Background History
Ayr’s Station Hotel opened in 1886 and was built as part of a new main railway station for Ayr. It was designed by Andrew Galloway, chief engineer of the Glasgow and South Western Railway company, and was constructed in a French Renaissance style with a Scottish influence, from local Ballochmyle red sandstone. No expense was spared in the building as it served as a high-end coastal holiday retreat for affluent customers, many of whom would have travelled down by steam train from Glasgow. It became part of the British Transport Hotel group and then was subsequently sold off in 1951. It then passed between various private owners, including companies such as Stakis, Quality and Swallow Hotels. The hotel was extensively altered in the 1960s and ‘70s, with the addition of a two story kitchen wing, a large function suite on the ground floor, and en-suite bathrooms for every bedroom. It was a popular venue for weddings, music nights and other events, and the 75 bedrooms made it suitable for accommodating large groups such as coach tours.
In its final years of operation the hotel was clearly suffering from maintenance problems, with damp caused by roof leaks reportedly being a major issue. Parts of the hotel were closed off, then eventually it closed down entirely in 2013, supposedly at the time for renovation works. However, the owner apparently abandoned the building, leaving it to decay to the point where greenery was growing from the roof and walls. The local council had to take the drastic step of covering the Southernmost wing in scaffolding and white sheeting in 2018, following a Dangerous Buildings Notice, to protect the public on the adjacent road and railway platforms from falling debris. The situation has turned into a stalemate since then, with large amounts of public funds being spent on scaffolding, building surveys and consultations, whilst the council pursues the absentee owner for costs. This has led to much anger in the local area, with some calling for the building to be partially or fully demolished and replaced with a modern station. Partial demolition is the option favoured by the council. However, there is interest from national heritage groups who propose that the Category B listed building be purchased and renovated for new uses, but this will undoubtedly be extremely costly. Until a decision is made and action taken, the building continues to deteriorate, and it was recently the victim of a suspected arson attack. Thankfully this was quickly extinguished but level of damage is currently unknown, with this incident happening several weeks after our visit.
The Explore
The old hotel is vast and took several hours to fully explore. Although it has been reported on before by others, it had been more than a couple of years since the last report so we were keen to see what had changed. We were especially interested to explore the large basement, which had been completely absent from all previously shared exploration reports and videos, but we knew existed from our research. This had probably been missed for a couple of reasons – the internal stairway is not easy to find and the basement itself is partially flooded, making it an unattractive prospect. It turned out that the basement was one of the most mouldy and grim places we’d ever explored, but it was great to venture into somewhere previously undocumented and learn more about the hotel’s past.
Internally we found the building to feature localised patches of extreme water damage and decay, whereas other parts looked like they had only closed recently. The part beneath the protective “tent” was in the poorest condition, especially the top floor where sections of the roof were damaged and missing, turning it into an aviary for the local pigeons. The tower and North wing were in better condition generally and these mostly contained bedrooms. The floors in some parts of the building were very rotten, especially near the central part where mains water reportedly ran unchecked from a roof tank for an extended period of time after closure, soaking everything beneath it over all floors. The function rooms, restaurant and bar on the first floor were particularly grand, featuring ornate Victorian ceilings and iron balustrades on the stairs, along with the old lift shaft running up the middle of the central staircase. It was sad to see such decay in a place that was clearly very opulent at one time. The rest of the building, particularly the bedroom areas, was a mix of 1970s to‘90s interior décor, and it looked very drab and dated by the standards of the 2000s to early 2010s, when the place was still open. There was a maze of corridors and staircases, and it was very easy to become disorientated. All of the original furniture and artifacts appeared to still remain but it had become quite trashed in some areas compared to previous reports, with vandalism evident. It was generally in better condition than expected though and was well worth the effort to see the place before it gets demolished or converted.
This was a great explore and we hope you enjoy the photos.
The exterior of the building showing the central tower, North wing to the left and South wing to the right. The South wing was covered in scaffolding and protective sheeting in 2018.
A bedroom - they all looked very similar with the hotel featuring a mix of single, double and family rooms.
2nd floor corridor to some of the bedrooms.
One of the most decayed parts of the building was in the centre, where the building bends round in a Z shape. This was apparently damaged by a leaking roof tank that rained water through the building for a very long time before the supply was shut off.
