Destructive Fire at Soutar Johnnie's Inn in Kirkoswald Ayrshire

[Jimmy]

Just watched the news tonight and it appears that the famous Soutar Johnnies Inn at Kirkoswald has been destroyed by fire today.
The inn built on the site of Robert Burns schoolhouse in 1775 was a delightful thatched roof pub and restaurant on the main street of Kirkoswald near Maybole in Ayrshire.
Immediately across the road from the inn is the graveyard where Burns' friend, John Davidson, the Soutar Johnnie from the classic poem, Tam O'Shanter, is buried.
This is a real tragedy for all Burns lovers and for all who tour Ayrshire on the Burns trail

[cessna152towser]

Sad to hear this.
My late wife Ann had a great great great grandfather Alexander Davidson who was a carter at Bargany Colliery in Ayrshire around 1800 and lived with his family in Lovestone House, Old Dailly. There was another Alexander Davidson who was a miner in the same colliery and who lived in the same house with a different family and was a cousin of Souter Johnnie Davidson. Lovestone House was the workers' accommodation for Bargany Colliery. I never did manage to establish in what way if any the two Alexander Davidsons were related to each other and whether my late wife was related to Souter Johnnie Davidson.

[Peter Crowe]

This is a sad event Jimmy. I was a boy the last time I visited Burns Cottage at Alloway, and it is an ambition of mine someday to visit all the Ayrshire places associated with the Bard (I have visited all the Dumfriesshire locations). I always wanted to visit Kirkoswald, Mauchline and Tarbolton. Hopefully it can be restored.