Kilwinning, North Ayrshire
★★
The south transept of this once great building soars high above Kilwinning town centre. The abbey was built in the 12th century as a daughter house of Kelso Abbey, with the widest medieval church in Scotland at its centre. Much of the stonework was plundered or demolished for a new church in the 1700s, but it’s still a very attractive aspect of the town and Main Street. The impressive clock tower on the northwest side is a modern (well, early 19th century!) addition, and its interior is open to the public on summer Sundays afternoons; as well as seeing the museum exhibits, you can climb the spiral stairs to see the bells, chiming mechanism and the excellent views from the roof.
Location
O.S. Grid Reference: NS 303433
GPS coordinates: 55.653329,-4.698428
Bus to Kilwinning |
Kilwinning (0.5 mi)
Car park / street parking on south side
Key info
Abbey ruins always open. Heritage centre: Easter long weekend plus Friday to Sunday afternoons, mid May to mid September
Free
Abbey: historicenvironment.scot | Heritage Centre: kilwinning.org
