Prestwick

Prestwick is a town situated on the north side of Ayr. The towns expanded and joined together after the railway from Glasgow reached Prestwick and Ayr in 1840.

Robert the Bruce is said to have been cured of leprosy by the waters of the well at St Ninians church on the south side of Prestwick.

A regularly overlooked fact is that Prestwick Golf Club is where the Open Championship began, played here first from 1860 - 1872.

Prestwick Airport opened in 1934, mainly as a training airfield. It expanded over the years, as for some time, it was the only Scottish airport allowed to operate Transatlantic flights, due to it being on the coast with rarely any fog. The United States Air Force had a base there from 1952 - 1966, and British Airways used the long runway at Prestwick for training Concord pilots. Concord would fly round all day, just touching the runway then back up. People in cars would line the roads watching the amazing sight, nobody realised then just how special that sight was, as there are no such aircraft in service today, and unlikely to be for some time. The Airport now relies on cargo and budget airlines providing flights throughout Europe.

Prestwick town has a popular beach, Main Street with many busy bar/diners and restaurants, three golf courses and a large tennis centre. The Main Street is a popular place most nights of the week for drinks, meals and entertainment such as live music, DJs, karaoke and quizes.

Right is a view looking north showing Prestwick Cross with the road straight ahead leading to the airport.

The road to the left leads to the rail station, Old Prestwick Golf Course and beach.

Prestwick Main Street that runs from the Cross south, has a good variety of restaurants, pubs for food and entertainment. Most of the Hotels also have restaurants for guests and non guests.

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A right turn at the train station leads to the rear of the old Church of St Nicholas built in the 1100s. The main entrance to the church is from Kirk Street 50 yards north of Prestwick Cross.

The ancient burgh of Prestwick grew around the old Church of St Nicholas. This was originally a monastery church that was modified after the Protestant Reformation in the late 1500s.

There have been claims that buried within the grounds are Knight Templars, guardians of the Holy Grail. There is supposed to be a plaque in the church with the Maltese Cross, the symbol of the Knight Templars.

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Only a few hundred yards west of Prestwick Cross, next to the Train Station, is Prestwick Golf Club, known by many as Old Prestwick. This was the first course to host the Open Championship when the tournament began in 1860.

There are another two fine courses in Prestwick along with many more only a few miles north at Troon and Irvine. Some Prestwick hotels have great views over the course.

Website: www.prestwickgc.co.uk . Large Image . Map . Reviews .

All courses: www.ayrshirescotland.com/ayrshiregolf

Past the train station and Old Prestwick golf course is the beach area. The view left shows the indoor play area to the north of the beach with a large car park free of charge.

There is also a fairly large outdoor play area next to Kidz Play that is free of charge.

www.kidz-play.co.uk . Map . Large Image .

Prestwick has a long sandy beach with grassland that runs alongside. There is an outdoor kids play area midway along the beach.

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Left is a view of the south end of the beach where the Prestwick Sailing Club is situated. Looks like there is a race about to begin.

Bruce’s Well is situated to the south of Prestwick on Maryborough Road, just behind St Ninian's Church.

Robert the Bruce drank from the well when conducting his guerrilla campaign against the English occupiers of Scotland. He thought the water from the well reduced the severity of his skin disease, probably leprosy. This led to him returning to the well as often as possible. It is believed St Ninian’s chapel (now a ruin west of the well) was built or restored by Bruce after his ascension to the Scottish throne.

Website . St Ninian's Church Large Image . Map .

Prestwick tennis, badminton and fitness centre is situated on Whinfield Place off Ayr Road, south of Prestwick Cross. The indoor and outdoor tennis courts are open to members and non-members from 7am - 11pm with the outdoor courts being free of charge.

For further information on these facilities and prices, phone 01292 474 700 or visit the website at www.prestwicksportsandleisure.co.uk.

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Prestwick Indoor Bowling Club is situated off Ayr Road to the south of Prestwick town centre.

This private bowling club can be visited by members of other clubs throughout the world or as guests of members.

For enquiries phone 01292 477 802. There is a mid sized indoor swimming pool next to the bowling club.

Prestwick Flying Club is situated at the south end of Prestwick Airport. Information on joining the club, looking to gain your pilots licence or just curious about flying and would like a test flight visit the website www.prestwickflyingclub.co.uk.

For more information on Prestwick and its airport history, visit the website www.mcintyre.demon.co.uk.