Alloway Auld Kirk
The eerie setting for Robert Burns' famous tale of Tam O'Shanter, Alloway Auld Kirk dates back to the 16th Century. Burns' father, William Burness and his sister, Isabella Burns Begg are buried in the kirkyard. The Kirk lies 300 yards from the famous River Doon.
She prophesied, that, late or soon,
Thou would be found deep drown'd in Doon,
Or catch'd wi' warlocks in the mirk
By Alloway's auld, haunted kirk.
Alloway Auld Kirk is a must see for anyone interested in Robert Burns and his poetry. This is where poor Tam O'Shanter saw witches dance before they gave chase. It is within close proximity to Burns Cottage and the Burns National Heritage Park.
The church itself was a simple structure, a stone built rectangle with gabled ends. Today it is a roofless ruin. Within the church itself is the elegant sarcophagus of David Cathcart, Lord Alloway, and a mortsafe - a cast iron shield temporarily buried with a coffin to discourage body-snatchers, who supplied fresh corpses to anatomists. It is worth searching out several exquisitely carved gravestones here, heavy with symbols of death and resurrection.
Operated by South Ayrshire Council.
Contact
South Ayrshire Council
Monument Road
Alloway
Ayr
KA7 4PQ
Scotland
Tel: +44 (1292) 612000
Fax: +44 (1292) 612143
E-Mail: cst@south-ayrshire.gov.uk
WWW: http://www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk/community/cemeteries/cm19.htm
