| Prestwick | |
| Scottish Gaelic: Preastabhaig | |
| Scots: Preswick | |
|
Prestwick
Prestwick shown within South Ayrshire |
|
| Population | 14,934 (2001) |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | NS349255 |
| Parish | Monkton and Prestwick |
| Council area | South Ayrshire |
| Lieutenancy area | Ayrshire and Arran |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | PRESTWICK |
| Postcode district | KA9 |
| Dialling code | 01292 |
| Police | Strathclyde |
| Fire | Strathclyde |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | Central Ayrshire |
| Scottish Parliament | Ayr |
| List of places: UK • Scotland • | |
Prestwick (Scots: Preswick,[1] Scottish Gaelic: Preastabhaig)[2] is a town in South Ayrshire on the south-west coast of Scotland, about 30 miles (48 km) south-west of Glasgow. It adjoins the larger town of Ayr, the centre of which is about 2 miles (3 km) south. It had a population of 14,934 as of the 2001 census.
The town is served by Glasgow Prestwick Airport, which serves many European destinations as well as transatlantic and other international cargo flights.
The town was the first home of the Open Golf Championship, which was played on the Prestwick Old Course from 1860 to 1872.[3][4]
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Prestwick lies on the south-west coast of Scotland, approximately 30 miles (48 km) to the south west of Glasgow. It adjoins the larger town of Ayr, the centre of which is approximately 2 miles (3 km) south. To the north of Prestwick is the small village of Monkton.
Prestwick's name comes from the Old English for, priest's farm: preost meaning "priest" and wic meaning "farm". The town was originally an outlying farm of a religious house.
From Robert the Bruce to James VI, King of Scots, numerous Kings have traversed the coastal walks in and around Prestwick and Troon. Bruce is reputed to have been cured of leprosy by the waters of the well at St Ninians church. The well still exists behind the church.
Although it has been a Burgh of Barony for over a thousand years, it was a village until after the railway arrived in the 1840s and the middle class from Glasgow started to build large houses along the coast.
On 28 August 1944 a United States Army Air Force, Douglas C-54 Skymaster 42-72171 on approach into Glasgow Prestwick Airport in bad weather crashed into a residential area of Prestwick, killing all 20 passengers and crew and five people on the ground.
Glasgow Prestwick International Airport, formerly Prestwick International Airport, was an important transatlantic gateway from the 1930s through World War II. The US Air Force had a base at the airport, and Elvis Presley set foot in the UK for the only time there in 1960, when his US Army transport aircraft stopped for refuelling en route from Germany.[5][6] Though a period of sharp decline in the 1980s and 1990s saw it lose its status as Scotland's primary transatlantic airport, Prestwick continues to handle many US military flights. In July 2005, the airport was the main transport hub for world leaders attending the G8 conference in Gleneagles.
The airport now caters to a number of low-cost airlines, including Ryanair and Wizz Air. In addition, BAE Systems, Goodrich Corporation, Spirit AeroSystems and GE Aircraft Engines have maintenance/manufacturing facilities adjacent to the airfield. Ryanair also has maintenance facilities at Prestwick. These facilities have been vastly improved over the years.
Prestwick also has a Royal Navy Air Station, also known as HMS Gannet, where Sea King search and rescue helicopters are stationed. Prestwick is also a major air traffic control centre, with both the Scottish Air Traffic Control Centre (controlling 70% of UK airspace) and Prestwick Oceanic Area Control Centre (Shanwick Oceanic Control - responsible for air traffic over the eastern half of the North Atlantic) located at the NATS owned 'Scottish and Oceanic Area Control Centre'.
Prestwick is on the Ayrshire Coast Line between Glasgow Central and Ayr. Two trains per hour call at both Prestwick Town and Prestwick Airport stations. Glasgow is approximately 50 minutes from Prestwick by rail. The line continues south to the port of Stranraer on the Wigtownshire coast, but a change of trains at Ayr is usually required.
The bus routes that run through Prestwick are usually ran by Stagecoach Western including an express service to and from Glasgow known as the "X77".
The A79 road runs directly through the town, and is normally reached from the A77 trunk road between Glasgow and Stranraer, or from the A78 Ayrshire coastal route to Largs and Greenock.
The remains of the old parish church are located near Prestwick railway station. Thought to have originally been built in the 12th century, the small church building is now a ruin, and is surrounded by an ancient graveyard. Andrew Strath, "Keeper of the Green" at Prestwick Golf Club in the 1860s, is buried in the cemetery.
Prestwick has a 1-mile (1.6 km) long esplanade alongside Prestwick Bay, part of the Firth of Clyde. It has two children's playgrounds. At the north end Kid'zplay, an indoor activity centre, can be found next to the large play-area that was formerly a large open air swimming pool. Parallel to the esplanade is a line of large houses overlooking Arran.
The Prestwick Old Course hosted the first Open Golf Championship in 1860. The first twelve Open Championships were played there, from 1860 to 1872. (the Championship was not played in 1871).[3][4] The town also hosts two other golf courses, St. Nicholas and St. Cuthberts. St. Nicholas is a traditional links course south of the town.
The Shaw Monument stands on the high ground overlooking Prestwick Airport.
Prestwick census locality has a population of 14,934;[7] the civil parish of Monkton and Prestwick has a population of 14,261.[8]
Prestwick lies within the South Ayrshire council area.
Prestwick is geographically split into two main areas by the Main Street running parallel to the railway line. Most people live on the east side of Main Street. Here there is a mixture of council and private housing. The main neighbourhoods on the east of the Main Street are Shawfarm, Marchburn, Glenburn, Powmill, Kingcase, Moorfield and East Road/Kings Meadow. On the west side of the Main Street is a mixture of privately owned, rented and hotel/B & B accommodation.
| Climate data for Prestwick Airport | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 6.7 (44.1) |
7.0 (44.6) |
8.6 (47.5) |
11.0 (51.8) |
14.6 (58.3) |
16.6 (61.9) |
18.3 (64.9) |
18.1 (64.6) |
15.7 (60.3) |
12.7 (54.9) |
9.3 (48.7) |
7.5 (45.5) |
12.18 (53.92) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 1.6 (34.9) |
1.7 (35.1) |
2.8 (37.0) |
3.9 (39.0) |
6.2 (43.2) |
9.0 (48.2) |
11.2 (52.2) |
11.0 (51.8) |
9.2 (48.6) |
6.7 (44.1) |
3.7 (38.7) |
2.3 (36.1) |
5.78 (42.40) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 97.3 (3.831) |
71.1 (2.799) |
80.4 (3.165) |
51.7 (2.035) |
51.0 (2.008) |
56.7 (2.232) |
70.0 (2.756) |
83.0 (3.268) |
101.5 (3.996) |
112.9 (4.445) |
105.4 (4.15) |
103.5 (4.075) |
984.5 (38.76) |
| Sunshine hours | 44.3 | 66.1 | 91.5 | 143.7 | 198.4 | 178.5 | 167.4 | 152.8 | 118.2 | 86.2 | 57.3 | 37.8 | 1,342.2 |
| Source: The Met Office | |||||||||||||
Prestwick has four schools, three primary and one secondary, one of which is a denominational school, serving Prestwick and north of Prestwick. The schools are:
Prestwick Academy is a secondary school fed by all these primary schools. St. Ninian's pupils can go on to Queen Margaret Academy or Prestwick Academy. The primary schools in the outlying villages of Monkton and Symington also 'feed' the secondary school.
Prestwick is twinned with:
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