Prestwick Information

Prestwick is located on the West Coast of Scotland, has existed for over 1,000 years and is the oldest Royal Burgh in Scotland. It is situated on a wide bay, with a wonderful view out to the Isle of Arran. It is a beautiful place to visit, with huge skies, a great beach, and some wild weather.

The Bathing Lake used to be a great draw for visitors, between May and September. It had twin copper domes and a bow-fronted façade, was 33 yards wide and 100 yards long, and held an impressive 985,000 gallons of sea water. It could accommodate 1,200 bathers, and had dressing rooms for all of them! They did not seem to mind the cool temperature of the water – which rarely went above 47°F!. It could also seat 4,000 spectators and so was the venue for many swimming galas, as well as firework displays and mannequin parades. The Bathing Beauty Competition was, of course, very popular! Entrants came from all over the UK, hoping to win the generous prize. The Lake was closed when it became too expensive to maintain, and it was demolished.

A tourist book dating back to 1937 says that Prestwick has ‘plenty of comfortable accommodation at varying charges, is easy of access by rail or road, and is undeniably a good place for a holiday'. In its heyday, it was very popular with visitors, and many people from Glasgow would come here for their holidays. The Glasgow Fair was the annual summer holiday for people from that city, and they would flock here – this was as recently as the 1960s.
There are some historical attractions for today's visitor. The oldest ruin is St Nicholas's church. Next to St Ninian's church lies Bruce's Well. Robert the Bruce suffered from a skin disease, and visited this well to drink its water, which was renowned for its healing properties, in the hope that it would help his skin to heal.

You can see the Salt Pan Buildings, where salt was extracted from sea water to cure and preserve food. The Freeman's Building was built in 1844, and was a meeting place for the Freemen of the Burgh. It is now the location of the registrar's office, for weddings and so on. Wander round the town and you will see the Mercat Cross (near the main Post Office), and the War Memorial.
But perhaps one of the major attractions in Prestwick these days is its golf course, and it's a very popular place for golfers wanting to play in all weathers. Prestwick Golf Club was established in 1851, when a group of golfers met in the Red Lion Hotel. The first Open Golf Championship was played at the club in 1860 – it was won by Wullie Park.

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