Skelmorlie

Skelmorlie is a village in the Scottish Unitary Authority North Ayrshire.

Geography

Skelmorlie is the northernmost town in North Ayrshire. It is bordered to the north directly to Wemyss Bay, Inverclyde, from which it is separated only by the river of Kelly Burn. The coastal town located approximately 32 km north- west of Irvine, and 40 km west of Glasgow on the south shore of the Firth of Clyde. After a narrow, flat shoreline landscape is rapidly increasing, so that large parts of the town, in particular the district of Upper Skelmorlie have a slope.

History

South of Skelmorlie is the castle, built around 1500 Skelmorlie Castle, which was a long time in hand of the clan Montgomery. The village grew with the construction of a spa hotel in 1868. The plant was expanded in 1875 to a Turkish bath, a salt water bath and further bathrooms. Both the SPA and the nearby villas were built in an elevated position on a slope, while workers dwellings arose near the shore. 1895, the neo-Gothic sandstone church Skelmorlie Parish Church was built to a design by architect John Honeyman. One, designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh lamp in front of the church is listed as a monument of the highest category A Scottish.

Traffic

Skelmorlie is located just off the A78, which connects Greenock to Prestwick. The village does not have its own railway station. Just north of the city limits, however, is the Wemyss Bay Railway Station, which was opened in 1865 as the terminus of the Greenock and Wemyss Bay Railway. Today Wemyss Bay is the terminus of the Inverclyde Line of First ScotRail, which links the region to the city of Glasgow. At the train station is adjacent to a ferry dock, which the ferry between Wemyss Bay and Rothesay on the island of Bute regularly served. The Glasgow International Airport is located approximately 28 km to the east.