Fairlie
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 Fairlie seafront looking towards Largs | |
  Fairlie Location within North Ayrshire | |
| Population | 1,490 (mid-2020 est.) [1] |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Largs |
| Postcode district | KA29 |
| Dialling code | 01475 |
| Police | Scotland |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(March 2022) |
Fairlie is a village in North Ayrshire, Scotland.
Fairlie sits on the eastern shore of the Firth of Clyde and looks across to the Isle of Arran and the Cumbraes.
It is currently little more than a commuter village, with few businesses still running within Fairlie. These include the "Village Inn" (a pub and restaurant) and a petrol station
According to the 2001 census, Fairlie counted 1,510 residents.
Fairlie House near Gatehead, Ayrshire in East Ayrshire was named after the Fairlie family of Fairlie; it previous name had been Little Dreghorn.
King David I of Scotland appointed Sir Richard de Morville, a Norman, to hold land in Scotland. Thus he became High Constable of Scotland and Lord of Cunninghame, Largs and Lauderdale. This piece of land was later sub-divided among Richard's relatives and friends, and, in the 13th century, the land of Fairlie was held by the de Ros (or Ross) family of Tarbert, the land to the North was held by the Boyle family and to the South by the Sempill family.
It was one of the sons of the Ross family who built the Castle and adopted the name Fairlie. The family continued to live in the Castle until the 17th century, but by the end of the 19th century the castle was in ruins (the Castle has been sold in 1999 to be converted into a dwelling). It has many similarities to Law Castle, Little Cumbrae Castle, and the tower of Skelmorlie Castle.
The land to the South of Fairlie Burn, held by the Sempill family, was never held by the Fairlie family and is actually in the Parish of West Kilbride. The Montgomerie family latterly held the estate (Southannan). The original building of Southannan House or Castle was demolished in the 18th century and the present house was built some time later.
To the North of Fairlie are the Kelburn lands, with a fine castle, where members of the Boyville (Boyle) family have been since the 12th century. A David Boyle was honoured in 1703 by being created Viscount Kelburn and Earl of Glasgow. One of the later Earls, in 1850, had a wall built round the estate to give work to the poor people of the area. The present Earl has greatly improved and developed the estate. It is now a country centre, open to the public, and attracts many visitors from far and wide. [2]
According to ancient records it would appear that Fairlie developed as a fishing village, as it had a good, sheltered anchorage that was fully used in the 16th century. Weaving also began to help the prosperity of the village as the demand for Paisley shawls increased. The cottages below Fairlie Castle (Burnfoot) were known as Weaver's Row.
A bit further North was the "middle row" (Ferry Row), where the fishermen and ferrymen lived. The remains of the old ferry quay can still be seen. This became known as Knox's Rocks as Knox White, an old Fairlie worthy, hired boats in this area in the 1920s and 1930s.
Still further north was "north row", an indeterminate group of modest dwellings (the Bay Street area). The families kept pigs and hens, grew fruit and vegetables - the more affluent had a cow - other necessities of life were obtained from peddlers, who traveled the countryside. An occasional visit to Largs (by foot) especially to Hyndman's market or to Colm's (Columba's) Day fair.
A turnpike road was built from Greenock to Stranraer in the 18th century and merchants and master mariners began to move into Fairlie. The channel between Fairlie and Cumbrae (Fairlie Roads) was a popular anchorage for merchant shipping, mainly to avoid the dangers of press-gangs at Greenock and the customs could be easier avoided at Fairlie.
The old cottages, in time, were improved and some enlarged, new buildings were erected. Some of the originals are Rockhaven - c1720,(the Ferry House), Fairlie Lodge, Beach House, Allanbank, Fairlie Cottage and part of Brookside.
It was in the late 18th century that John Fyfe came from Kilbirnie to set up business as a cartwright in Fairlie. His son William (1785–1865) founded the Fife & Son shipyard in Fairlie in 1803 to which William's grandson William Fife III (1857–1944) brought international recognition as a prolific designer and builder of sailing yachts.
The Royal Navy ASDIC research establishment moved from its base at Portland to Fairlie in November 1940 and took over the Fife & Son shipyard. They also worked on other forms of anti-submarine warfare and in 1941 developed the Fairlie Mortar. This was not very successful but evolved into the very successful Squid. A boom defence depot remained post-war and there was a plan for an anti-submarine boom from Fairlie to Great Cumbrae then continuing to Bute. [3]
In recent years a succession of industrial and military developments has somewhat changed the character of the village. Hunterston B nuclear power station, Hunterston deep sea shipping terminal and a NATO base have been built along the shoreline.
Fairlie Pier provided links to Clyde ferry services and the Largs Branch, and was closed after the final sailing in September 1971. [4] The other railway station in the village still exists and is served by Ayrshire Coast Line services.
