Ardros'an

Ardros'an, a seaport and watering-place in Ayrshire, 1 mile WNW. of Saltcoats, and 32 miles SW. of Glasgow by rail. It owes its rise to Hugh, Earl of Eglinton, who began the formation of the present town and harbour in 1806, and who planned magnificent works, and spent vast sums in striving to make this the port of Glasgow. Suspended in 1815, these works were resumed in 1833, and now the harbour, which is sheltered by an islet, is one of the safest and most accessible on the west coast of Scotland. A new dock was made in 1887-92. The chief exports are coal and pig-iron; the chief imports, timber, grain, limestone, and iron ore. On a hill above the town stands a fragment of Ardrossan Castle, said to have been surprised by Wallace, who slew its English garrison, and threw the dead bodies into a dungeon called 'Wallace's Larder.' Pop. (1881) 4036; (1891) 5210.