Ayr

Ayr is a large town and former Royal Burgh on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire Council area and historic county town of Ayrshire. Ayr is currently the most populated settlement in Ayrshire and is the 12th most populous settlement in Scotland. The town adjoins the smaller town of Prestwick to the north, forming a single continuous urban area with the town.Ayr was established as a Royal Burgh in 1205, serving as Ayrshire's central marketplace and harbour throughout the Medieval Period and remaining a well-renowned port across the Early Modern Period. On the southern bank of the River Ayr sits the ramparts of a Citadel constructed by Oliver Cromwell's men during the mid-17th Century. Towards the south of the town is the birthplace of Scottish poet Robert Burns in the suburb of Alloway. Ayr has remained a popular tourist resort since the expansion of the railway in 1840 due to the town's attractive fine beach and its links to golfing and Robert Burns.Politically, Ayr is considerably more Conservative-voting than the remainder of Scotland, being represented by a Conservative MP continuously for a period of 91 years – from 1906 (as part of the Ayr Burghs constituency) until 1997. The town forms part of the Ayr constituency in the Scottish Parliament, the first Conservative constituency seat in the Parliament, which has been represented by Conservative MSP John Scott since a by-election in 2000. In the UK Parliament, Ayr is situated within the Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock constituency which has been represented by Conservative MP Bill Grant since the 2017 general election.