Four families have lived at Blairquhan. The McWhirters built the first tower-house in about 1346.
Through marriage they were succeeded by the Kennedys, who built a large regular front south west of the tower in 1573. In the early 17th century, the Whitefoords took over, but in 1798, suffering from the effects of the Ayr Bank crash, they sold Blairquhan to the Trustees of Sir David Hunter Blair.
About Blairquhan
Blair was a member of a cadet branch of the Hunters of Hunterston, related, through his mother, to the Kennedys of Blairquhan. With the old castle having become ruinous, he commissioned the Scottish architect William Burn to design a new house, slightly north of the old one, and, between 1821 and 1824, it was built. All the furniture was originally supplied by Morrison, of Ayr.
The Local Area
Blairquhan is extremely well situated for enjoying a game of golf on one of the famous South Ayrshire links courses.
The two Open venues of Turnberry and Troon are within 35 minutes' drive. At Prestwick, 30 minutes away, there took place the first 16 Open Championships in the world. There are also two interesting local courses at Maybole and Girvan.
Robert Burns, Scotland’s National Poet, was born at nearby Alloway. Explore Burns Cottage and Museum, Burns Monument, the Brig o’Doon and haunted Alloway Kirk and relax at the Tam o’Shanter Experience Visitor Centre.
Location
Blairquhan is 50 miles south of Glasgow and Glasgow International Airport. Edinburgh and Edinburgh Airport are less than 100 miles away. Prestwick International Airport is 15 miles away, with frequent flights to London, Dublin, Brussels, Paris, Frankfurt and many other destinations, the number of which is rapidly increasing.
There is a half-hourly train service from Glasgow to Ayr, 14 miles away. Maybole station is 7 miles distant. No more than 70 minutes to the east is the fast M74 Motorway/Dual Carriageway which links the M6 with Glasgow. It takes 4.5 hours to drive to Blairquhan from Manchester.
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