We don't have any photos of this building yet. Why don't you be the first to send us one?
Latitude: 55.6129 / 55°36'46"N
Longitude: -4.4897 / 4°29'22"W
OS Eastings: 243284
OS Northings: 638292
OS Grid: NS432382
Mapcode National: GBR 3H.MDFC
Mapcode Global: WH3QB.05BX
Plus Code: 9C7QJG76+54
Entry Name: Burns Monument, Kay Park, Kilmarnock
Listing Name: Kay Park, Burns Monument and Former Museum
Listing Date: 9 March 1971
Category: B
Source: Historic Scotland
Source ID: 380614
Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB35925
Building Class: Cultural
Also known as: Burns Monument Centre
Kilmarnock, Kay Park, Burns Monument
Burns Monument, Kilmarnock
ID on this website: 200380614
Robert Samson Ingram, architect, 1878-9. Andrew Calderwood, builder. Statue of Burns by W Grant Stevenson. 2-storey, T-plan Scottish Baronial museum surmounted by semi-octagonal 2-stage tower with angle turret and spire. Bull-faced Ballochmyle red sandstone with polished dressings. White marble life-size statue of Burns on red sandstone plinth.
S (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: grand flight of steps (divided into 2 at lower flight) ascending to 1st floor balcony; latter supported at all angles by columns with still leaf capitals. Large round-arched portico at 1st floor, with decorative head and crowstepped gable which protects statue (see NOTES), door to left return of ground floor. 2-storey single bay flanking portico with elaborately decorated angle piers, capitals, frieze and cornice, capped with finialled balustrade. Central tower: 1st stage broached with haunched window to centre; corbelled 2nd stage with arched window with RB monogram below. SW face: canted corner with central arrowslit and horizontally placed paired arrowslits to outer bays. Corbelled angle turret projecting above parapet with window to each face capped by corbelled crowstepped gable with arrow slits and facetted spire.
W ELEVATION: central single haunched bay with architraved surround to ground floor; projecting sill course supporting pair of large architraved windows with elaborately decorated mullion, angle piers, capitals, frieze and cornice at 1st floor capped with finialled balustrade. Central tower: 1st stage broached with haunched window to centre; corbelled 2nd stage with arched window with RB monogram below; NW face: rock-faced with Greek cross arrowslit to centre supported by ornate sloped buttress; corbelled parapet with decorative battlements surmounting all.
N (REAR) ELEVATION: 3 regularly placed bays with architraved surrounds to ground floor; projecting sill course supporting 3 large architraved bays with elaborately decorated angle piers, capitals, frieze and cornice at 1st floor capped with finialled balustrade. Central tower: 1st stage broached with haunched window to centre; corbelled 2nd stage with arched window with RB monogram below; NE face: rock-faced with Greek cross arrowslit to centre supported by ornate sloped buttress; corbelled parapet with decorative battlements surmounting all.
E ELEVATION: central single haunched bay with architraved surround to ground floor; projecting sill course supporting 2 large architraved bays with elaborately decorated angle piers, capitals, frieze and cornice at 1st floor capped with finialled balustrade. Central tower: 1st stage broached with haunched window to centre; corbelled 2nd stage with arched window with RB monogram below; SE face: rock-faced with Greek cross arrowslit to centre supported by ornate sloped buttress; corbelled parapet with decorative battlements surmounting all.
3-pane timber French doors to S elevation of 1st floor with 8-pane timber windows to others (now boarded), 3-pane timber sash and case windows to tower with arched heads and stained glass borders. Piended grey slate roof with banded fish scale detail and lead flashing to porch and tower. No rainwater goods.
INTERIOR: formerly housed museum and keeper's accommodation, but altered in 20th century. Ground floor: entrance leading to lobby with 3 rooms and a toilet. First floor: 3 exhibition / museum rooms accessed by door leading from main stairs past statue of Burns. Small room in tower accessed by spiral stair in corner of turret.
Part of a B-Group with Kay Park drinkinmg fountain and Reformer's Monument. Alexander Kay (1796 - 1866) left £10,000 to acquire ground for a public park. Kay Park is slightly over 40 acres and cost £9000 with £3000 spent on laying out the grounds. It officially opened to the public in 1879 with the Burns Monument as its centrepiece. The memorial stone was laid by R W Cochran-Patrick, Esq. of Woodside, Depute Provincial Grand Master for Ayrshire, with full masonic honours, on the 14th September, 1878, and the statue was unveiled by Colonel Alexander of Ballochmyle, M.P. on 9th August, 1879. Burns's Poems were first published in Kilmarnock on 31st July 1786. The monument was designed by Robert S Ingram whose father, local architect James Ingram, died shortly before it was opened. Robert Ingram counted this building as the crowning achievement of his career, although he was prolific in the design and extension of many public buildings and private residences within the town. Originally a keeper resided on the ground floor, with the 1st floor housing a museum of Burns artefacts including a first Kilmarnock Edition of his poems. The statue dominating the main elevation shows Burns with a pencil in his right hand and a notebook in the other; at his feet a cluster of daisies rise. Below this, a plaque bears the inscription: "THE KAY PARK. The Gift to His Native Town of ALEXANDER KAY, INSURANCE BROKER, GLASGOW, Born 1796, Died 1866. Opened to the Public, 9th August, 1879." The tower of the monument rises to around 80ft high and from the top people were able to obtain views of the town and Ayrshire. The building cost £1500 to construct and the marble statue another £800. During the 20th century a projecting balcony supported on columns was added to the 1st floor, but this has since been removed and the monument returned to its original design.
External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.
Other nearby listed buildings
