Copyright photograph and text Gerald England.

Gerald England from Cheshire has kindly agreed for s1fairlie to post the wonderful story here of how he finally traced an intriguing photo he took in 1967 to Fairlie. He recounts it on his blog:

I posted this picture of Fairlie, Ayrshire on my website a few years ago. That page recalls how I originally thought the photograph was of Brodick on Arran and how I traced the actual locality of the scene. It includes a recent (2004) picture by someone from North Ayrshire Council.

I've had a number of responses since from people who were once connected with the area.

This is the original entry on Gerald's website:

Fairlie not Arran 1967

In the late 60s I lived in Glasgow. Much of my free time was spent travelling around and taking photographs with my new Kodak Instamatic camera, bought for the princely sum of £5 from a shop on Sauchiehall Street.

I especially enjoyed travelling on the train to Helensburgh or Gourock and "gooin' doon the waters" - sailing in the Firth of Clyde. I recall one evening taking the train to Ardrossan and sailing over to Brodick. With just about half an hour ashore, there was time only to take a short walk and a few quick pictures.

A few years ago I started putting a selection of these old pictures on my website at Old Scotland, including the one above which was labelled "Brodick, 1967".

I was later informed by someone who has lived in Brodick all her life that the photograph is not of Brodick. I went back and looked at my original photographs and had three with "Brodick 1967" scribbled on the back in pencil, and another labelled "Arran". I presented these here in the hope that someone would recognise something in the photographs and confirm the locations.

A number of people said the photograph reminded them of Brodick but sources on Arran stated quite firmly that it wasn't.

Someone then suggested that the photograph might be of Fairlie. He recalled sailing to Brodick from Ardrossan in 1968 but the return ferry landed at Fairlie.

I found a photograph of Fairlie Church on an Ayrshire genealogical site and it looked very similar to the one in my photograph. I was unable to contact the site-owner for verification, but finally got in touch with North Ayrshire Council and a spokesman for the Estates Office told me:

"I have checked your Photo on your web site. It was taken from the old pier in Fairlie looking back towards the village. I have double checked this against our old plans. My colleague informs me that Fife racing yachts were built in the small boat construction yards in front of the church."

I have since been told that the boat shed in front of the church was one of two where William Fife built yachts but the larger racing yachts were built at another shed which stood to the left of where the photo was taken this was also adjacent to the railway station. James Bunting from West Kilbride and his company Maricraft Scotland Ltd continued to build boats from this very yard for a period of time.

Do you have photos or stories from fairlie's past that you can share here? Why not start your very own Area & History page!