Ardrossan - On This Day In History

[Penny Tray]

GLASGOW HERALD
8 APRIL 1880

BODY FOUND

Yesterday afternoon the body of a man in an advanced state of decomposition, was observed floating in Ardrossan Harbour, nearly opposite the pilot house.

On being taken ashore it was found that one of the arms was gone, and the flesh was off the head, so that identification was impossible.

From the clothes upon the body it is conjectured that deceased was a seaman, and probably one of the crew of the FRAM, capsized off Ailsa Craig several weeks ago.

[Penny Tray]

GLASGOW HERALD
9 APRIL 1888

FOOTBALL
ARDROSSAN ENSIGN v. DALRY
At Ardrossan

Ensign, 6; Dalry, 3.

[Penny Tray]

GLASGOW HERALD
9 APRIL 1888

NEW DOCK

During the winter months steady progress was made with the work at the new dock, Ardrossan.

The magnitude of the work will be understood when it is mentioned that the dock will be nearly ten acres in extent – considerably larger than those of Troon or Ayr; and the bottom contains a great amount of whinstone, and stone of a softer material – pure soil or clay forming a very small proportion of the stuff that has to be excavated.

Now that the weather is fine the work is being pushed on rapidly, over 1000 cubic yards of stuff being taken out daily, and considerably more than one-third of the excavation in the wet dock has now been got through.

Fair progress is also being made with the new south wall of the outer basin (now complete for more than half its entire length), which will be 180 feet in all.

The part next to the main dam is finished up to the top, and the curved wall outside Montgomerie pier is also nearly completed.

The under-pinning of the south side of the old harbour wall is done, and a start has been made with the wall on the north side.

Underneath both walls a whin dyke runs, and another dyke of a similar formation runs in a parallel line right up to the centre of the harbour or dock.

A new incline has been formed from the level of the quays done to the bottom of the dock, at a gradient of 1 in 19, up and down which three locomotives are constantly working taking out stuff. This incline has been put down with a view of minimising the danger in blasting, as it enables the contractors – Messrs Lawson of Rutherglen - to work the face in a direction away from the town.

The two main gullets in the workings – both of which are down to the finished level – in connection with the wirerope incline are now within a measurable distance of the entrance pit.

The northmost one will be through in a week or so, and the other in ten days after.

The walls of the cross jetty are rising fast, and will be up the full height in a few days; then the breadth on the top will be 80 feet.

A handsome pier is being constructed on the north side for the accommodation of the Messrs Burns’s Belfast steamers and the Arran traffic, and the new station of the Lanarkshire-Ayrshire Railway Company is being erected a little way north of the steamboat berth.

A new breakwater, 2000 feet in length, is part of the contract but has not yet been begun.

[Penny Tray]

CASUALTY OF WAR
9 APRIL 1918

THOMAS HOWIE SMITH

Killed in action, Private THOMAS HOWIE SMITH, Royal Scots Fusiliers – Theatre of war, France and Flanders – son of the late Mr and Mrs Smith, 83 Glasgow Street, Ardrossan.

[George Ardrossan]

9 APRIL

SLACKS FOR SCHOOLGIRLS
Ayrshire Education Committee settled the problem put before it by Ardrossan School Management Committee by deciding on a vote that slacks are proper dress for schoolgirls. This followed a complaint that the rector of Ardrossan Academy had instructed a senior girl in the school not to appear wearing slacks. The Committee appointed Mr Alexander W Clark, principal teacher of classics in Ardrossan Academy to the headmaster of Darvel Higher Grade School.
The Scotsman, 9 April 1947

George

[bobnetau]

9 APRIL

SLACKS FOR SCHOOLGIRLS
Ayrshire Education Committee settled the problem put before it by Ardrossan School Management Committee by deciding on a vote that slacks are proper dress for schoolgirls. This followed a complaint that the rector of Ardrossan Academy had instructed a senior girl in the school not to appear wearing slacks. The Committee appointed Mr Alexander W Clark, principal teacher of classics in Ardrossan Academy to the headmaster of Darvel Higher Grade School.
The Scotsman, 9 April 1947

George

Wish I had known about this when I got into strife for changing into my tailored slacks after school finished. I was told in no uncertain terms to change back into my uniform.

