Irvine is a coastal new town in Ayrshire, Scotland, administered by North Ayrshire council. A New town or planned community or planned city is a city, town, or community that was designed from scratch, and grew up more or less following the plan. ... Ayrshire (Scottish Gaelic, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir) is a traditional county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. ... Timeline of Scottish history Caledonia List of not fully sovereign nations Subdivisions of Scotland National parks (Scotland) Traditional music of Scotland Flower of Scotland Wars of Scottish Independence National Trust for Scotland Historic houses in Scotland Castles in Scotland Museums in Scotland Abbeys and priories in Scotland Gardens in Scotland... North Ayrshire (Siorrachd Inbhir Àir a Tuath in Gaelic) is one of 32 unitary council regions in Scotland. ...

Irvine Royal Burgh Crest

The town was once a haunt of none other than Robert Burns, who now has two streets in the town named after him, Burns Street and Burns Crescent. Despite being classed as a new town, Irvine has had a long history stretching back many centuries and was classed as a Royal Burgh. There are also conflicting rumours that Mary, Queen of Scots was briefly involved in the towns history. Some say she stayed briefly at Seagate Castle. To this day there is still an annual festival, called Marymass held in the town. Robert Burns, preeminent Scottish poet Statue of Burns in London Robert Burns (January 25, 1759 – July 21, 1796) is the best known of the poets who have written in Scots. ... A New town or planned community or planned city is a city, town, or community that was designed from scratch, and grew up more or less following the plan. ... English Regis Bere Regis Bognor Regis Grafton Regis Houghton Regis Lyme Regis Melcombe Regis Rowley Regis Wyke Regis Royal Royal Berkshire Royal Leamington Spa Royal Tunbridge Wells Royal Borough Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Former Royal Borough... Mary, Queen of Scots is the name of: Mary I of Scotland, the former queen of France and Scotland executed by her cousin Elizabeth I of England Mary, Queen of Scots (movie), a 1971 film about that queen starring Vanessa Redgrave Mary, Queen of Scots (1969 book), a 1969 book...

Harbour History

The harbour for Irvine has had a long history and once was one of the most prominent ports in Scotland after Glasgow. Across from the main harbour itself there was a terminal for the ICI-Nobel Explosives plant on the River Garnock. Much of the harbour went into decline in the 19th Century when Glasgow, Greenock and Port Glasgow achieved higher prominence as sea ports. Despite this, there was still commercial sea traffic though the harbour went into further decline in the 20th Century. A shipyard, Ayrshire shipbuilding remained active until after World War II, though it's last ship was built just prior to the war. Afterwards it was involved in refitting ships and also in the manufacture of fitting for liners including the Queen Elizabeth 2. Irvine Harbour is now officially closed as a commercial port and now houses a small number of pleasure craft. It is also now home to part of the Scottish Maritime Museum. Glasgows location in Scotland Glasgow (or Glaschu in Gaelic) is Scotlands largest city and unitary council, situated on the River Clyde in the countrys west central lowlands. ... ICI can refer to: Imperial Chemical Industries PLC. The ICI programming language. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Greenock (Grianaig in Scottish Gaelic) is a town (burgh of barony) in the district of Inverclyde in Western Scotland. ... Port Glasgow is a burgh in Inverclyde, Scotland on the River Clyde. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... Small shipyard in Klaksvík (Faroe Islands), reparing fishing vessels Dockyards and shipyards are places which repair and build ships. ... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons like the atom bomb World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th-century conflict that engulfed much of the globe... The Queen Elizabeth 2, often called the QE2, was the flagship of the Cunard Line from 1969 until she was succeeded by RMS Queen Mary 2 in 2004. ... Seaport, a painting by Claude Lorrain, 1638 The Port of Wellington at night. ...

