Difference between revisions of "Portencross"

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[[Image:Seamill, Firth of Clyde.jpg|thumb|right|350px|from Seamill beach, looking south-west over the lower [[Firth of Clyde]] towards the southern part of [[Isle of Arran|Arran]] and [[Ailsa Craig]].]]
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{{Place
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| name          = Portencross
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| gaelic        = Port na Crois
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| location      = West Kilbride
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| country      = Scotland
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| county        = [[North Ayrshire]]
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{{#display_map: 55.723528352243655,-4.878787994384766|mappingservice=leaflet|zoom=12}}
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}}
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{{dab|the hamlet| for other places nearby |North Ayrshire}}
  
'''Seamill''' is a [[village]] in [[North Ayrshire]] on the west coast of [[Scotland]], about 5 miles north of [[Ardrossan]] and 8 miles south of [[Largs]].
 
  
It is sometimes considered part of [[West Kilbride]], and sometimes considered as a village in its own right. The local authority has sought to consolidate it with West Kilbride by signposting it as "West Kilbride incorporating Seamill", however its location on the major [[A78 road|A78 trunk road]] (West Kilbride proper is bypassed) means that it is still locally identified as an entity in its own right.
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[[Image:Portencross from the pier.jpg|thumb|300px|Portencross viewed from its pier]]
  
It is named after one of its oldest buildings, the Sea Mill, a grain watermill that appears in Johannes Blaeu's Atlas of Scotland published in Amsterdam in 1654. Seamill village has a [[Country club|golf club]] known as ''West Kilbride Golf Club'', with a [[Putting green|putting practice green]] and a course with eighteen holes.  
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'''Portencross''' is a hamlet near the village of West KilbrideFarland in North Ayrshire, Scotland. Situated about 2 miles west of [[Seamill]] and about 2 miles south of [[Hunterston B Nuclear Power Station]], it is most famous for the 13th century [[Portencross Castle]].
  
It also has a [[hotel]] called the ''Seamill Hydro'' which has a [[swimming pool]], [[tennis court]] and a [[Association football|football]] pitch. The Seamill Hydro first opened in 1880, during the boom period of [[Hydrotherapy#Hydropathic establishment|hydropathic establishments]]. These commenced as mostly as therapeutic establishments, but over time morphed into hotel format, with Seamill Hydro being one of the few such surviving facilities from that era.<ref name="BradleyDupreeDurie" />
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It has two harbours and a pier. The "Old Harbour" is actually a small tidal inlet next to the castle, and is part of the castle property. The larger harbour, "North Harbour", owned by the Portencross Harbour Trust, lies about 100 metres north of the castle and was the main access point for fishing activity.
  
* [[West Kilbride]]  
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The Portencross Pier was built in the era of Clyde steamer cruising but was never used as much as other locations such as [[Largs]], [[Fairlie]] or [[Wemyss Bay]].
* [[Portencross]]
 
  
==References==
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==Natural History==
{{Reflist|refs=
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In 2014 the North Ayrshire Ranger Service carried out a survey of the plants growing on the rocky shore, whinstone dyke, saltmarsh and 'machair-like' seaside vegetation. Species recorded included sea arrowgrass; sea sandwort; scurvy-grass; common orache; sea club-rush; sea milkwort; salt mud-rush; lesser sea spurrey; cliff sand spurrey; sea aster; red bartsia; silverweed; bird's foot trefoil; sea pink/thrift; eyebright; yellow rattle; sea plantain; meadow cranesbill; purple loosetrife; pineapple weed; curled dock; scentless mayweed ; corn sowthistle; marsh thistle; lady's bedstraw; mugwort; celery-leaved crowfoot; ragged robin; yellow flag iris; parsley water-dropwort; greater woodrush; amphibious bistort; crow garlic; Japanese rose; alder; sea buckthorn; wood sage; hemlock water-dropwort ; sticky groundsel; bloody cranesbill; bracken/brake; yellow splash lichen; crab's eye lichen; sea ivory.
  
<ref name="BradleyDupreeDurie">{{Citation
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==See also==
| last1 = Bradley | first1 = James
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* [[Seamill]]
| last2 = Dupree  | first2 = Mageurite
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* [[West Kilbride]]
| last3 = Durie  | first3 = Alastair
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* [[Murder of Mary Speir Gunn]]
| title = Taking the Water Cure: The Hydropathic Movement in Scotland, 1840-1940
 
| journal = Business and Economic History
 
| volume = 26
 
| issue = 2
 
| pages = 426–437
 
| year = 1997
 
| url = http://www.h-net.org/~business/bhcweb/publications/BEHprint/v026n2/p0426-p0437.pdf
 
| accessdate = 2009-11-17
 
}}</ref>
 
  
}}
 
  
==External links==
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{{NavboxPlace}}
{{commonscat}}
 
;Video
 
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlLdfy0aQGA The old mill at Seamill]
 
* [http://www.largshotels.com/Seamill-Hydro-Hotel-and-Spa.htm Seamill Hydro Hotel - only thing they overlook is the sea. Local knowledge hand picked for you from LargsHotels.com]
 
 
 
{{Coord|55|41|N|4|52|W|region:GB_type:city|display=title}}
 
{{North Ayrshire}}
 
  
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[[Category:Ports and harbours of Scotland]]
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[[Category:North Ayrshire]]
 
[[Category:Villages in North Ayrshire]]
 
[[Category:Villages in North Ayrshire]]
 
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[[Category:Hamlets]]
 
 
{{NorthAyrshire-geo-stub}}
 

Latest revision as of 07:45, 1 November 2015


Portencross
Port na Crois
{{{image}}}
Country

Scotland

County

North Ayrshire

Loading map...
This article is about the hamlet


Portencross viewed from its pier

Portencross is a hamlet near the village of West KilbrideFarland in North Ayrshire, Scotland. Situated about 2 miles west of Seamill and about 2 miles south of Hunterston B Nuclear Power Station, it is most famous for the 13th century Portencross Castle.

It has two harbours and a pier. The "Old Harbour" is actually a small tidal inlet next to the castle, and is part of the castle property. The larger harbour, "North Harbour", owned by the Portencross Harbour Trust, lies about 100 metres north of the castle and was the main access point for fishing activity.

The Portencross Pier was built in the era of Clyde steamer cruising but was never used as much as other locations such as Largs, Fairlie or Wemyss Bay.

Natural History[edit]

In 2014 the North Ayrshire Ranger Service carried out a survey of the plants growing on the rocky shore, whinstone dyke, saltmarsh and 'machair-like' seaside vegetation. Species recorded included sea arrowgrass; sea sandwort; scurvy-grass; common orache; sea club-rush; sea milkwort; salt mud-rush; lesser sea spurrey; cliff sand spurrey; sea aster; red bartsia; silverweed; bird's foot trefoil; sea pink/thrift; eyebright; yellow rattle; sea plantain; meadow cranesbill; purple loosetrife; pineapple weed; curled dock; scentless mayweed ; corn sowthistle; marsh thistle; lady's bedstraw; mugwort; celery-leaved crowfoot; ragged robin; yellow flag iris; parsley water-dropwort; greater woodrush; amphibious bistort; crow garlic; Japanese rose; alder; sea buckthorn; wood sage; hemlock water-dropwort ; sticky groundsel; bloody cranesbill; bracken/brake; yellow splash lichen; crab's eye lichen; sea ivory.

See also[edit]




Portencross