text based on Historic Ayr, published by Ayrshire Archeological and Natural History Society, July 2001