Prestwick facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Prestwick |
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| Town and former royal burgh | |
 Prestwick Cross, December 2016 |
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 Prestwick
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| Population | 14,880 (2020) |
| OS grid reference | NS349255 |
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| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area |
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| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | PRESTWICK |
| Postcode district | KA9 |
| Dialling code | 01292 |
| Police | Strathclyde |
| Fire | Strathclyde |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament |
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| Scottish Parliament |
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Prestwick is a town in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It's on the west coast of Ayrshire, about 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Glasgow. Prestwick is next to the larger town of Ayr to the south. It also borders the small village of Monkton to the north. In 2011, about 14,901 people lived there.
Glasgow Prestwick Airport is just outside the town. It offers flights for people to places in Europe and across the Atlantic Ocean. It also handles international cargo flights.
Prestwick was the first place to host the Open Golf Championship. This famous golf tournament was played at the Prestwick Old Course from 1860 to 1872.
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Discovering Prestwick's Past
The name Prestwick comes from old English words. Preost means "priest" and wic means "farm". So, Prestwick means "priest's farm". It was likely a farm connected to a religious house long ago. Some people think the name might come from Old Norse, meaning "priest's bay".
A legend says that Robert the Bruce, a famous Scottish king, was cured of a skin disease. He supposedly got better by using the water from a well at St Ninians church. This well can still be seen behind the church today.
For over a thousand years, Prestwick was a small village. It became a town after the railway arrived in the 1840s. Wealthy people from Glasgow then started building large homes along the coast. The Prestwick Burgh Hall was finished around 1837.
The Prestwick Bathing Lake, also called the Lido, opened in 1931. It was the biggest swimming pool in Scotland at the time. It could hold 1200 swimmers and 3000 people watching. The Lido hosted swimming competitions, diving shows, and even moonlight swimming. It also had fireworks displays and was a place for some Miss Scotland beauty contests. The Lido closed in 1972 and was later taken down.
A sad event happened on August 28, 1944. A US Army Air Forces plane crashed into a neighborhood in Prestwick. This happened while it was trying to land at Glasgow Prestwick Airport in bad weather. All 20 people on the plane died, along with five people on the ground.
Getting Around Prestwick
Air Travel: Glasgow Prestwick Airport
Glasgow Prestwick Airport opened in the 1930s. For many years, it was a main stopping point for flights crossing the Atlantic Ocean. It was a key place for planes to refuel on long journeys.
During World War II, the US Army Air Corps had a base at the airport. A famous moment happened on March 3, 1960. Elvis Presley landed in the UK for the only time at Prestwick. His US Army plane stopped there to refuel on its way from Germany.
The airport had a tough time in the 1980s and 1990s. It lost its main role for transatlantic flights. However, Prestwick still handles US military flights. In July 2005, it was a major transport hub for world leaders. They were attending the G8 conference in Gleneagles. Today, the airport mainly serves one low-cost airline, Ryanair. Also, several big aerospace companies have maintenance and manufacturing facilities next to the airport.
Prestwick is home to a Royal Navy Air Station, called HMS Gannet. This is where Sea King search and rescue helicopters were based until 2016.
Prestwick is also a very important air traffic control center. The Scottish Air Traffic Control Centre is here, managing 70% of the UK's airspace. The Prestwick Oceanic Area Control Centre is also located here. It is in charge of air traffic over the eastern half of the North Atlantic Ocean.
Bus and Road Connections
Prestwick is on the Ayrshire Coast Line railway. This line connects Glasgow Central and Ayr. Trains run three times an hour, stopping at both Prestwick Town and Prestwick International Airport. A train trip to Glasgow takes about 50 minutes. You can also take buses through Prestwick. Stagecoach Western runs many routes, including an express service to Glasgow called the "X77".
The A79 road goes right through the town. You can usually reach it from the A77 main road, which runs between Glasgow and Stranraer. Or you can use the A78 coastal route that goes to Largs and Greenock.
Famous Places in Prestwick
The old ruined church of St Nicholas
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The remains of the old parish church are near Prestwick railway station. This small church was likely built in the 12th century. It is now a ruin, surrounded by an old graveyard.
Prestwick has a 1-mile (1.6 km) long esplanade along Prestwick Bay. This is part of the Firth of Clyde. It has two playgrounds for children. At the north end, you'll find Kid'zplay, an indoor play center. It's next to a large outdoor play area that used to be a big open-air swimming pool. Along the esplanade, there are many large houses that look out towards the Isle of Arran.
The Prestwick Old Course hosted the very first Open Golf Championship in 1860. This famous golf tournament was played there 24 times between 1860 and 1925. Prestwick also has two other golf courses: St. Nicholas and St. Cuthberts. St. Nicholas is a traditional links course south of the town.
The Shaw Monument stands on high ground overlooking Prestwick Airport. There is also a Polish memorial on Ardayre Road in Prestwick. It was originally built by the Polish Air Force in Monkton. It was moved and fixed up in 1986 and now stands in the gardens of the RAFA Club, looking out at the sea. It honors Polish Navy, Merchant Navy, and Coastal Command airmen who died in the Battle of the Atlantic.
