WHAT FAMOUS PEOPLE HAVE VISITED.....?

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jimmcisaac
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Re: WHAT FAMOUS PEOPLE HAVE VISITED.....?

Post by jimmcisaac »

I'm sure I remember sitting on the wall at the Parkhouse reservoir and seeing a cavalcade with Nikita Kruschev, the Russian leader, passing through Ardrosson.
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Re: WHAT FAMOUS PEOPLE HAVE VISITED.....?

Post by Penny Tray »

Jim,

We had a wee debate earlier in the topic where, I think, we concluded it might have been Kosygin as opposed to Kruschev?
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Re: WHAT FAMOUS PEOPLE HAVE VISITED.....?

Post by down south »

Time for a further update here. We've recently added some visits by the great Sir Harry Lauder to our list:

http://www.threetowners.net/forum/viewt ... 687#p97687

Also, anyone who noted with interest the visit of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show mentioned on page 3 of this topic, can find an article that describes it in some detail here :

http://www.threetowners.net/forum/viewt ... 119#p97119

Now here are the famous 19th century American evangelists Moody and Sankey ( whom you might describe as the the Billy Grahams of their day ), on a frequently packed-out tour of Scotland in 1874 and taking in Kilmarnock and Saltcoats on their route, holding revival meetings in the old Parish Church, and also the original North Church on Hamilton Street which we're visiting on the Stroll.

Once again with full acknowledgements to the Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald for this article, that looked back in 1974 on these events of 100 years earlier.

By the way, I see mention of the Good Templars' Halls in both Saltcoats and Ardrossan. I know where the Saltcoats one was; in Vernon Street . Anyone know anything about where the one in Ardrossan was ?

Susan


ONE DAY THE CHURCHES WERE PACKED

A hundred years ago there was no lack of religious services in Saltcoats. In the week beginning the 24th of May, 1874, for example, apart from the normal Sunday church services, there were evangelistic meetings in Saltcoats Free Church and in the Good Templars' halls in Ardrossan and Saltcoats; daily Prayer Meetings were held in Saltcoats Town Hall, and there was a Public Bible Reading in the North Church at 8 p.m. on the Monday evening.

No information has come down to us as to how well these various meetings were attended, but well documented are three evangelistic meetings also held in Saltcoats on that Monday, the 25th of May, and which were conducted by the renowned evangelists, Moody and Sankey.

These famous Americans had been invited to visit Saltcoats a year before while they were conducting a revival campaign in the North of England — their first invitation to come to Scotland. Before coming to Saltcoats, however, they had undertaken campaigns in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

There is a famous story that while travelling by train between those cities Dwight Moody had drawn to the attention of Ira Sankey a religious poem beginning "There were ninety and nine that safely lay . . .- printed in that day's issue of a Glasgow evening newspaper.

At their meeting later, when Sankey was called upon to sing, he propped the newspaper on the harmonium and extemporised a tune on the spot, singing as the inspiration came to him. This hymn, still frequently sung a hundred years later, remains as Sankey composed it without a note altered.

On the Sunday of their visit to Ayrshire the evangelists conducted meetings in Kilmarnock, and on that day, and on the following day at Saltcoats, admission to their principal meetings was by ticket only. Even with that precaution the churches in which the sevices were held were packed to the doors a considerable time before the services began. Sankey had not been well for a few days beforehand and it had been doubtful whether he would appear; but he managed to do so to the delight of the congregation.

At the Laigh Kirk in Kilmarnock on the Sunday, the service was due to begin at 9 am ( arrangements had been made so that the special meetings would not clash with normal church services ), but the church was virtually filled by the ticketholders as early as 7 am. Two other services for which tickets were not necessary were scheduled for later in the day, and a capacity congregation attended the one in the afternoon, then declined to leave to clear the church for the next meeting...wishing to remain and hear it all again. Persuasion by the Kirk Session and police was necessary to clear the building.

No such contretemps occurred at Saltcoats; the town was not perhaps as much in need of spiritual revival as Kilmarnock...but the principal meeting held there on the Monday afternoon was also restricted to ticketholders.That meeting was held in the Parish Church ( now the North Ayrshire Museum ) and all the available tickets had been bespoken some time before, the church being completely filled a long time before the service was due to start.

It is not clear whether there was any charge for those tickets — research has failed to reveal any advertisements or public announcement of Moody and Sankey's meetings, but it is probable that the tickets were issued free of charge to the members of local churches. If this were so, it might seem that the meetings were somewhat defeating their own object, if the evangelists were preaching to the converted .

Meetings open to the general public without tickets were also held however, both on the Monday evening: earlier at the North Church ( the one at the junction of Hamilton Street and Manse Street ), and at the Parish Church again, but it is reported that attendances at those meetings were not unduly large.

