Saltcoats ( gd, Baile an t-Salainn) is a town on the west coast of

North Ayrshire North Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Àir a Tuath, ) is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. The council area borders Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire to the northeast, and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the east an ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

. The name is derived from the town's earliest industry when salt was harvested from the sea water of the

Firth of Clyde The Firth of Clyde is the mouth of the River Clyde. It is located on the west coast of Scotland and constitutes the deepest coastal waters in the British Isles (it is 164 metres deep at its deepest). The firth is sheltered from the Atlantic ...

, carried out in small cottages along the shore. It is part of the ' Three Towns' conurbation along with Ardrossan and

Stevenston Stevenston ( sco, Steenstoun, gd, Baile Steaphain) is a town and parish in North Ayrshire, Scotland. Along with Ardrossan and Saltcoats it is one of the " Three Towns", all of similar size, on the Firth of Clyde coast; the easternmost parts ...

and is the third largest town in North Ayrshire.

History

In the late eighteenth century, several shipyards operated at Saltcoats, producing some sixty to seventy ships. The leading shipbuilder was William Ritchie, but in 1790 he moved his business to Belfast. By the early nineteenth century, the town had stopped producing ships. Saltcoats Town Hall, which dates back to 1826, is a Category B

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

. In 2018, a statue to commemorate the popular football Bobby Lennox, from the town, was constructed across from the main station.

Governance

Saltcoats is part of the North Ayrshire and Arran constituency in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

and Cunninghame North constituency in the devolved

Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holy ...

. Both seats are held by the

Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party (SNP; sco, Scots National Pairty, gd, Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic political party in Scotland. The SNP supports and campaigns for Scottish independence from ...

. Historically, Ardrossan has been part of the UK parliament constituencies

(1868–1918), Bute and Northern Ayrshire (1918–1983) and Cunninghame North (1983–2005). These constituencies historically returned

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

or Unionist MPs until 1987, when the constituency was won by the Labour Party.

Transport

The harbour was designed by James Jardine in 1811, however no cargo or passenger services run from the harbour any more. Saltcoats is served by regular bus and railway services. Primary bus services are provided by Stagecoach West Scotland, while rail services are operated by

ScotRail ScotRail Trains Limited, trading as ScotRail ( gd, Rèile na h-Alba), is a Scottish train operating company that is publicly owned by Scottish Rail Holdings on behalf of the Scottish Government. It has been operating the ScotRail franchise ...

. These rail services are frequent and serve nearby Glasgow, as well as Largs, Ardrossan and Kilwinning. Although Saltcoats currently only has a single railway station, the town was once served by a second railway station located in the north of the town, originally as part of the Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway. This station ceased regular passenger services on 4 July 1932, and there is no trace of the station today bar a nearby bridge.

Notable people

* Alexander Allan, founder of the Allan Line Royal Mail Steamers * Andrew Allan of the Allan Line Royal Mail Steamers * Sir Hugh Allan, of the Allan Line Royal Mail Steamers *

George Biagi George Biagi (born 4 October 1985 in Irvine, Scotland) is a retired Italy international rugby union. He represented Italy on 23 occasions. He was born in Scotland to Scots/Italian father and an Italian mother and later went to Italy to study. ...

, Italian national rugby player * William Burns, historian * Kenneth Campbell, recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

Steve Clarke ''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen Notable people with the name include: steve jops * Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people * Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people * Steve ...

, professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

Hamish Fraser Hamish Fraser (16 August 1913 – 17 October 1986)'Edinburgh University Students in Spain', ''Archives @ University of Edinburgh''. http://libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk/edinburghuniversityarchives/2016/12/, December 2016. Accessed 31 December 2018. was ...

, former communist, traditionalist Catholic writer and local councillor *

Janice Galloway Janice Galloway (born 1955 in Saltcoats, Scotland) is a Scottish writer of novels, short stories, prose-poetry, non-fiction and libretti. Biography She is the second daughter of James Galloway and Janet Clark McBride. Her parents separated whe ...

, author * Michael Garrett, first Sir Bernard Lovell chair in astrophysics, Director of

Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics The Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Manchester, is among the largest astrophysics groups in the UK. It includes the Jodrell Bank Observatory, the MERLIN/VLBI National Facility, and the Jodrell Bank Visitor Centre. Th ...

Colin Hay Colin James Hay (born 29 June 1953) is a Scottish-Australian musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He came to prominence as the lead vocalist and the sole continuous member of the band Men at Work, and later as a solo artist. Hay's music h ...

, musician, singer-songwriter, leader of Men at Work *

Al Howie Arthur "Al" Howie (September 16, 1945 – June 21, 2016) was a Canadian long-distance runner who won more than fifty marathons, ultramarathons, and multiday races in over two decades, including the 1991 Trans Canada Highway run (7295 kilometers) i ...

, long-distance runner * Bobby Lennox, professional

* James Manson, engineer * Hugh McMahon, professional

Betsy Miller Elizabeth Miller (1792–1864) was a Scottish merchant. She has been referred to as the first female sea captain in Great Britain. She was the daughter of the successful timber merchant and shipowner William Miller from Saltcoats on the Ayrshire c ...

, sea captain * Hugh Munro, author * Graeme Obree, cyclist * Robert Thornton, professional darts player

References

External links

Video footage and history of the old Saltcoats HarbourVideo footage of the 1678 Auchenharvie coalfield drain aditVideo footage and history of the old open air poolsThe railway between Saltcoats and Stevenston

the3towns.comThreetownersSaltcoatsCommunityCouncilIrvine Bay
{{Portal, Scotland Seaside resorts in Scotland Towns in North Ayrshire Firth of Clyde Ardrossan−Saltcoats−Stevenston Populated coastal places in Scotland