Rabbie Burns from Outer Space.....

[camweh]

Just been looking at the satellite photos for the area of Ayrshire that interests me. Just around where Alfred Nobel started manufacturing dynamite in 1872 at Ardeer you can see there is what appears to be a portrait of Rabbie Burns on that large sloping seawall. I'm thinking it was part of a local project as it would be easily seen by air traffic into and out of nearby Prestwick Airport as well as passing ships on the Firth of Clyde.
have a look

m

[Tracey]

Hi Camweh

Thank you for making me aware of the web site. I had no idea it existed !

[DavidWW]

Just been looking at the satellite photos for the area of Ayrshire that interests me. Just around where Alfred Nobel started manufacturing dynamite in 1872 at Ardeer you can see there is what appears to be a portrait of Rabbie Burns on that large sloping seawall. I'm thinking it was part of a local project as it would be easily seen by air traffic into and out of nearby Prestwick Airport as well as passing ships on the Firth of Clyde.
have a look

Hi Hughie

I see what you mean, when the image is enlarged !!..............

Given my detailed knowledge of the local geography, - I'm an "Honest Man", so know the area well, and also a chemical engineer who very nearly ended up working at Ardeer, - I'm doubtful if this portrait of Rab would be visible to a plane landing at Prestwick, never mind that, given the prevailing SW winds the landing is more likely to be from the East.....

And when I look further at the site and locate the Prestwick runways, - not at all easy unless you know where to look, I'm doubtful if the portrait would be visible even if a plane made its approach over the Firth of Clyde......

David

[camweh]

Hi Tracey, Glad you found it useful. I can zoom in on the house I was born in at Ardrossan soooo many years ago

Hi David,
I asked my group and it appears it was a community project. Here's the details. And the funny thing is it was organised by a family friend of ours which I didn't know about.

Onyway I remember walking along that quiet stretch of beach in the 1960s and there were trenches and sand bags at the top of that sea wall for the troops during WW2 to repel any invaders trying to get to the Nobel's ICI from the sea. It's now a nudist beach and when I think about it, it's an ideal place for that as it's more or less a closed area. Nope cannae zoom in any further

[DavidWW]

Hi Hughie

Thanks for that.

A nudist beach in Ayrshire, - what next, and what's the world coming to

David

[mallog]

To be honest I am not sure of the point of this particular project given the deprivation of the area. However I am grateful to be directed to the website as I used to work in the labs at Ardeer many years ago and have never forgotten the great folk I worked with.

Mallog

[camweh]

I'm doubtful if this portrait of Rab would be visible to a plane landing at Prestwick, never mind that, given the prevailing SW winds the landing is more likely to be from the East.....David

Sorry for bringing this old topic to the fore. We had a lovely surprise recently after taking off from Glasgow Airport for Dubai. Our plane banked over the Firth of Clyde around the three towns and there we were peering down at the very subject of this topic - the portrait of Rabbie on the sea wall. A very memorable goodbye from Scotland.