Heritage museum plans

We have read with interest the correspondence in this week’s Ayrshire Post, especially the letter from Norman McLean, Chairman of Fort, Seafield & Wallacetown Community Council headed “Educate our Children”, advocating a Museum of Slavery and Curling Museum at Rozelle, and suggestinglocating South Ayrshire Council paintings at the old Ayr Grammar School.

Whilst this is an admirable suggestion, we would advocate a much more wide-ranging and ambitious approach to educating our children, with the development of Ayr Grammar School as an Ayrshire Heritage Museum.

Ayrshire has one of the richest historical heritages of all Scotland’s Shires. It should be a great sadness to us all, that the historic county town of Ayr is the only county town inScotland that has no public museum in which to display its own heritage.

Such a museum wouldembrace our people’s voyage from the Ice Age, through the Bronze Age and Celtic Iron Age, Roman, Irish, Viking, Norman and English invasions, and explore our Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions with their farming, weaving, coal mining, fishing, shipping trade, shipbuilding, and engineering histories - as well as our connection with the Slave Trade.

To this end, in December 2018, Ayr Rotary Club became aware that the historic Ayr Grammar School was scheduled for closure on 2020. With its excellent town centre location and spacious classrooms, the club recognised that it might be able to continue with its 150-year tradition of education of our children as a modern, inter-active, Ayrshire Heritage Museum - and a superb, vital tourist asset.

After an initial approach to South Ayrshire Council leaders, we established a strong Steering Group of local people with expert knowledge, and got approval to go ahead to explore the feasibility of such a project.

We were advised by the Council Estates department that, as a valuable council asset, the school might well be developed for luxury flats.

We believe that this town centre location is a huge social and cultural asset, and we wish to not only preserve this asset but also to give it a second lease of life as a valuable educational and tourist attraction.

The council has advised us that, if we put forward a sound social and cultural proposal for an Ayrshire Heritage Museum, there was a possibility the site could be purchased under the Community Asset Transfer Scheme.

Unfortunately, just as we were about to proceed with a school inspection visit, the COVID lock-down arrived, most council staff dispersed to work from home, and progress has not been possible.

In view of the recent correspondence from Fort, Seafield & Wallacetown Community Council we now feel it is time to publicise our proposals, and to seek the views and support of the Ayrshire people for this ambitious project as it will need considerable expert input, and financial backing from generous benefactors and grant sources if it is to succeed.

We already have strong support from the Civic Society, the Archaeology & Natural History Society, and a number other interest groups, and would be delighted to hear from all other interested individuals or groups would like to offer their expertise or financial support towards establishing the Ayrshire Heritage Museum. Brian Heddle, Ayr

Iona McDonald OBE (Chair), Ieuan Isaac, (P/President Ayr Rotary Club), Dr James Begg MBE (Sec.)