Princes Street Air Raid Shelters

[Hughie]

Kilmarnock Herald
July 11, 1941

First I've heard of these - anyone know exactly where they were?

[meekan]

Never heard of any public shelters but we had a shelter in our back garden at 81 Princes Street I assume it was for the use of all who used the close as an entrance. I was never in it but I remember I used to play on the roof of it as as a boy. Presumably other buildings in the street had shelters too.

[Penny Tray]

The two sketch maps in the following links throw some light on the matter: -

https://ayrshirearchives.wordpress.com/ ... san-burgh/

[Meg]

Would they have been in the grounds of the Eglinton Hotel?

[Hughie]

Thanks for that, Meekan, didn't know there where air-raid shelters there. Thanks also to Penny, those images seem to indicate the Eglinton Hotel had one of the earliest air-raid shelters, just as Meg mentioned.

I remember playing in one as a lad at the harbour. If I recall properly it was a massive pipe which was white-washed on the inside. We used candle smoke to do what would have been called graffiti in this day and age.

[meekan]

I remember playing in one in Harvies park at least I think it was an air raid shelter.