Purple and Gold
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With all of their business acumen, foresight and talents I doubt that our benefactors, C. K. Marr, who conceived and funded the dream, Sir Alexander Walker, the crusader for excellence in educational opportunity and learning environment who made Marr College a reality, would have believed that the jewel that was Marr College would descend into slum-like conditions before reaching her 70th birthday. Theirs was a loftier vision; to provide for the citizenry of Troon an environment where generations of youngsters could enjoy the very best in education, surroundings, facilities and teaching staff. Instead, there are window frames which are in such a dangerous condition that they can't be touched for fear they will fall from the building; grounds treated as a rubbish tip; a listed building boarded up and abandoned in the grounds; graffiti-adorned facade; security cameras and ugly fencing. Those who benefited from the generosity of K. C. Marr, and the hard work of successive members of the Trust, and whose lives have been enriched by an excellent secondary education took it for granted that those who came after them would enjoy the same opportunity. How the vision has been betrayed by their successors! South Ayrshire Council has presided over the decline of this fine building and in 26 years has removed the art gallery, museum, library, dining hall, board room under the dome and the gym. Instead, a multitude of portable classrooms exists which, planted on what was the boy's playground, surrounded by a galvanized metal fence, watched over by security cameras, gives the impression of a Second World War prison camp rather than an institution dedicated to excellence in education. Nor are the present trustees absolved of responsibility for the current state of affairs. They have appeared only too keen to hand the building and responsibility for it over to the South Ayrshire Council, offering to sell it in 1978 and again recently to a Public Private Partnership, to allow the construction of a new school building on the playing fields. All this whilst turning a blind eye to the abrogation of the South Ayrshire Council toward their responsibilities under the lease to maintain the building. I would appeal to those in Troon and across the globe who were fortunate enough to have attended Marr College in better times to speak up now and reverse this decline. Use the power of the internet to lobby those politicians and bodies who have sat by in the past believing that they would not be called to account, support those residents of Troon and district to reverse the decline in what is one of the finest school buildings in the West of Scotland and a tribute to the generosity of C.K.Marr and the vision of Sir Alexander Walker. Email or write to those charged with responsibility for this building now! Via the lobby page, make your opinion known! For maximum effect personalize your email emphasizing those points which are important to you. Grahame Taylor, 2004 |
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The Marr College was the far sighted vision of C.K.Marr and those, who over the years have administered the trust which he provided for the benefit of the population of Troon. Brought to life by Sir Alexander Walker in 1930 the school was a masterpiece of style and design then and would still be considered so today. In 1978 the trust, after having successfully administered the school for 48 years, handed over responsibility for the building and the running of the school to the Strathclyde Regional Council (SRC). The building and the associated land, 22 acres of playing fields, was leased to the SRC on a 60 year fully insuring and repairing lease i.e. the responsibility for the maintenance and upkeep of the building rests fairly and squarely on the shoulders of the South Ayrshire Council, the present successors in title. The ensuing 26 years have been hard on the fabric of the College with evidence of the neglect and lack of expenditure by the South Ayrshire Council is all too apparent. The College and it's subsidiary buildings are grade "B" listed buildings though this has offered scant protection from the neglect of those charged with it's upkeep. The purpose of this site is not to tackle the issues surrounding education in Scotland or elsewhere for that matter but to alert those who have links to this fine building across the world to the condition of the fabric of the building and the abrogation of the local authority to their responsibilities under the 1978 lease. I have not personally had the opportunity to inspect the interior of the College, but if the exterior is anything to go by those fine paneled classrooms and corridors may be a thing of the past. The photo gallery is an attempt to provide a feel condition for the exterior of the College, you can compare the present day condition to that 70 years a go by visiting the Marr of Yesteryear link. Grahame Taylor 2004
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The Marr College 2004
The Marr College 1935
Bungalow
New Crest
Windows
Grounds