Looking up at the underside of the 3rd floor corridor in this water damaged area we could see the extent of the dry rot, which will have seriously weakened the floor.
The lift shaft in the central staircase. The outer manual doors looked to be more modern than the rest of it but the structure looked to be extremely old and possibly original.
Walking onto the grand first floor landing. The ceilings are much higher on this level and the plaster details are very ornate.
The cocktail lounge with its odd little hut style bar.
The corridor to the Arran Suite and restaurant. The floor here was particularly rotten, which seems to have been caused by roof leaks.
The Arran Suite. This looked like a room where formal dinners and wedding breakfasts would be held.
The ceiling of the Arran Suite. Every room had a different style of ceiling and they were all very grand. It was a shame to see some of the plaster falling away in places.
Moving further down the building we came to the Carrick Room, which was originally used for conferences etc. This was our favourite room of the building and featured this fine marble fireplace.
The corner window of the Carrick Room looks out onto the town square. This style of corner window echos that of the former St Enoch Station in Glasgow, built 10 years earlier.
Downstairs we found the reception, with this excellent "retro" sign. Here guests would first encounter the bold, patterned wallpaper that was repeated throughout much the building.
On this level there is the Kintyre Suite, which was a large dance hall with bar. This part of the building was originally the ticket office for the station and the hotel's main kitchen, before the 1970's modifications.
One of two chandeliers in the room
One of two kitchens that served the ground and first floor function rooms. They were connected with a dumb waiter system.
The "Station Bar", which was the public bar area. This operated under various names over the years, including a short-lived football themed bar named "The Hand of God". The water damage in here was extreme, as it sits below the portion of the building that was affected by the leaking roof tank.
Downwards to the basement. Note the headboard!
The basement has been used for various purposes over the years, including a nightclub. It appears it was later used as a gym and spa area. About two thirds of it was flooded and the drains were ineffective and overflowing.
An old brochure page for the hotel. It was interesting to flick through and see the names of the other hotels owned by the chain at the time, some of which still survive.
Jacuzzi in the spa area. There was also a steam room, sauna and changing rooms.
And finally the best part of the basement - the boiler room.
Ayr’s Station Hotel opened in 1886 and was built as part of a new main railway station for Ayr. It was designed by Andrew Galloway, chief engineer of the Glasgow and South Western Railway company, and was constructed in a French Renaissance style with a Scottish influence, from local Ballochmyle red sandstone. No expense was spared in the building as it served as a high-end coastal holiday retreat for affluent customers, many of whom would have travelled down by steam train from Glasgow. It became part of the British Transport Hotel group and then was subsequently sold off in 1951. It then passed between various private owners, including companies such as Stakis, Quality and Swallow Hotels. The hotel was extensively altered in the 1960s and ‘70s, with the addition of a two story kitchen wing, a large function suite on the ground floor, and en-suite bathrooms for every bedroom. It was a popular venue for weddings, music nights and other events, and the 75 bedrooms made it suitable for accommodating large groups such as coach tours.
In its final years of operation the hotel was clearly suffering from maintenance problems, with damp caused by roof leaks reportedly being a major issue. Parts of the hotel were closed off, then eventually it closed down entirely in 2013, supposedly at the time for renovation works. However, the owner apparently abandoned the building, leaving it to decay to the point where greenery was growing from the roof and walls. The local council had to take the drastic step of covering the Southernmost wing in scaffolding and white sheeting in 2018, following a Dangerous Buildings Notice, to protect the public on the adjacent road and railway platforms from falling debris. The situation has turned into a stalemate since then, with large amounts of public funds being spent on scaffolding, building surveys and consultations, whilst the council pursues the absentee owner for costs. This has led to much anger in the local area, with some calling for the building to be partially or fully demolished and replaced with a modern station. Partial demolition is the option favoured by the council. However, there is interest from national heritage groups who propose that the Category B listed building be purchased and renovated for new uses, but this will undoubtedly be extremely costly. Until a decision is made and action taken, the building continues to deteriorate, and it was recently the victim of a suspected arson attack. Thankfully this was quickly extinguished but level of damage is currently unknown, with this incident happening several weeks after our visit.