The Oval is a public park in the center of Prestwick. It has two full-size football pitches with indoor changing rooms. There's also a tennis center with three indoor courts and eight outdoor courts. The park also features a 25-meter indoor swimming pool and gym, an indoor bowling green, and a cricket club. The town received this park as a gift in 1954.
Learning in Prestwick
Prestwick has five schools: four primary schools and one secondary school. One of the primary schools is a denominational school (Catholic). The schools are:
- Prestwick Academy
- Glenburn Primary
- Kingcase Primary
- St. Ninian's Primary (Catholic)
- Heathfield Primary (on the border of Prestwick and Ayr)
Prestwick Academy is the secondary school that students from these primary schools usually attend. Students from St. Ninian's can go to either Queen Margaret Academy or Prestwick Academy. Primary schools in nearby villages like Monkton and Symington also send their students to Prestwick Academy.
Prestwick's Population
The Prestwick area had a population of 14,934 people in the last census. The larger area of Monkton and Prestwick civil parish had 14,261 people.
How Prestwick is Governed
Prestwick is part of the South Ayrshire Council area. It is also part of the Ayr Scottish Parliament constituency. This area has been represented by SNP MSP Siobhian Brown since the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. The constituency also includes the towns of Ayr and Troon.
For the UK Parliament, Prestwick is part of the Central Ayrshire constituency. It is represented by Scottish Labour MP Alan Gemmell. This constituency stretches north into Troon and rural South Ayrshire, and further north into Irvine and part of Kilwinning in North Ayrshire.
Local Councillors
Four Councillors represent the Prestwick ward in the South Ayrshire Council.
| Ward | Councillors | Party | |
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| Prestwick | Hugh Hunter | Independent | |
| Martin Kilbride | Scottish Conservative Party | ||
| Ian Cochrane | Scottish National Party | ||
| Cameron Ramsay | Scottish Labour Party | ||
Prestwick's Location and Weather
Prestwick is divided into two main parts by Main Street, which runs next to the railway line. Most people live on the east side of Main Street. This area has a mix of council and private homes. Key neighborhoods on the east side include Shawfarm, Marchburn, Glenburn, Powmill, Kingcase, Moorfield, and East Road/Kings Meadow. On the west side of Main Street, you'll find a mix of council, privately owned, rented homes, and hotels/B&Bs.
Climate in Prestwick
Prestwick has an oceanic climate. This means it has mild temperatures and rain throughout the year.
| Climate data for Prestwick RNAS (27 m or 89 ft asl, averages 1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.5 (45.5) |
7.9 (46.2) |
9.5 (49.1) |
12.1 (53.8) |
15.1 (59.2) |
17.3 (63.1) |
18.7 (65.7) |
18.5 (65.3) |
16.6 (61.9) |
13.3 (55.9) |
10.1 (50.2) |
7.9 (46.2) |
12.9 (55.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.2 (36.0) |
2.2 (36.0) |
3.2 (37.8) |
4.7 (40.5) |
7.0 (44.6) |
9.9 (49.8) |
11.8 (53.2) |
11.7 (53.1) |
10.0 (50.0) |
7.2 (45.0) |
4.4 (39.9) |
2.3 (36.1) |
6.4 (43.5) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 96.3 (3.79) |
74.7 (2.94) |
70.2 (2.76) |
57.7 (2.27) |
54.6 (2.15) |
65.3 (2.57) |
82.2 (3.24) |
87.6 (3.45) |
79.1 (3.11) |
106.4 (4.19) |
102.7 (4.04) |
104.0 (4.09) |
980.8 (38.6) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 1 mm) | 16.5 | 14.2 | 12.9 | 11.7 | 10.7 | 11.5 | 12.9 | 13.4 | 12.9 | 15.3 | 16.2 | 16.5 | 164.7 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 39.7 | 70.0 | 105.8 | 161.0 | 211.2 | 179.2 | 174.6 | 159.6 | 120.6 | 86.7 | 54.4 | 37.9 | 1,400.7 |
| Source: Met Office | |||||||||||||
Sports and Fun in Prestwick
St. Ninian's Park, also known as The Oval, is a public park in the center of Prestwick. It has two full-size football pitches with indoor changing rooms. There's also a tennis center with three indoor courts and eight outdoor courts. The park also features a 25-meter indoor swimming pool and gym, an indoor bowling green, and a cricket club.
Prestwick Golf Club is a classic links golf course. It's built on the sandy land between the beach and the main town. The course is near Prestwick airport. Some holes run along the railway tracks on the east side. The Open Championship started at this club. It was played there 24 times between 1860 and 1925.
Many famous sportspeople are from Prestwick. These include footballers like Bob Anderson, Craig Conway, and James Forrest. Professional wrestler Drew McIntyre and figure skater Lewis Gibson are also from Prestwick.
Prestwick's Sister Cities
Prestwick is twinned with three other towns around the world:
- Lichtenfels, Bavaria, Germany
- Vandalia, Ohio, United States
- Ariccia, Italy
Images for kids
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Prestwick Cross, December 2016
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Prestwick Burgh Hall
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The town is served by Glasgow Prestwick Airport, an international airport opened in the 1930s
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The old ruined church of St Nicholas
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Prestwick Academy is the towns only secondary school
See also
In Spanish: Prestwick para niños
