Girvan
| Girvan Inbhir Gharbhain | |||
| Country | |||
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Scotland | |||
| County | |||
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South Ayrshire | |||
Girvan is a burgh in Carrick, South Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of about 6,700. It lies 21 miles south of Ayr, and 29 miles north of Stranraer, the main ferry port from Scotland to Northern Ireland.
Contents
History
Girvan was originally a fishing port. In 1668 it became a municipal burgh incorporated by charter.
The opening of the railways, initially with the Maybole and Girvan Railway at the end of the 1850s encouraged the development of Girvan as a seaside resort with beaches and cliffs. The town is now served by Girvan Railway Station.
Just north of the town is a William Grant & Sons distillery which opened in 1963. There is a Nestlé factory that manufactures chocolate that is shipped down to York and used in Kit-Kat and Yorkie bars.
Local facilities and festivals
The McKechnie Institute was endowed by a local businessman and opened in 1889.
The Girvan Folk Music Festival takes place on the first weekend of May each year. Girvan also has a folk music club.
The Lowland Gathering takes place on the first Sunday of June each year in the Victory Park in the centre of the town.
The annual Festival of Light takes place on the first Saturday in November. Its roots lie in the traditional bonfire night celebrations and the Celtic fire festival it replaced.
Nearby places of interest
Culzean Castle is about 8 miles north of the town, and the volcanic island of Ailsa Craig is visible about 10 miles offshore. Turnberry golf course and hotel are located 5 miles north of Girvan. The coastline south of Girvan is famous for its geology, and also for Sawney Bean's Cave, where the legendary murderer and cannibal Sawney Bean supposedly lived until his arrest and execution in Edinburgh.
Education and community
Girvan has its own secondary school, Girvan Academy which the majority of local children attend. Roman Catholic families have the option of Queen Margaret Academy in Ayr. The town also has a harbour.
The town's swimming pool was closed in 2009 by South Ayrshire Council, on the grounds that it had reached the end of its operational life. The building has since been demolished and the foundations have been paved over. A new pool is scheduled to start construction in January 2016, and open to the public in March 2017.
Churches
Girvan has a Roman Catholic church, "Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary" built around 1863. The Church is in Harbour Lane, situated between Louisa Drive and Henrietta Street, close to the junction with Ailsa Street West.
Girvan has two Church of Scotland congregations: Girvan North Parish Church in Montgomerie Street (with a spire over 100 feet tall) and Girvan South Parish Church.
The town's Episcopalian congregtion of St John was closed in 2014: they had been using the town's Methodist church building for services after their building became unusable in 2009.
Twin town
Torcy, Seine-et-Marne, France - in honour of a Scottish knight named Sir Thomas Huston originally from Girvan, who fought the English as part of the Auld Alliance during the Hundred Years War. Rewarding him for his bravery during the capture of Meaux in 1439, the King of France granted him the fiefdom of Torcy.