Irvine Pilot House and Tidal Indicator

Irvine Harbour is home to a unique and distinctive building which marked the tide level. Built in 1906 and devised by Martin Boyd, the Harbour Master at that time. The tide was marked in two ways depending on the time of day. During daylight, the level was marked with a ball and pulley system attached to the mast. At night, a number of lamps marked the tidal level. Unfortunately the building has fallen into some disrepair. The mast has been partially dismantled. The tide is the regular rising and falling of the oceans surface caused by changes in gravitational forces external to the Earth. ... A pulley is a wheel with a groove along its edge, for holding a rope or cable. ...

New Town Development

Unlike most New Towns which were either completely new build or only had small villages near them, Irvine was already a sizeable town. A company, Irvine Development Corporation was set up in the 1960's to oversee the development of Irvine which involved massive and sometimes controversial development to the old parts of the town. IDC was widely criticised for some of their actions including the demolition of many historical buildings. One positive development of IDC's was the Irvine Beach Park. This area, behind the harbour had been largely industrial wasteland for many years and was regarded as an eyesore. The area was developed with vast amounts of greenery making it a pleasant place to walk.

The beach itself for many years was criticised for its lack of cleanliness due to an extremely dated outflow pipe from the sewage system and regularly was classed as one of the dirtiest beaches in Scotland. Timeline of Scottish history Caledonia List of not fully sovereign nations Subdivisions of Scotland National parks (Scotland) Traditional music of Scotland Flower of Scotland Wars of Scottish Independence National Trust for Scotland Historic houses in Scotland Castles in Scotland Museums in Scotland Abbeys and priories in Scotland Gardens in Scotland...

Constituency

The Westminster Constituency of Central Ayrshire is held by the Labour Party. The Member of Parliament is Brian Donohoe. Central Ayrshire is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Labour (Commonwealth English) or labor (American English) may refer to one of the following. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to a parliament; in the Westminster system, specifically to the lower house. ... Brian Harold Donohoe (born 10 September 1948) is a British trade unionist and Labour member of Parliament for Cunninghame South, since 1992. ...

Transport

Irvine is well served with numerous transport links. A railway station, originally built by the Glasgow and South Western Railway company, is situationed at the west end of the town which is on the main line between Stranraer and Glasgow. The rail company responsible for local routes is First ScotRail who operate the carmine and cream liveried Diesel and Electric Multiple units of Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive. Bus routes are centred round Irvine Cross, though some routes have been diverted to nearby Bank Street. These routes are primarily operated by the companies First Group and Stagecoach, though soon only Stagecoach will be operating as First Group will not be renewing their franchise. Passengers bustle around the typical grand edifice of Londons Broad Street Station in 1865. ... Glasgow and South Western Railway formed part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. ... Stranraer (An t-Sròn Reamhar in Gaelic) is a town in the south of Scotland in the west of the region of Dumfries and Galloway and was formerly in the county of Wigtownshire. ... Glasgows location in Scotland Glasgow (or Glaschu in Gaelic) is Scotlands largest city and unitary council, situated on the River Clyde in the countrys west central lowlands. ... A Class 170 Turbostar unit at Edinburgh Waverley. ... A multiple unit is a passenger train whose carriages have their own motors, either diesel (DMUs) or electric (EMUs), and do not need to be hauled by a locomotive. ... A Class 156 train in SPT livery at Glasgow Central Station Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT) is a public body which is responsible for planning and co-ordinating public transport in the Glasgow and Strathclyde area of Scotland, and for operating Glasgows subway. ... First Group PLC is a British transport company operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland and North America, with headquarters in Aberdeen in Scotland. ... Buffalo soldiers guard a Concord style stagecoach somewhere in the American West, ca. ...

There are two primary road crossings over the River Irvine, the most southerly of which has been critiscised for some years. It is situated on the site of the former Irvine-Kilmarnock rail link which has long since been closed. The bridge over the river there has long been unsuitable for heavy traffic being of a Bailey Bridge design which has been constantly repaired over the years. Kilmarnock is a burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of about 40,000. ... Bailey bridge over the Coppename river at Witagron, Suriname. ...

Further Reading

• Pettigrew, D (1997) Old Irvine