Barony St John Regeneration Project
Donation protected
The Barony St. John church buildings in Ardrossan, Scotland, are not only architecturally iconic but also historically significant in many ways. Designed by Glasgow architects Black and Salmon (1843 to c.1854) it is worth noting that James Salmon remains one of Glasgow’s most accomplished architects of the 19th Century - responsible for the design of a number of church buildings throughout the West of Scotland.
Work started on the church building in April 1844 and, remarkably, the church was built and operational by December the same year – only eight months later. Originally named The New Ardrossan Parish Church, it could accommodate up to 1,200 parishioners and it became Scotland’s first ever “quoad sacra” (“concerning sacred matters only”) church in 1851 following the introduction of the New Parishes (Scotland) Act of 1844.
The hall building was then added in 1887 and in 1889 the main church was extended to the rear as an organ was added and both buildings were connected via a corridor. By 1929 the church had changed its name to The Barony Church and it remained as such until 1985 when St. John's Church and The Barony united to become the Barony St. John Church.
Having fallen into disrepair, the Category “B” Listed buildings were sold to Alan Bell of The Scottish Centre for Personal Safety - a registered charity - in 2014. Throughout 2015, the charity renovated parts of the hall building with the help of volunteers and opened to the public in August 2016.
In 2017, the charity commissioned a Feasibility Study to decide what the main church building could be used for. Over 400 local residents took part in street and online surveys and the consensus was that the building should be turned into an Events Centre.
Buoyed by the support from the local community, The Barony St. John Regeneration Project was born and the project team, led by consultants and Coltart Earley Architecture, looked at how the regeneration of the church buildings could also aid the regeneration of Ardrossan and the Three Towns area.
In their heyday, Ardrossan and Saltcoats were famous as seaside towns - attracting throngs of visitors from Glasgow and surrounding areas as well as further afield.
Nowadays, North Ayrshire, which includes the “Three Towns” of Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston has a population of over 33,000 people and ranks amongst the highest unemployment levels in the UK (10.8% compared with the UK average of 4.8%).
This profile has led to a variety of policy and development activities to regenerate the town and wider area including an Ardrossan Town Centre Regeneration Plan; a £13 million investment programme for the Ardrossan harbour area; North Ayrshire Council’s Economic Development and Regeneration Strategy 2016-2025; and the Ayrshire Growth Deal, which seeks to ensure that all communities, including the Three Towns, benefit from successful economic development.
We aim to aid that regeneration.
An Events Centre would be able to host a variety of attractions including:
• live bands
• plays
• sporting events
• art exhibitions
• conferences
• weddings and much more...
All of which would bring visitors to the area, perhaps visiting local shops and restaurants and spending a few nights in the Three Towns.
And let’s not forget, there is currently no other venue like this in North Ayrshire - so people are likely to travel to see a good band, a large sporting event or a major exhibition.
Additionally, a William Wallace Visitor Centre would attract tourists and local visitors alike. Every year, one million tourists travel to the Isle of Arran from Ardrossan's ferry terminal. We'd like some of those tourists to think about spending more time in Ardrossan - and the development of a William Wallace attraction is the perfect opportunity.
Finally, the addition of temporary accommodation within the hall building would allow The Scottish Centre for Personal Safety to advertise residential courses to the various groups they cater for as well as providing accommodation for wedding guests and visitors to the various events taking place in the adjoining church building.
So far, we have a theatre production company keen to use our finished Events Centre as a venue for their performances; we have established connections with Glasgow events venues Oran Mor and St. Luke’s to become part of a “circuit’ for bands and performers; we have had the “Spirit of Wallace” statue (which was situated at the William Wallace Monument in Stirling for over a decade) donated to us and commissioned a replica of his sword for our William Wallace Visitor Centre and we already have a variety of youth groups who sleep on our hall floor because there is no available accommodation in Ardrossan for their outdoor activities.
All of the above highlight the need and the want for the Barony St. John Events and Visitor Centre.
BUT... it won’t happen without YOUR help!
The entire project will cost £2.6 million so we need YOU to please share this campaign with as many people as possible and donate whatever you can - such as the price of a cup of coffee, £5, £10 or more. If you have a business then maybe you would like to part-sponsor the project and donate a larger sum? If so, we'd love to hear from you!
Wouldn’t it be great to have YOUR wedding here? Or come to see your favourite band play here? Or to experience the seaside town and relax in our accommodation and cafe area? Or maybe to work here – because we'll need a variety of staff to help make the venue a success.
So, please make a donation today and help us to save this iconic building. Many thanks for any and all of your help.
Sláinte!
#SavetheBarony
Work started on the church building in April 1844 and, remarkably, the church was built and operational by December the same year – only eight months later. Originally named The New Ardrossan Parish Church, it could accommodate up to 1,200 parishioners and it became Scotland’s first ever “quoad sacra” (“concerning sacred matters only”) church in 1851 following the introduction of the New Parishes (Scotland) Act of 1844.
The hall building was then added in 1887 and in 1889 the main church was extended to the rear as an organ was added and both buildings were connected via a corridor. By 1929 the church had changed its name to The Barony Church and it remained as such until 1985 when St. John's Church and The Barony united to become the Barony St. John Church.
Having fallen into disrepair, the Category “B” Listed buildings were sold to Alan Bell of The Scottish Centre for Personal Safety - a registered charity - in 2014. Throughout 2015, the charity renovated parts of the hall building with the help of volunteers and opened to the public in August 2016.
In 2017, the charity commissioned a Feasibility Study to decide what the main church building could be used for. Over 400 local residents took part in street and online surveys and the consensus was that the building should be turned into an Events Centre.
Buoyed by the support from the local community, The Barony St. John Regeneration Project was born and the project team, led by consultants and Coltart Earley Architecture, looked at how the regeneration of the church buildings could also aid the regeneration of Ardrossan and the Three Towns area.
In their heyday, Ardrossan and Saltcoats were famous as seaside towns - attracting throngs of visitors from Glasgow and surrounding areas as well as further afield.
Nowadays, North Ayrshire, which includes the “Three Towns” of Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston has a population of over 33,000 people and ranks amongst the highest unemployment levels in the UK (10.8% compared with the UK average of 4.8%).
This profile has led to a variety of policy and development activities to regenerate the town and wider area including an Ardrossan Town Centre Regeneration Plan; a £13 million investment programme for the Ardrossan harbour area; North Ayrshire Council’s Economic Development and Regeneration Strategy 2016-2025; and the Ayrshire Growth Deal, which seeks to ensure that all communities, including the Three Towns, benefit from successful economic development.
We aim to aid that regeneration.
An Events Centre would be able to host a variety of attractions including:
• live bands
• plays
• sporting events
• art exhibitions
• conferences
• weddings and much more...
All of which would bring visitors to the area, perhaps visiting local shops and restaurants and spending a few nights in the Three Towns.
And let’s not forget, there is currently no other venue like this in North Ayrshire - so people are likely to travel to see a good band, a large sporting event or a major exhibition.
Additionally, a William Wallace Visitor Centre would attract tourists and local visitors alike. Every year, one million tourists travel to the Isle of Arran from Ardrossan's ferry terminal. We'd like some of those tourists to think about spending more time in Ardrossan - and the development of a William Wallace attraction is the perfect opportunity.
Finally, the addition of temporary accommodation within the hall building would allow The Scottish Centre for Personal Safety to advertise residential courses to the various groups they cater for as well as providing accommodation for wedding guests and visitors to the various events taking place in the adjoining church building.
So far, we have a theatre production company keen to use our finished Events Centre as a venue for their performances; we have established connections with Glasgow events venues Oran Mor and St. Luke’s to become part of a “circuit’ for bands and performers; we have had the “Spirit of Wallace” statue (which was situated at the William Wallace Monument in Stirling for over a decade) donated to us and commissioned a replica of his sword for our William Wallace Visitor Centre and we already have a variety of youth groups who sleep on our hall floor because there is no available accommodation in Ardrossan for their outdoor activities.
All of the above highlight the need and the want for the Barony St. John Events and Visitor Centre.
BUT... it won’t happen without YOUR help!
The entire project will cost £2.6 million so we need YOU to please share this campaign with as many people as possible and donate whatever you can - such as the price of a cup of coffee, £5, £10 or more. If you have a business then maybe you would like to part-sponsor the project and donate a larger sum? If so, we'd love to hear from you!
Wouldn’t it be great to have YOUR wedding here? Or come to see your favourite band play here? Or to experience the seaside town and relax in our accommodation and cafe area? Or maybe to work here – because we'll need a variety of staff to help make the venue a success.
So, please make a donation today and help us to save this iconic building. Many thanks for any and all of your help.
Sláinte!
#SavetheBarony
Organizer
Alan Bell
Organizer
Scotland
