THE PAGEANT OF AYRSHIRE - A MUST-SEEEXHIBITION
The 1934 Pageant of Ayrshire was large-scale historical event, which attracted approximately 92,000 visitors to Ayr. This spectacular event is being commemorated in a fascinating exhibition at Rozelle House until 31 August 2025.
ROZELLE HOUSE
Rozelle House is set in extensive woodland close to Ayr town centre. From 1754 until 1968, the Rozelle Estate had belonged to the Hamilton family. In 1968 the House and grounds were gifted to the Royal Burgh of Ayr. The House is now a Local Authority Museum and Art Gallery operated and maintained by South Ayrshire Council (SAC)
Rozelle House holds a huge archive of Ayrshire memorabilia - objects, artefacts and works of art from the SAC collections. These are displayed in a wide-ranging, rolling programme of exhibitions, events and activities, making as much as possible accessible to the general public. In addition, private access to the archives can be booked through the Destination South Ayrshire website.
THE PAGEANT OF AYRSHIRE EXHIBITION
A commemoration of the 1934 Pageant of Ayrshire is the current exhibition in Rozelle House and, as for all our exhibitions, entry is free. The Exhibition runs May 31 - August 31, 2025.
The original Pageant was held at Dam Park in Ayr, in June 1934. Its theme was "The Story of Scotland's Struggle for Independence”. It was held to celebrate Scottish cultural identity and to highlight the role of history in shaping national identity and the importance of Ayrshire in that narrative.
An estimated 92,000 people attended, many travelling on specially commissioned trains from as far afield as Ardrossan and Kilmarnock! There were over 3,000 performers re-enacting various historical periods and figures, including King Coilus and his Court, the Battle of Largs, Sir William Wallace, King Robert the Bruce, the Covenanters and Robert Burns. It was the largest event of this type to be held in any Scottish town up until this date and certainly put Ayr and Ayrshire on the map.
The Pageant of Ayrshire Exhibition celebrates this event. It features specially commissioned work by South Ayrshire writer and performer, Simon Lamb, alongside film footage and costumes from the original event. The exhibition also showcases a book by Roy McLean of Ayr, who created a beautifully illustrated written record of the Pageant.
Alongside the Pageant Exhibition, we have a space dedicated to family craft activities to engage children and adults in, for example, designing a pageant character, creating a pageant poster or enjoying hands-on activities like stencilling and stamping. There’s no need to book, just drop in and enjoy some family fun. Activities like these, which are fun, free and educational are an integral part of all our exhibitions.
ROZELLE HOUSE PERMANENT EXHIBITIONS
Rozelle House is home to:
Scottish Artist Alexander Goudie's magnificent series of paintings inspired by the Robert Burns poem “Tam o' Shanter”. This narrative cycle of 54 paintings was purchased by SAC with funding provided by the T.B. Hunter Charitable Trust, The Fraser Foundation and the Souter Foundation. A selection of these works is on display all year round, with all 54 available to view online. The paintings are accompanied by a descriptive film relating the full tale portrayed in the paintings.
The Ayrshire Yeomanry Museum, a small exhibition that tells their history through a display of archives, artefacts, original costumes and memorabilia.
The Henry Moore sculpture “Working Model for Draped Reclining Figure”, which in 2022, was the centrepiece for a fascinating exhibition illustrating the various ways Henry Moore created artwork.
Free Museum Tours are available on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 10.30am and 2.30pm. Tours last 30 minutes and are free to attend. No booking is required. Just turn up!
Christmas and Halloween are important times for Rozelle House. We lavishly decorate the House either as a Festive Wonderland or as a Haunted House! Our greatest footfall tends to be during these times, with up to 1000visitors/week.
The activities and events at Rozelle House extend well beyond putting on exhibitions. Everything is geared towards involving the general public in a whole range of activities and giving opportunities to try all kinds of activities. For example, local artists regularly run workshops on site, giving members of the general public an opportunity to produce their own art. We are especially keen to work with amateur artists, giving them professional space and introducing them to the whole process of Gallery administration. They learn how to display their art, taking account of humidity, lighting levels, temperature etc, and learn what is involved in preparing artwork for sale. We seek to equip them with some of the skills and knowledge essential to becoming professional artists. We liaise closely with local art groups, the Ayr Sketch Club and the Ayr Art Circle.
Our overall aim is to normalise the experience of going into a Gallery and we try to bring in people who might never otherwise consider a Gallery visit. For example, we once held an exhibition about tattoos and tattooing and had a tattooist on site to demonstrate his art.
Our belief is that if we can get people through the doors of Rozelle House for the first time, we may get them back for repeat visits. There’s always something new on offer.
THE ALLOWAY RAILWAYTUNNEL PROJECT
SAC has been involved with the Alloway Railway Tunnel Project from the outset. We offer our full support to the ART Project Team and are delighted with the progress made so far. We share a passion for community involvement with the ART Project, and firmly believe in community engagement through culture. We look forward to the completion of the Mural and believe it will add greatly to the experience of locals and visitors alike in our area.
The ART Project Team are a pleasure to work with. They are well organised, have a great social media presence. SAC is delighted to lend our support to the Project and to assist in any way.
All the exhibitions and activities put on by SAC at Rozelle House are free, although donations are very welcome. So, why not come along and see things for yourself, you will be made very welcome!
Joan Elliott, Cultural Events and Tourism Officer, South Ayrshire Council
Erin Crossan, Programme and Engagement Officer, South Ayrshire Council