[Penny Tray]

9 APRIL

SLACKS FOR SCHOOLGIRLS
Ayrshire Education Committee settled the problem put before it by Ardrossan School Management Committee by deciding on a vote that slacks are proper dress for schoolgirls. This followed a complaint that the rector of Ardrossan Academy had instructed a senior girl in the school not to appear wearing slacks. The Committee appointed Mr Alexander W Clark, principal teacher of classics in Ardrossan Academy to the headmaster of Darvel Higher Grade School.
The Scotsman, 9 April 1947

George

Wish I had known about this when I got into strife for changing into my tailored slacks after school finished. I was told in no uncertain terms to change back into my uniform.

The following is how the Glasgow Herald reported the circumstances, also on 9 April 1947:-

"SLACKS" AS SCHOOLWEAR
AYRSHIRE DECISION

Ayrshire Education Committee yesterday discussed the wearing of "slacks" by an Ardrossan girl to which the Rector of Ardrossan Academy had taken exception.

The committee decided after two votes that "the dress of children in schools should be modest and proper," and that it was their opinion that "slacks" constitute proper dress.

The discussion arose on a complaint from the mother of a girl which had been dealt with by the local School Management Committee and later by the Teaching and Staffing Sub-Committee of the Education Committee.

The sub-committee had decided that "the head master has discretion to encourage the wearing of what in his opinion is fitting dress in his school, the liberty of the parents being safeguarded" - a decision which several members of the Education Committee said left the matter "up in the air."

Bailie Manuel, Ardrossan, who moved the motion that finally became the finding of the Education Committee, said that he believed that the mother's choice in dress should be the deciding factor not anything afftecting the tone of the school.

[Penny Tray]

GLASGOW HERALD
10 APRIL 1882

FOOTBALL
CLYDESDALE (ARDROSSAN) v. IRVINE ACADEMICALS
Played on the ground of the Seafield, Clutha Park, Ardrossan

The strangers won the toss and selecting to play with the wind in their favour, after ten minutes play scored goal No. 1, which was supplemented by a second a few minutes later. Before half-time was called, the Clydesdale registered their first goal.

In the second part, the home team scored other two goals.

The match was thus terminated in favour of Clydesdale by three goals to two.

[Penny Tray]

GLASGOW HERALD
10 APRIL 1924

NEW VESSEL

The Ardrossan Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Company launched on Tuesday the cattle and cargo steamer LISMORE, which they have built for the City of Cork Steam Packet Company.

The vessel is 590 tons gross, 185 feet in length between perpendiculars, 31 feet in moulded breadth, 13 feet 6 inches in depth moulded to upper deck and 21 feet 6 inches to bridge deck. She is of the pop bridge and forecastle deck type, and accommodation is provided for six saloon passengers in amidship deck house.

The machinery is being supplied by John G. Kincaid & Company, Greenock.

[Penny Tray]

GLASGOW HERALD
10 APRIL 1889

MUNICIPAL MEETING – ARDROSSAN

At the meeting of the Commissioners on Monday night – Provost Hogarth presiding – it was stated that owing to the difficulty experienced in adjusting the contract as to repairs on the gas works, a formal specification had been prepared.

The game of football was prohibited on the new public park.

It was remitted to the Works Committee to re-arrange the slaughter-house dues, and to appoint a man as caretaker thereof.

It was agreed to effect an improvement on the coal store at the gas work at a cost of about £40.

The medical officer’s report showed the town to be in a healthy condition. There were 21 deaths during the quarter – 16 males and 5 females. The death rate is 18 per 1000 of the population per annum, as compared with 27 per 1000 same quarter last year.

[Penny Tray]

LAUNCH AT ARDROSSAN
11 APRIL 1876

THE LOCHRANZA CASTLE

The wooden schooner LOCHRANZA CASTLE – 79 feet in length, 21 feet in breadth, and 9 feet in depth – built by Barclay, Robertson & Company, Ardrossan, for Kerr & Company, Lochranza, was launched on the above date.

[Further details of this vessel, including one photograph, are contained in the following link:-

https://www.clydeships.co.uk/view.php?y ... NZA+CASTLE

[Penny Tray]

CASUALTY OF WAR
11 APRIL 1918

JOHN MacDOWALL

Killed in action, Lance Corporal JOHN MacDOWALL, South African Infantry – Theatre of war, France and Flanders – third son of Mrs and the late Mr David MacDowall, ‘Mayfield’, North Crescent, Ardrossan.