IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Citadel Place, AYR, KA7 1JN

A long-established town centre nursery, located on the corner of Fort Street and Citadel Lane. The street names come from the Cromwellian fort which was built here in 1652-3.

From the junction with Montgomerie Terrace.

Looking north, towards the harbour, on a fine March morning. The blue building in the foreground is the Dansarena studios. It was built in the early 19th century as the New Church, which became Cathcart Church after an amalgamation in 1951. The original gateway has been retained. (Source: "Ayrshire: Discovering A County", by Dane Love). The sandstone building to the north is Ayr Academy. Fort Street takes its name from the Cromwellian fort that was built on this site in 1652-3.

This old gate in Citadel Lane was the main entrance to the fort which was built here by the Cromwellian government in 1652. The fort was abandoned in 1660 when Charles II was restored to the throne. The buildings were dismantled in the early 18th century but this gate and large sections of the walls still survive. (Source: information plaque in the gate). The original gate was much higher than this photo suggests, as the ground level here has risen in height.

Under Oliver Cromwell five citadels were built in Scotland between 1650 and 1660 to control the Scots, such as at Leith, Perth, Inverlochy, Ayr and Inverness, with Ayr being the largest and most heavily defended. This was the main gateway to Ayr Citadel Fort. The fort was abandoned in 1660 when Charles II was restored to the throne. The fort was dismantled in the early 18th century, but this gate and large sections of the walls still survive. The lower part of the gateway has been filled up to form Citadel Lane and the entrance itself has been built up.

Under Oliver Cromwell five citadels were built in Scotland between 1650 and 1660 to control the Scots, such as at Leith, Perth, Inverlochy, Ayr and Inverness, with Ayr being the largest and most heavily defended. This was the main gateway to Ayr Citadel Fort. The fort was abandoned in 1660 when Charles II was restored to the throne. The fort was dismantled in the early 18th century, but this gate and large sections of the walls still survive. The lower part of the gateway has been filled up to form Citadel Lane and the entrance itself has been built up.

Under Oliver Cromwell five citadels were built in Scotland between 1650 and 1660 to control the Scots, such as at Leith, Perth, Inverlochy, Ayr and Inverness, with Ayr being the largest and most heavily defended. This was the main gateway to Ayr Citadel Fort. The fort was abandoned in 1660 when Charles II was restored to the throne. The fort was dismantled in the early 18th century, but this gate and large sections of the walls still survive. The lower part of the gateway has been filled up to form Citadel Lane and the entrance itself has been built up.

Category B-listed. Built 1807-10. Architect David Hamilton. Alterations in 1900 by J & H V Eaglesham. Now premises of Dansarena Studios.

This is all that remains of the parish church of St John. The building was requisitioned in 1652 by Oliver Cromwell, who was constructing a citadel in Ayr. The tower, which was restored to its original style in 1924, gave a useful lookout point for the fort. The flag is for the "Homecoming" event which celebrates the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns.