Civic Centre, Glasgow Street 5A                                                                              15 April 2006

Click here to see a photograph of the Civic Centre taken from the same spot in 1972.
Click here to see 'Now and Then' photographs of the Civic Centre.

The old part of the Civic Centre was built in 1851 by Duncan Graham from the north of Scotland and was known as Graham's Castle. From 1893, it was owned by Archibald Russell and his heirs. In 1920, it was bought by the Ardrossan Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company Limited who refurbished it as Castlecraigs Recreation Club which opened on 26 February 1921. In 1927, the Masons bought the building and let out the ancillary rooms and tennis courts. During the second world war between 1939 and 1945, the Navy requisitioned Castlecraigs as a barracks. It was subsequently managed by Ardrossan Town Council and known as the Town Hall. In the 1970s, North Ayrshire Council took over the building and called it the Civic Centre. Between February and April 2006, external restoration work was carried out. Since July 2007, the building has been closed for internal refurbishment. If you can provide more details of the history of the building or more accurate dates, please contact WebsiteAuthor@ArdrossanPhotographs.net.

Click here to read a report on the opening of the Castlecraigs Recreation Club.

The Civic Centre is also featured in Christmas Crib and Provost's Lampost.