At all their services Moody was the preacher and Sankey the singer, the latter rendering hymns of his own composition to his own accompaniment on the harmonium. As there was no organ in the Presbyterian kirks a harmonium was borrowed for the occasion from the Good Templars.

Our reporter of the time commented that Mr Moody spoke for nearly an hour at each meeting (and his sermons were reported in full in our columns), and that the only noticeable feature in Mr Moody's manner was "a slight shade of brusqueness such as we were not accustomed to."

Sankey's solo at the afternoon service in Saltcoats was "Scattered Seeds of Kindness," and in the evening he sang "Jesus of Nazareth Passeth By. "

Mr Moody's closing words were that Scotland was "being wonderfully blessed in the present revival movement," and he said would be willing to die if he could see in his own native land " what he had seen in favoured Scotland . "
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Re: WHAT FAMOUS PEOPLE HAVE VISITED.....?

Post by bigalan »

Hi all yes Buffalo Bills wild west show one day only, friday,September 9th 1904. under the heading Roughrider
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Re: WHAT FAMOUS PEOPLE HAVE VISITED.....?

Post by George Ardrossan »

down south wrote:By the way, I see mention of the Good Templars' Halls in both Saltcoats and Ardrossan. I know where the Saltcoats one was; in Vernon Street . Anyone know anything about where the one in Ardrossan was ?
Susan
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The 1897 map of Ardrossan below shows that the Templars' Hall was in Glasgow Street. It is the building that is now the Gospel Hall which was built in 1844. The Gospel Hall photo below was taken on 14 September 2002.
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Re: WHAT FAMOUS PEOPLE HAVE VISITED.....?

Post by abla43 »

Re the queen and the "chookie", I seem to remember they did a round Britain tour and that was the reason for the visit. I remember going to the Westfield Hotel in the late 60's to see the Humblebums, a folk duo comprising Tam Harvey and a helluva funny guy called Billy Connolly. Robbie Coltrane, Richard Wilson (Victor Meldrew) and others were in Ardrossan for a few days in the 70's filming part of "Tutti Frutti" in Elwood House , Arran Place. Calum Kennedy, who used to have his own TV show, was the last owner of the Eggy Hotel. I remember one night in there when he'd had a few drams. he sat in the lounge and entertained a few of us. he just sat in a chair playing a wee concertina, singing and telling stories, and what stories! Calum has to be the funniest man it's ever been my privilege to hear. Big Yogi Young, a very well known Saltcoats man, actually had to excuse himself and go home as he was in pain, having laughed so much. How often in a lifetime will any of us see that happening? Cheers, A.B.
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Re: WHAT FAMOUS PEOPLE HAVE VISITED.....?

Post by abla43 »

Re Soviet guy, I can't remember which of the two "K's" it was, but I'm pretty sure it was in1967. He went to Rugby Park to watch a KillieV Rangers game which I was also at. the silence was deafening when his name was announced on the tannoy. Cheers, A.B.
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Re: WHAT FAMOUS PEOPLE HAVE VISITED.....?

Post by abla43 »

Hi, All, Just remembered going to the Westfield Hotel in 1967 to see the Humblebums, who were, of course Tam Harvey and one Billy Connolly. Gerry Rafferty had by that time movwd on. I allso recall my latr sister working on the reception desk of the Redburn Hotel in Irvine when a scruffy-looking guy in jeans, leather jacket and trainers, carrying a guitar tried to enter the premises. On the strength of his appearance she refused point-blank to let him in despite his protestations that he was that night's gabaret turn. The said guy duly went off , found a phonebox and phoned the hotel asking to speak to the manager, who verified that the chappie was, in fact who he said he was--Billy Connolly. Needless to say, when he did go on stage he opened his act as follows:- "Hello, Irvine!! Byraway you nearly didnae get tae see me the night. That wee daft burd on the door wisnae gonny let me in, know?" Wee sis's claim to fame.
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Re: WHAT FAMOUS PEOPLE HAVE VISITED.....?

Post by morag »

Oh my..feelin old, saw the Humblebums, at that time Gerry Rafferty and Billy in the Troon area..had the name a minute ago..army barracks. Brilliant!
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Re: WHAT FAMOUS PEOPLE HAVE VISITED.....?

Post by Meg »

Dundonald Morag?

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Re: WHAT FAMOUS PEOPLE HAVE VISITED.....?

Post by morag »

Can't remember, Meg, may have been or Barrassie, my pal and I were just talking about it too...I used to have a good memory :( lol!
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Re: WHAT FAMOUS PEOPLE HAVE VISITED.....?

Post by brian f »

Know the feeling , Morag :smt039 but
Never look down when the sun is up :D
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