Largs (North Ayrshire)

Lat:55.782 Lon: -4.860

Largs is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire.

From its beginnings as a small village around its kirk, Largs evolved into a busy and popular seaside resort in the 19th Century. Large hotels appeared and the pier was constructed in 1834. It was not until 1895, however, that the railway made the connection to Largs, sealing the town's popularity.

A ferry service runs from Largs to Great Cumbrae, and the paddle steamer Waverley also calls in at the pier during cruises. As with other resort towns on the Firth of Clyde, Largs is now more popular with day trippers than holiday makers.

Built in 1912, the Battle of Largs Monument sits to the south of Largs, close to the marina. The monument takes the form of a tall cylindrical tower with a conical top and is known locally as "The Pencil". The Battle of Largs was an engagement fought between the armies of Norway and Scotland on 2 October 1263. It was the most important military engagement of the Scottish-Norwegian War. The Norwegian forces were led by Hakon Hakonsson and the Scottish forces by Alexander III. The result was inconclusive, but in the long term favoured the Scots.

Features of the area

• Town
• Coast
• Harbour

North Ayrshire Group

North Ayrshire is one of Scotland’s 32 unitary council areas. It borders Inverclyde, Renfrewshire, East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire.

The area was created in 1996, adopting the boundaries of the former district Cunninghame. The mainland portion of the council area has historically been part of a greater County of Ayr, however it also contains the islands of Arran, Great Cumbrae and Little Cumbrae in the lower Firth of Clyde. All the islands were previously in the County of Bute.

Elsewhere on the BBC

• BBC Glasgow and West Scotland

Elsewhere on the web

• Wikipedia entry on Largs
• North Ayrshire Flickr Photostream
• North Ayrshire Council: Local and Family History