THE PAVILION
In the early 1900s, the Earl of Eglinton and Winton had a summer residence called
the Pavilion at 1 South Crescent, later South Crescent Road, Ardrossan. It was
built at the beginning of the previous century and certainly by 1832 as evidenced
in the advertisement below from the Glasgow Herald of 6 April 1832.
The Pavilion is shown in the photographs below.
In the early 1920s, Henry Jacobs, the Pavilion caretaker was walking past the
house named Drumilly at 55 Manse Street, Saltcoats. Its owner, Michael
Reilly was working in his garden. Henry Jacobs told Michael Reilly that
the Pavilion and its grounds would soon be available for sale. Michael Reilly
abandoned his gardening tools and rushed to his office in Green Street. He telephoned
Father Patrick Ryan (1866-1929), former Parish Priest of the Church
of Our Lady, Star of the Sea, Saltcoats, then serving in Glasgow. He in
turn told Archbishop Donald Mackintosh of the Archdiocese of Glasgow of which
Ardrossan was then a part. As a direct result, the Pavilion, two lodges, stables
and walled garden in 3.4 acres of ground were sold to the Archdiocese on 30
January 1924 for £4500.
The only remains in the twenty-first century from the era of the Pavilion is
part a sandstone cottage in Pavilion Place. The cottage was bought by the Church
from the railway company. It eventually became the home of the Church caretaker.
The first caretaker was Paddy Murray (1865-1941). He was succeeded by Mick Meany
(1873-1958) who lived in the cottage with his family until the early 1950s.
The remains of the cottage, shown in the photographs below, became the back
wall of the kitchen of the Church Hall that existed from 1963 to 1997.
More photographs
of The Pavilion are on the Pictures
page.