South Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas of
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, covering the southern part of
AyrshireAyrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
. It borders onto
East AyrshireEast Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders on to North Ayrshire, East Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire, South Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway...
,
North AyrshireNorth Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas in Scotland with a population of roughly 136,000 people. It is located in the south-west region of Scotland, and borders the areas of Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire to the north-east and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the East and South...
and
Dumfries and GallowayDumfries and Galloway is one of 32 unitary council areas of Scotland. It was one of the nine administrative 'regions' of mainland Scotland created in 1975 by the Local Government etc. Act 1973...
.
The administrative boundaries were formed in 1996, and it is a direct successor to the
Kyle and CarrickKyle and Carrick was one of nineteen local government districts in the Strathclyde region of Scotland from 1975 to 1996....
district.
The
Conservative PartyThe Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
currently lead a
minority administrationA minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
in South Ayrshire, with Bill McKintosh as Leader of the Council and Winifred Sloan as
ProvostA provost is the ceremonial head of many Scottish local authorities, and under the name prévôt was a governmental position of varying importance in Ancien Regime France.-History:...
.
County Buildings
South Ayrshire's Headquarters, "County Buildings", are located in Wellington Square, Ayr. The buildings were built in 1931 and opened by King George VI. The buildings also hold Ayr Sheriff Court.
Towns and villages
- Alloway
Alloway is best known as the birthplace of Robert Burns, and as where he set his poem "Tam o' Shanter"....
- Ayr
Ayr is a town and port situated on the Firth of Clyde in south-west Scotland. With a population of around 46,000, Ayr is the largest settlement in Ayrshire, of which it is the county town, and has held royal burgh status since 1205...
- Annbank
Annbank is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is around 5 miles east of Ayr. Originally a mining settlement, it once had a rail link to Ayr....
- Ballantrae
Ballantrae is a community in Carrick, South Ayrshire, Scotland. The name probably comes from the Scottish Gaelic Baile na Tràgha, meaning the "town by the beach"....
- Barr
Barr is a picturesque village in the South West of Ayrshire, Scotland, located approximately from the town of Girvan. There are various opinions as to the origins of the name. The most likely are either Gaelic meaning 'a meeting of water' or Brythonic meaning 'round'...
- Barrhill
- Crosshill
Crosshill is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated south of the River Clyde. In earlier maps the area is called Corsehill, which means Gorse hill, so the name is probably a corruption of this earlier name, and does not refer to a cross...
- Coylton
Coylton is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is located east of Ayr, and west of Drongan, on the A70. Sundrum Castle Holiday Park is located to the west of the village, in the grounds of Sundrum Castle, which partly dates to the 13th century...
- Drongan
Drongan, a former mining village, is situated on the western edge of Ayrshire, some 8 miles from Ayr and 8 miles from Cumnock and has a population of 3168....
- Dailly
Dailly is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is located on the Water of Girvan, south of Maybole, and east of Old Dailly. "New Dailly", as it was originally known, was laid out in the 1760s as a coal-mining village...
- Dalrymple
- Dundonald
Dundonald is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland.-The village:The village is mostly known for Dundonald Castle, which was built in the 14th century by king Robert II, on the ruins of a castle built earlier Dundonald (Gaelic: Dùn Dhòmhnaill) is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland.-The...
- Dunure
Dunure is a small village in the South Ayrshire area of Scotland. Located on the coast of the Firth of Clyde, Dunure is near to Maybole.-The villages:...
- Girvan
Girvan is a burgh in Carrick, South Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of about 8000 people. Originally a fishing port, it is now also a seaside resort with beaches and cliffs. Girvan dates back to 1668 when is became a municipal burgh incorporated by by charter...
- Kirkmichael
- Kirkoswald
Kirkoswald is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland....
- Lendalfoot
- Maybole
Maybole is a burgh of barony and police burgh of South Ayrshire, Scotland. Pop. 4,552. It is situated south of Ayr and southwest of Glasgow by the Glasgow and South Western Railway. ...
- Monkton
Monkton is a small village in the Parish of Monkton and Prestwick in South Ayrshire, Scotland.The nearest town is Prestwick and the settlement borders upon Glasgow Prestwick Airport.- History :The village was originally known as Prestwick Monachorum....
- Mossblown
Mossblown is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland, a little bigger than neighboring Annbank. It was a coal mining community but the mines have been closed for some time now. It is a bright and vibrant village full of hard working locals. There is also a book available written by a local...
- Maidens
Maidens is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland.This picturesque fishing village lies on the Firth of Clyde coast, around north of Turnberry, and west of Maybole. It formerly had its own railway station on the Maidens and Dunure Light Railway....
