22 Iconic Buildings to Explore in South Ayrshire Council

A medieval castle ruin sitting high up on the hills above ballantrae which was built by clan kennedy that succumbed to the conflict over Crossmaguel Abbey in 1601. There is a good walk that passes the castle. The original castle was wedge-shaped and had three square towers connected by battlement walls. The gatehouse was on the north side, and the keep was in the southeast part of the courtyard with a long hall house alongside.

A large impressive mansion and Category A listed, T-plan building of a late 16th-century date converted to the L-plan during the early-to-mid-17th century; its ruins stand about 1 km W of Dundonald, South Ayrshire, Scotland. Parish of Dundonald. It was held at various times by the Wallace, Cochrane and Montgomerie families.

A majestic municipal building in New Bridge Street, Ayr, Scotland. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Ayr Burgh Council, is a Category A listed building. Ayr Town Hall consists of the Town Hall, the Council Chamber and two Committee Rooms. The Town Hall can hold 641 people, the Chamber can hold 50 people and the Committee Rooms can hold 25 people.

Bachelors' Club is a National Trust Property where you can discover more about Robert Burns’s formative years in an authentically restored attraction. In this 17th-century thatched house, Robert Burns and friends formed a debating club in 1780. You can see where Burns and his friends gathered to debate the big issues of the day!

Baltersan Castle is a ruined L-plan tower house located near Maybole, South Ayrshire, Scotland. It was originally graded as a Category B listed building in 1971, but this was upgraded to Category A in 1995. It is currently for sale and is listed as at moderate risk by the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland.

Carleton Castle is a ruined five story 15th century tower house whichcan be seen from the coast road far below, with spectacular views out across the bay below. The castle comprises a small rectangular tower, with one of its corners having fallen down. Carleton was the property of the Cathcart family and legend suggests that one laird, Sir John Cathcart, funded his lifestyle through a succession of wives, murdering each before moving on to the next.

A majestic mansion house, which is home to a stunning 14th century tower and historic and luxurious mansion house hidden within beautiful, prize-winning gardens and over 2000 acres of parkland in Ayrshire, Scotland. The present form of the house dates back to 1843, although the earlier towers adjoin the newer additions.

The Cassillis Estate, based in Maybole, is nestled amongst 310 acres of land in the sprawling countryside. The castle, which has 112 rooms, is set in a 285-acre estate, and the tower is harled and washed in yellow. It was now one of the iconic attractions in this area and it attracts a lot of tourists to here.

Craigie Castle, in the old Barony of Craigie, is a ruined fortification situated in the Civil Parish of Craigie, South Ayrshire, Scotland. It consists of the ruins of a 13th-century groin-vaulted hall house and later castle. The hall house was vaulted in the 15th century, and remodelled into a tower house with ranges of outbuildings. The castle had two courtyards, and was defended by ditches.

Culzean Castle is a beautiful fantasy castle created by Robert Adam in 1772-1790 for the 10th Earl of Cassillis. Culzean is notable for its elegant oval staircase, circular saloon, painted ceilings and delicate friezes, this is one of Adam's greatest creations. The clifftop castle lies within the Culzean Castle Country Park and is opened to the public. From 1972 through 2015, an illustration of the castle was featured on the reverse side of five pound notes issued by the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Dalquharran Castle consists of a ruined 15th-century tower, with a round tower at one corner. It was extended to form an L-plan, and rises to three storeys and a garret within the corbelled-out crenellated parapet. The castle was extended and altered in the late 17th century, and was surrounded by gardens and landscaped grounds. The basement is vaulted.

Dundonald Castle is a splendid example of a medieval tower house, with a fine barrel-vaulted ceiling in the lower hall. Explore the high-vaulted halls and gloomy dungeons of this splendid stronghold, perched on a hill above the village. The main tower was built in the 1370s by King Robert II to mark his succession to the throne. Its heritage is explored in the visitor centre.

Dunure Castle was once the main fortress of the powerful Kennedy family, the Earls of Cassilis. The castle's origins probably date back to at least the 1200s when a stone keep was built on an easily defensible rocky outcrop overlooking the Firth of Clyde. Today the castle stands in ruins on a rocky promontory on the Carrick coast, overlooking the small harbour of Dunure.

Greenan Castle is a 16th-century ruined tower house, around 2+1⁄2 miles southwest of Ayr in South Ayrshire, Scotland. Situated at the top of a sea cliff, it was originally a promontory fort converted into a motte-and-bailey in the 12th century. In the 15th century a tower house was built by the Lords of the Isles, which later passed into the hands of the Kennedy family.

Loudoun Hall is one of the oldest houses in Ayr, it is in the boat vennel not far fromn the river Ayr. Mary Queen of Scots stayed here in August 1563. It was one of Ayr’s finest and oldest public buildings, dating back to the 15th century. Its items included wall carvings of the motto of the 1st Earl of Loudoun, a ship’s rudder and a lead circle set into the paving stones , a tactile bronze model of the building, and a Scots pie cast in bronze.

Maybole Castle, a former seat of the Earls of Cassillis, dates to 1560 and still remains, although aspects of the castle are viewed as "of concern". The Castle is the oldest inhabited house in the town having been built about the middle of the sixteenth century. It was built in the style of a typical Scottish castle, with square tower and round turrets, and strong enough to protect its occupants from unfriendly neighbours, of whom there were many at that time.

Dalquharran Castle is a category A listed building in South Ayrshire, Scotland, designed by Robert Adam and completed around 1790. The first recorded lord of the property which already included a castle, was Gilbert Kennedy, as stated in a 1474 Charter for the nearby Crossraguel Abbey; the estate was later owned by the Kennedy family for centuries.

The former home of the shoemaker John Davidson, immortalised by Robert Burns as Souter Johnie in his supernatural tale Tam o' Shanter. This is a beautiful thatched cottage with restored 18th-century domestic and workshop interiors, containing shoemaking tools and Burns-related artefacts.

St John’s Tower in Citadel Place is all that remains of Ayr’s medieval parish church, dedicated to St John the Baptist. The church appears to have been founded in the late twelfth century, and it was enlarged during the following centuries. In 1315 King Robert the Bruce convened a parliament or assembly in the church to decide the succession to the Scottish throne.

The McKechnie Institute is located at the intersection of Ailsa Street and Dalrymple Street in the town of Girvan in South Ayrshire. Built in the Scottish Baronial style with some Renaissance detailing, its architects McKissack & Rowan of Glasgow, also designed Girvan's North Parish Church. The ground floor originally contained a library, reading room and ladies room, with a billiards room and a Librarian's house on the first floor.