Kay Park, Kilmarnock

The 30 acre Kay Park was purchased and gifted to Kilmarnock by local insurance broker Alexander Kay. Opened in 1879, the park housed the red sandstone monument to Robert Burns and the museum building, consisting of two storeys and a tower.

Much of the monument was destroyed by fire in 2004 but the famous statue survived intact. It underwent an extensive cleaning and restoration programme in 2008 and was returned to its sandstone surroundings and new courtyard setting to form the centrepiece of the Burns Monument Centre.