Kay Park
Kay Park is a 30 acres (12 ha) park in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, Scotland. The money for its purchase was bequeathed to the town of Kilmarnock by former native insurance broker Alexander Kay who died in Glasgow in January 1866.
The location of the park was determined by the town council and the Kay Trustees after various proposed sites were examined and the land was purchased from the Duke of Portland. The park opened on 9th August 1879 with great pomp and circumstance. It is the home of a large monument to Robert Burns. There was formerly a miniature golf course, a few drinking fountains, boating in the pond and a band stand but currently there is only one existing(but not working) fountain left. The Kilmarnock-Dumfries railway line passes the park, although the line is used for freight rather than passenger trains.
At the top entrance to the park as you approach the new Burns Monument Centre, there is a Corinthian column, erected in memory of a group of Parliamentary reformers who protested here in 1816. The monument was unveiled by Lord Rosebery in 1885.
The Burns Monument Centre provides registration services and here you can carry out local and family history research in its family history centre and local history library.
The Burns Monument
The Burns Monument was badly damaged by fire in November 2004, however it was later redeveloped to provide a marriage suite, registration service and local history research service.
References
- "Kay Park, Kilmarnock". East Ayrshire Council. Archived from the original on 2008-07-20. Retrieved 2008-05-12.