Ardrossan Harbour control tower, no longer in use.
“I had gone to take a walk on a fine Sabbath afternoon, early in 1765. I had entered the Green by the gate at the foot of Charlotte Street and had passed the old washing house. I was thinking upon the engine at the time, and had gone as far as the herd’s house, when the idea came into my mind that, as steam was an elastic body, it would rush into a vacuum, and if communication were made between the cylinder and an exhausted vessel, it would rush in to it, and might be condensed without cooling the cylinder….. I had not walked further than the golf house when the whole thing was arranged in my mind.”
It was built in the 13th century by the MacDonalds, the Lords of the Isles. The castle stands on the cliffs, overlooking the island of Pladda and the entrance to the Firth of Clyde. It was built to defend against enemies attacking through the Firth.
It was used as a hunting lodge by the Kings of Scotland, including Robert III, when the island belonged to the crown. The castle became the property of the Earls of Arran in 1544.
Information courtesy of Wikipedia.
The church is built in the Neo Gothic style, it closed in 1980,the roof was removed due to its dangerous state of ill repair.
The range was used between 1912 and 1980 when it was decommissioned.
More information about the range can be found HERE
Local architect James Hunter Kenneday won the competition with an art deco style building it opened its doors in 1911as a theatre and dance hall.
The building is now used for children's entertainment.
Three dry docks were built for the Clyde Navigation Trust between 1869 and 1898, the first dock opening in 1875, the second larger dock in 1886 and the third and largest in 1898. They were extensively used for winter overhauls and refits of Clyde steamers.
The Graving Docks were closed in 1988.