Prehistory Part of modern Irvine contains the oldest continually inhabited village in Europe.
Dreghorn, a separate village on the outskirts of Irvine, appears to contain archaeological remains dating back to the first incursions of humanity into Scotland (
Mesolithic). The
Grannie stone (or Granny Stane) is described as "one of Irvine's prehistoric puzzles", this boulder is either left behind from the Ice Age or is the last remaining stone of a stone circle; others were removed, by blasting, after the Irvine weir was constructed in 1895, but popular protests saved this remaining stone. The Grannie Stane is visible when the water is low.
Middle Ages The medieval parish of Irvine was one of the most important regions in Scotland. Originally the site of the Military Headquarters of the
Lord High Constable of Scotland, and one of the earliest Scottish Capitals, it served as an HQ to no fewer than three kings. King
John I of Scotland inherited the lordship of Irvine sometime in the mid-13th century.
Robert the Bruce, in an attempt to seize John's lands, made sure that he secured the town. , home of the Earls of Eglinton, c. 1830s. Irvine is the site of an incident in 1296 (during the
Scottish Wars of Independence) when an English army marched to Irvine to engage the Scottish army, encamped at Knadgerhill; the English arrived only to find that dissension amongst the Scots leaders was so great that armed conflict would not occur, and many of the leaders would end up changing sides and joining
King Edward I.
Bourtreehill House, the only major Estate in the parish, was periodically possessed by all three kings, and possibly the Constables of Scotland before them. In December 2010, the writer A. J. Morton stated that Irvine was a "Lost Medieval Capital" and a likely candidate in the debate surrounding the
Stone of Destiny and its location before it was moved to Scone. Citing
Hector Boece, who said the Stone was kept at
Evonium (a legendary city and home to the early Scottish crown), Morton said that Irvine's early high status position in the 12th century supported the theory that Irvine is Evonium. Morton wrote: In 1618, John Stewart (said to be a vagabond or juggler) and
Margaret Barclay, wife of Archibald Dean (a burgess of Irvine), were tried for witchcraft. They were accused of sinking a ship called
The Gift of God of Irvine belonging to John Dean, Barclay's brother-in-law. Margaret Barclay was alleged to have wished the crew would be eaten by crabs at the bottom of the sea. Stewart
hanged himself, and Barclay was tortured, found guilty by her confession, and executed along with Isobel Scherer, herself accused of the same acts.
Trindlemoss Loch Trindlemoss Loch, Scotts Loch, or the Loch of Irvine was situated in a low-lying area running from Ravenspark to near
Stanecastle and down to Lockwards, now represented only by the playing fields off Bank Street. The loch was natural, sitting in a hollow created by glaciation. The loch waters were progressively drained and in 1691 this was finally achieved. The loch and its adjacent land was purchased by the Reverend Patrick Warner (minister in Irvine 1688–1702), who had sought refuge in the Netherlands after the
Battle of Bothwell Bridge. It has been suggested that it was during this exile that he learned the skill of land reclamation.
Irvine Harbour with the
River Irvine running through it The harbour for Irvine has a long history and once was one of the most prominent ports in Scotland after
Glasgow. Across from the main harbour itself there was a terminal for the
ICI-Nobel Explosives plant on the
River Garnock. Much of the harbour went into decline in the 19th century when Glasgow,
Greenock and
Port Glasgow achieved higher prominence as sea ports. Despite this, there was still commercial sea traffic, though the harbour went into further decline in the 20th century. The main shipping in the 20th century was light coastal traffic and vessels destined for the Nobel Explosives facility. This facility had its own quay, which, although now disused, is still visible from Irvine Harbour. A
shipyard on the
River Irvine, the Ayrshire Dockyard Company, remained active until after
World War II, though its last ship was built just prior to the war. Afterwards it was involved in refitting ships and also in the manufacture of fittings for other vessels including the
Cunard liner
Queen Elizabeth 2. Irvine Harbour is now officially closed as a commercial
port and houses a small number of privately owned pleasure craft. It is also home to part of the
Scottish Maritime Museum with numerous vessels on display, including the 'Spartan', one of the last surviving
Clyde puffers. Irvine Harbour is home to a unique and distinctive building which marked the
tide level. It was built in 1906 and devised by Martin Boyd, the
harbourmaster at that time. The
Automatic tide signalling apparatus indicated the tide's state in two ways depending on the time of day. During daylight, the level was marked with a ball and
pulley system attached to the mast. At night, a number of lamps marked the tidal level. Unfortunately the building fell into some disrepair and the mast partially dismantled. In 2013 an initiative by Coastwatch Scotland, a Voluntary Coastal Monitoring and Safety organisation, got underway in an attempt to turn the building into a watch tower for the benefit of the people of Irvine and visitors. In November 2016 the first stage was completed with an overall roof installed, new windows, a new door, the building re-painted and a radio aerial installed. The harbour and surrounding area became an area heavily blighted by industrial waste even long after some of the industries were gone. There was a waste bing known by the locals as 'The Blue Billy' due to the colour of the waste there. During
World War II a
Royal Observer Corps watchtower was sited here giving a wide overall view of the
Firth of Clyde. It is also credited with the first visual sighting of
Rudolf Hess's
Messerschmitt Bf 110 in 1941.
Modern history Irvine was officially designated, in 1966, the fifth and last new town to be developed in Scotland and the only one to be located on the coast. The other Scottish 'new towns' were
East Kilbride,
Glenrothes,
Cumbernauld and
Livingston. Unlike most new towns which were either completely newly built or based around small villages, Irvine was already a sizeable town which had been a
Royal Burgh since 1372. A
quango, the Irvine Development Corporation (IDC), was set up in the 1960s to oversee the development of Irvine as Scotland's fifth new town. The Corporation subsumed the planning powers of the Royal Burgh of Irvine Town Council, Kilwinning Town Council and the Irvine Landward District Council. This involved massive and sometimes controversial development of the old parts of the town. In 1976, the Magnum Leisure Centre opened in the town, and at the time of its competition, was the largest leisure centre in Europe. Initially called Irvine Harbour Leisure Centre, it was constructed at a cost of £3.2 million, becoming one of the most popular leisure and entertainment centres in Ayrshire and nationally across Scotland, with an estimated 25,000 people attending the opening of the centre. It closed in 2016, and was replaced by The Portal in the town centre. The provisions of The New Town (Irvine) Winding Up Order 1993 officially ended the New Town Designation on 31 December 1996. This marked the end of the Irvine Development Corporation and the return of full planning control of the area back to the local authority. The Irvine Bay Regeneration Company was set up in 2006, one of the second generation of Scottish URCs. Irvine is one of the five towns in the area, along with
Ardrossan,
Saltcoats,
Stevenston and
Kilwinning. Major development projects in the Irvine area include the redevelopment of Irvine Harbour, creating a residential area with the atmosphere of a Scottish village. Planning for a new golf course with a hotel and holiday resort is also well under way in the Marine Drive area, and the Riverside Business Park will be revitalised to attract new business into the area. The Bridgegate renovation project was completed in 2017. ==Governance==