- Old Dailly
Old Dailly is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland.The Charter or Blue stones of Old Dailly in Ayrshire are a pair of lifting stones located in the cemetery of Old Dailly church....
- Pinmore & Pinwherry
- Prestwick
Prestwick is a town in South Ayrshire on the south-west coast of Scotland, about south-west of Glasgow. It adjoins the larger town of Ayr, the centre of which is about south...
- Straiton
Straiton is a village on the River Girvan in South Ayrshire in Scotland, mainly built in the 18th century, but with some recent housing.It was the main location for the film The Match, where two rival pubs played an annual football match as a challenge...
- Symington
Symington is a conservation village in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is located in Symington Parish, covering 0.41sq Km, and lies close to the A77 road from Ayr to Glasgow...
- Tarbolton
Tarbolton is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland.- Meaning of place-name :Tarbolton has been suggested as having one of three meanings:...
- Troon
Troon is a town in South Ayrshire. It is situated on the west coast of Scotland, about eight miles north of Ayr and three miles northwest of Glasgow Prestwick International Airport. Lying across the Firth of Clyde, the Isle of Arran can be seen. Troon is also a port with freight and ferry services...
- Turnberry
Turnberry is a golf resort on the coast of the outer Firth of Clyde in southwestern Scotland. Located in South Ayrshire on the rugged coast, it comprises three links golf courses, a golf academy, a five-star hotel, designed by James Miller and completed in 1906, as well as lodge and cottage...
- Doonfoot
Doonfoot is a part of the town of Ayr in south-west Scotland.In 2008 there were many new houses built in Doonfoot, expanding the population substantially.Doonfoot contains a primary school, a play park, and a local convenience shop...
Places of interest
- Ailsa Craig
Ailsa Craig is an island of 219.69 acres in the outer Firth of Clyde, Scotland where blue hone granite was quarried to make curling stones. "Ailsa" is pronounced "ale-sa", with the first syllable stressed...
- Bachelor's Club, Tarbolton
Tarbolton is a village in South Ayrshire, Scotland.- Meaning of place-name :Tarbolton has been suggested as having one of three meanings:...
- Bargany Gardens
- Blairquhan
- Burns Cottage
Burns Cottage, the first home of Robert Burns is located in Alloway, South Ayrshire, Scotland. It was built by his father, William Burness in 1757. Burns, Scotland's national poet, was born there on 25 January 1759. It is a simple two-roomed clay and thatch cottage and is now a museum dedicated to...
- Burns National Heritage Park (Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
)
- Carrick Forest
- Crossraguel Abbey
The Abbey of Saint Mary of Crossraguel is a ruin of a former abbey near the town of Maybole, South Ayrshire, Scotland.-Foundation:Founded in 1244 by Donnchadh, Earl of Carrick, following an earlier donation of 1225, to the monks of Paisley Abbey for that purpose. They reputedly built nothing more...
- Culzean Castle
Culzean Castle is a castle near Maybole, Carrick, on the Ayrshire coast of Scotland. It is the former home of the Marquess of Ailsa but is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland...
- Electric Brae
The Electric Brae is a gravity hill in Ayrshire, Scotland where cars appear to be drawn uphill by some mysterious attraction. The Lowland Scots word brae means a hill-slope or brow , and the "electric" name was given when electricity was a new technology associated with strange forces.There is more...
- Souter Johnnie's Cottage
Secondary schools
| School |
School roll |
Opened |
Area served |
notes |
| Ayr Academy Ayr Academy is a non-denominational secondary school situated in the centre of the town of Ayr in South Ayrshire. It is a comprehensive school for children from the ages of 11 to 18 from Ayr. Ayr Academy's catchment area covers Newton-on-Ayr, Whitletts and the outlying villages of Coylton, Annbank,...
|
715 |
1880 |
North Ayr, Coylton, Annbank, Mossblown |
Scotland's oldest secondary school |
| Belmont Academy Belmont Academy is the largest secondary school in Ayr, and the 6th largest in Scotland. The Academy is inter-faith and state-run by South Ayrshire Council. In 2008 the school transferred from the old 48-year-old campus into a brand new building, which was opened to pupils in August...
|
1455 |
New School Opened August 2008 |
South Ayr |
6th Largest school in Scotland |
| Carrick Academy Carrick Academy is a state-run secondary school, administered by South Ayrshire Council and situated in Maybole, South Ayrshire. It serves about 550 pupils, from the towns of Maybole, Dalrymple, Crosshill, Kirkmichael, Straiton, Minishant, Dunure, Dailly, Kirkoswald, Maidens, and surrounding farms...
