STANLEY Road in Ardrossan holds a largely forgotten and discarded piece of our area’s local history.

What looks like a barren bit of grass with some goalposts was once the site of Ardrossan Parish Church (1697-1744) and a surrounding graveyard which also included a private burial ground for the Weir family of Kirkhall who were buried there in the 18th and 19th centuries.

In 1882 the burial site for the Weirs was described as “A small enclosure formed by a thorn hedge and a stone wall and sheltered by an encompassing row of ash and elm. There is a monument erected, composed of two Tuscan columns surmounted by a pediment and having the names of the Weir family buried there cut in a sunk panel of black marble.”

Unfortunately and despite efforts, researchers from the North Ayrshire Heritage Centre haven’t been able to find any pictures of the monument when it was standing.

Today, it is very dilapidated, and the structure has entirely collapsed. Some locals they have spoken to about the monument have stated they do remember it being standing and intact decades ago however no pictures have emerged.

It would be beneficial for the Heritage Centre to see how the site looked in the past.

Do you, or does anyone you know, have a picture or even a memory of the monument from the time when it was still standing? If so, please contact the Heritage Centre in Saltcoats, either by popping in, by calling them on 01294 464174 or by emailing naheritage@north-ayrshire.gov.uk