Turnberry is a small
village situated about 16
miles south of Ayr. The
lighthouse at Turnberry is
built on the spot where
there used to be a castle,
believed to be where
Scotland's most famous
king, Robert the Bruce, was
born.
The Monument by the
Lighthouse, is in
honour of British, United
States and Australian
servicemen that lost their
lives while at the
Turnberry School of Aerial
Gunnery & Fighting
during the two World
Wars.
Turnberry Castle was one
of the oldest buildings in
Carrick, dating back as far
as the 1100s. It was the
seat of the ancient Earls
of Carrick, one founded
Crossraguel Abbey, and
another, Robert the Bruce,
became King of Scotland. It
is unclear if Robert the
Bruce was born at Turnberry
Castle or at Loch Maben,
but most historians believe
he was born at
Turnberry.
The golf course was laid
out in 1901 by Troon
professional Willie Fernie
for Archibald Kennedy (3rd
Marquess of Ailsa). The
course was soon taken over
by the Glasgow and South
Western Railway, a company
looking to set up the first
golf resorts. Turnberry
Hotel opened in 1906 as the
first golf resort of its
kind.
This golf resort is
still regarded by many as
the finest in Scotland. A
light railway between
Alloway, Turnberry and
Girvan was completed in
1905, with the main purpose
of carrying golfers from
all over the UK to the
resort. The rail line was
closed in 1942. The
architect James Miller
designed the hotel on a
plateau overlooking the
golf course.
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