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