The Explore
The old hotel is vast and took several hours to fully explore. Although it has been reported on before by others, it had been more than a couple of years since the last report so we were keen to see what had changed. We were especially interested to explore the large basement, which had been completely absent from all previously shared exploration reports and videos, but we knew existed from our research. This had probably been missed for a couple of reasons – the internal stairway is not easy to find and the basement itself is partially flooded, making it an unattractive prospect. It turned out that the basement was one of the most mouldy and grim places we’d ever explored, but it was great to venture into somewhere previously undocumented and learn more about the hotel’s past.
Internally we found the building to feature localised patches of extreme water damage and decay, whereas other parts looked like they had only closed recently. The part beneath the protective “tent” was in the poorest condition, especially the top floor where sections of the roof were damaged and missing, turning it into an aviary for the local pigeons. The tower and North wing were in better condition generally and these mostly contained bedrooms. The floors in some parts of the building were very rotten, especially near the central part where mains water reportedly ran unchecked from a roof tank for an extended period of time after closure, soaking everything beneath it over all floors. The function rooms, restaurant and bar on the first floor were particularly grand, featuring ornate Victorian ceilings and iron balustrades on the stairs, along with the old lift shaft running up the middle of the central staircase. It was sad to see such decay in a place that was clearly very opulent at one time. The rest of the building, particularly the bedroom areas, was a mix of 1970s to‘90s interior décor, and it looked very drab and dated by the standards of the 2000s to early 2010s, when the place was still open. There was a maze of corridors and staircases, and it was very easy to become disorientated. All of the original furniture and artifacts appeared to still remain but it had become quite trashed in some areas compared to previous reports, with vandalism evident. It was generally in better condition than expected though and was well worth the effort to see the place before it gets demolished or converted.
This was a great explore and we hope you enjoy the photos.
The exterior of the building showing the central tower, North wing to the left and South wing to the right. The South wing was covered in scaffolding and protective sheeting in 2018.
A bedroom - they all looked very similar with the hotel featuring a mix of single, double and family rooms.
2nd floor corridor to some of the bedrooms.
One of the most decayed parts of the building was in the centre, where the building bends round in a Z shape. This was apparently damaged by a leaking roof tank that rained water through the building for a very long time before the supply was shut off.
Looking up at the underside of the 3rd floor corridor in this water damaged area we could see the extent of the dry rot, which will have seriously weakened the floor.
The lift shaft in the central staircase. The outer manual doors looked to be more modern than the rest of it but the structure looked to be extremely old and possibly original.
Walking onto the grand first floor landing. The ceilings are much higher on this level and the plaster details are very ornate.
The cocktail lounge with its odd little hut style bar.
The corridor to the Arran Suite and restaurant. The floor here was particularly rotten, which seems to have been caused by roof leaks.
The Arran Suite. This looked like a room where formal dinners and wedding breakfasts would be held.
The ceiling of the Arran Suite. Every room had a different style of ceiling and they were all very grand. It was a shame to see some of the plaster falling away in places.
Moving further down the building we came to the Carrick Room, which was originally used for conferences etc. This was our favourite room of the building and featured this fine marble fireplace.
The corner window of the Carrick Room looks out onto the town square. This style of corner window echos that of the former St Enoch Station in Glasgow, built 10 years earlier.
Downstairs we found the reception, with this excellent "retro" sign. Here guests would first encounter the bold, patterned wallpaper that was repeated throughout much the building.
On this level there is the Kintyre Suite, which was a large dance hall with bar. This part of the building was originally the ticket office for the station and the hotel's main kitchen, before the 1970's modifications.
One of two chandeliers in the room
One of two kitchens that served the ground and first floor function rooms. They were connected with a dumb waiter system.
The "Station Bar", which was the public bar area. This operated under various names over the years, including a short-lived football themed bar named "The Hand of God". The water damage in here was extreme, as it sits below the portion of the building that was affected by the leaking roof tank.
Downwards to the basement. Note the headboard!
The basement has been used for various purposes over the years, including a nightclub. It appears it was later used as a gym and spa area. About two thirds of it was flooded and the drains were ineffective and overflowing.
An old brochure page for the hotel. It was interesting to flick through and see the names of the other hotels owned by the chain at the time, some of which still survive.
Jacuzzi in the spa area. There was also a steam room, sauna and changing rooms.
And finally the best part of the basement - the boiler room.
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