Postcard of a colour tinted photograph of Alloway Kirk

"Alloway Kirk, Ayr". A coloured lithographic postcard of the ruined church in the village where Robert Burns was born.   Robert Burns was born at Alloway near Ayr on the 25th January 1759, the eldest of seven children of Agnes and William Burnes. His father was a market gardener, who, having acquired a small holding of land, had built a cottage in the village.   Burns wrote the poem, "Tam o' Shanter" as a "witch story" to accompany the illustration of Alloway Kirk which was published by his friend, Captain Francis Grose in his "Antiquities of Scotland". They were both impressed by the atmosphere of the old church.   Burns' birthplace, the old church and the National Burns Monument Gardens at Alloway were a landmark for those visiting "Burns' Country" at the time this postcard was published. The photograph shows visitors exploring the church yard.