Saltcoats
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Saltcoats Scottish Gaelic Baile an t-Salainn |
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| Coordinates | 55 ° 38 ′ N , 4 ° 47 ′ W | ||
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| Residents | 12,717 2011 census | ||
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| Post town | SALTCOATS | ||
| ZIP code section | KA21 | ||
| prefix | 01294 | ||
| Part of the country | Scotland | ||
| Council area | North Ayrshire | ||
| British Parliament | North Ayrshire and Arran | ||
| Scottish Parliament | Cunninghame North | ||
Saltcoats ( Scottish Gaelic : Baile an t-Salainn ) is a small town on the west coast of North Ayrshire , Scotland . Together with the cities of Ardrossan and Stevenston , it belongs to the so-called Three Towns . It marks the northern end of Irvine Bay .
history
The name Saltcoats comes from a time when salt was extracted from sea water and stored in small houses on the coast ( cots ). The salt was mainly used in the fishing industry, one of the city's most important sources of income in the past. The port of Saltcoats was built by Robert Cunninghame and originally served to export coal from the neighboring town of Stevenston to Ireland . After the decline of the fishing industry, Saltcoats became a popular holiday destination, especially between 1920 and 1950. Today, however, tourism hardly plays a role in the small town. In 1975 Saltcoats was integrated into the Cunninghame District Council (now North Ayrshire Council).
Personalities
sons and daughters of the town
- William Landsborough (1825–1886), explorer in Australia
- Otto Kiep (1886–1944), German diplomat and resistance fighter
- Bobby Lennox (* 1943), Scottish footballer who played for Celtic for 20 years
