It is hard to find a town or village in Ayrshire that doesn’t have a monument to Robert Burns, but the little town of Mauchline has the honour of being home to the ‘National Burns Memorial’. Together with five cottage homes for ‘deserving people who have fallen on hard times’, the tower was built in 1896 as a memorial to the poet.

Burns (1759-1796) rented a farm near Mauchline from 1784 to 1791, and it was during this period that he produced many of his best-loved poems. He married a Mauchline girl, Jean Armour, who was known as ‘the Belle of Mauchline’.

Whilst living at Mossgiel Farm Burns would visit Mauchline and drink at Poosie Nancy’s tavern, which still stands today. Did he also pop into the town’s Syrian Barbers to have his trademark tousled locks attended to?

The competition to design the monument was won by architect William Fraser (1867-1922) and the foundation stone was laid on 23 July 1896. The crowd present was said to be 10,000 strong, and the procession of trades, guilds, clubs and the general public stretched a mile in length.

The ceremony was followed by a celebratory banquet for the V.I.P.s where the menu included ‘Scotch Haggis’ as an entrée and ‘Burns Tart’ as one of the sweet courses. The Flâneuse hasn’t been able to find a recipe to recreate this for a Burns Night supper, although it seems it may have been something like an Ecclefechan Tart which has nuts and fruit in a pastry case.

The tower became a museum housing Burns memorabilia, and visitors could climb to the top to admire the impressive panorama.

The museum is long gone, but for the last 12 or so years the tower has been home to Johnston Art, showing the work of Elaine Johnston, and if you visit when the gallery is open you might be lucky enough to be invited to climb up to the roof to admire the view (and the artworks en route).

This post will arrive with readers on Burns Night 2025, so best wishes to all who are celebrating this evening. The Folly Flâneuse and the Uncouth Companion will ‘take a cup of kindness’ and toast you all.

For lots more on Mauchline and the monument visit the Ayrshire History website.

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