|
554 |
1926 |
Maybole Maybole is a burgh of barony and police burgh of South Ayrshire, Scotland. Pop. 4,552. It is situated south of Ayr and southwest of Glasgow by the Glasgow and South Western Railway. ...
|
Present buildings built in 1974 |
| Girvan Academy Girvan Academy is a secondary school in Girvan, Scotland run by South Ayrshire Council. The Head Teacher is Mr Allan Rattray.-External links:** * *...
|
660 |
|
GirvanGirvan is a burgh in Carrick, South Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of about 8000 people. Originally a fishing port, it is now also a seaside resort with beaches and cliffs. Girvan dates back to 1668 when is became a municipal burgh incorporated by by charter...
and (South) South Ayrshire |
|
| Kyle Academy Kyle Academy is a state-run secondary school in Ayr, Scotland, run by South Ayrshire Council. It is a non-denominational, co-educational school, serving some of the southern part of Ayr.-History:...
|
902 |
1979 |
East Ayr |
|
| Marr College -History:Marr College was funded from the money left to the town of Troon by C. K. Marr. It opened in 1935.-Notable former pupils:*Ronni Ancona, actress*Tom Brighton, footballer*Gordon Brown, rugby player*Alan Hutton, footballer*Donald Jack, writer...
|
1233 |
1935 |
Troon Troon is a town in South Ayrshire. It is situated on the west coast of Scotland, about eight miles north of Ayr and three miles northwest of Glasgow Prestwick International Airport. Lying across the Firth of Clyde, the Isle of Arran can be seen. Troon is also a port with freight and ferry services...
and Loans |
funded by money left by CK Marr |
| Queen Margaret Academy Queen Margaret Academy is a Roman Catholic secondary school in the south of Ayr in southwest Scotland. Queen Margaret is state-run by South Ayrshire Council and takes children aged 11 to 18 from the whole of South Ayrshire and parts of East Ayrshire.The original St Margaret's school was founded in...
|
662 |
1977 |
Roman Catholic pupils in South Ayrshire |
Only Roman Catholic school in South Ayrshire |
Prestwick AcademyPrestwick Academy is a state secondary school serving the area of Prestwick, South Ayrshire in Scotland. The school is non-denominational and has a capacity of 1400. Its motto is Per Vias Rectas, Latin for By Straight Paths.- History :...
|
1200 |
1902 |
PrestwickPrestwick is a town in South Ayrshire on the south-west coast of Scotland, about south-west of Glasgow. It adjoins the larger town of Ayr, the centre of which is about south...
, North Ayr, SymingtonSymington is a conservation village in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is located in Symington Parish, covering 0.41sq Km, and lies close to the A77 road from Ayr to Glasgow...
and MonktonMonkton is a small village in the Parish of Monkton and Prestwick in South Ayrshire, Scotland.The nearest town is Prestwick and the settlement borders upon Glasgow Prestwick Airport.- History :The village was originally known as Prestwick Monachorum....
|
Council political composition
|
Party |
Councillors |
|
Conservative |
12 |
|
Scottish National Party |
9 |
|
Labour |
6 |
|
Independent |
3 |
ConservativeThe Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Councillors: Bill McIntosh (Leader of the Council) Winifred Sloan (Provost) Margaret Toner (Depute Council Leader) Mary Kilpatrick (Depute Provost) Peter Convery, Hugh Hunter, John Hampton, Bill Grant, Robin Reid, Hywel Davies, Ann Galbraith and Iain Fitzsimmons
Scottish National PartyThe Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
Councillors: Nan McFarlane (Group Leader), Stan Fisher, Tom Slider, Douglas Campbell, Ian Douglas, Mike Peddie, John Allan, Mairi Low and Alec Oattes.
LabourThe Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Councillors: John McDowall (Group Leader) Phil Saxton, Helen Moonie, Ian Cavana, Andy Campbell, Sandra Goldie
IndependentIn politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
Councillors: Brian Connolly, Eddie Bulik and Elaine Little
Previous elections
The Council elections in May 2003 resulted in a "hung" Council where both the
Labour PartyThe Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
and the Conservative Party had 15 seats. Control of the Council was nominally given to the Labour party after a "cutting of the cards", though such an unstable arrangement had a detrimental effect on the decision-making process. In November 2005 the leader of the Labour group Andy Hill resigned on the grounds of ill-health, allowing the Conservatives to govern with a 15-14 majority until the 2007 election. Gibson MacDonald became Leader of the Council with Robin Reid as Deputy Leader.
External links