Great Cumbrae is the larger of the two islands known as The Cumbraes in the lower Firth of Clyde in western Scotland. The island is sometimes called Millport, after its main town.
North Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. The council area borders Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire to the northeast, and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the east and south respectively. The local authority is North Ayrshire Council, formed in 1996 with the same boundaries as the district of Cunninghame which existed from 1975 to 1996.
The Firth of Clyde is the mouth of the River Clyde. It is located on the west coast of Scotland and constitutes the deepest coastal waters in the British Isles. The firth is sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre peninsula, which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire. The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm of the Firth of Clyde, separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle of Arran. Within the Firth of Clyde is another major island – the Isle of Bute. Given its strategic location at the entrance to the middle and upper Clyde, Bute played a vital naval military role during World War II.
Largs is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about 33 mi (53 km) from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" in Scottish Gaelic.
The County of Bute, also known as Buteshire, is a historic county and registration county of Scotland.
Earl of Glasgow is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1703 for David Boyle, Lord Boyle.
North Ayrshire and Arran is a constituency of the British House of Commons, located in the south-west of Scotland within the North Ayrshire council area. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) at least once every five years using the first-past-the-post voting system of voting.
West Kilbride is a village and historic parish in North Ayrshire, Scotland, on the west coast by the Firth of Clyde, looking across the Firth of Clyde to Goat Fell and the Isle of Arran. West Kilbride and adjoining districts of Seamill and Portencross are generally considered to be a small town, having a combined population of 4,393 at the 2001 census.
Clan Boyle is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands.
Clan Hunter is a Scottish clan.
Kelburn Castle is a large house near Fairlie, North Ayrshire, Scotland. It is the seat of the Earl of Glasgow. Originally built in the thirteenth century it was remodelled in the sixteenth century. In 1700, the first Earl made further extensions to the house in a manner, not unlike a French château which is virtually how it appears today. In 1977 the house and grounds opened to the public as a country park. It is one of the oldest castles in Scotland and has been continuously inhabited by the same family for longer than any other. The castle is protected as a category A listed building, while the grounds are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland.
Portencross is a hamlet near Farland Head in North Ayrshire, Scotland. Situated about three kilometres west of Seamill and about two kilometres south of Hunterston B nuclear power station, it is noted for Portencross Castle.
The Largs Branch is a railway line in Scotland, serving communities on the north Ayrshire Coast, as well as the deep water ocean terminal at Hunterston. It branches from the Glasgow to Ayr line at Kilwinning.
Largs Academy is a Scottish secondary school, opened in August 1970, serving the towns of Largs, Fairlie, Skelmorlie and the island of Cumbrae, as well as taking placement requests from across Scotland, from places such as West Kilbride, Beith and Renfrewshire. As of March 2017, Largs Academy was in the top 30 schools for Higher Results in Scotland, sitting at number 27.
Little Cumbrae Castle sits on Castle Island or Allin Tuirail from the Scottish Gaelic: eilean tùr nan uaislean meaning "islet of the nobles' tower", a small tidal island situated off the east coast of Little Cumbrae, in the Firth of Clyde. It is designated as a scheduled monument.
Shewalton House and estate were composed of the 'Lands of Shewalton' and the laird's dwelling, originally a tower castle and later a mansion house on the River Irvine in the Shewalton area, two miles from Irvine and west of Drybridge village, East Ayrshire, Dundonald Parish, Scotland. In 1883 the Boyle's estate of Shewalton was 2,358 acres in extent in Ayrshire and was worth at that time £2,708 a year.
The Castle Knowe (NS20365081), is a prominent mound located slightly to the west of North Kilruskin Farm on the Kilruskin Toll Road, West Kilbride, North Ayrshire. Scotland. The mound may have served several different functions over the ages.
Fairlie Castle is a restored oblong tower castle located on a natural rounded knoll situated above a precipitous section of the Fairlie Glen near the town of Fairlie in the old Barony of Fairlie, Parish of Largs, North Ayrshire, Scotland. It was built by the now extinct family, the Fairlies of that Ilk and survives in a fairly good state of preservation. It is a protected scheduled monument.
Largs Campus is an amalgamation of Secondary, Early Years and Primary schools which includes; Largs Academy, Largs Primary, St Mary's Primary and Largs Early Years. It opened in March 2018, serving the towns of Largs, Fairlie, Skelmorlie and the island of Cumbrae, the academy takes placement requests from across Scotland, from places such as West Kilbride, Beith and Renfrewshire. The campus is in partnership with SportsScotland, providing what is believed to be the largest Fitness and Sports gym in the United Kingdom.
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