Royal charters, wars, witches, merchants, poets, bankers, railways, racing and seaside holidays. This is the longer version of Ayr's story.
King William the Lion grants Ayr royal burgh status, giving the town valuable trading privileges and helping establish it as an important commercial centre on Scotland's west coast.
A Scottish parliament is held at St John's in Ayr in the aftermath of Bannockburn, tying the town closely to the Bruce era.
The stone bridge across the River Ayr is thought to date from around this period. Centuries later Robert Burns gives it a voice in The Brigs of Ayr.
Loudoun Hall appears around the beginning of the 16th century and becomes one of Ayr's most remarkable surviving medieval domestic buildings.
Mary's progress through the west of Scotland brings her to Ayr, adding another royal chapter to the town's history.
Horse racing in Ayr can be traced back to the 16th century, beginning a sporting tradition that survives to this day.
Religion and politics divide Scotland. Ayr becomes deeply connected to the Covenanting cause, setting the scene for arrests, executions and some of the darker stories in the town's past.
An English occupation force builds a major fortress around St John's. Sections of its walls still survive in the town today.
With the former parish church area swallowed by the military fort, Ayr needs another church. The result is the Auld Kirk.
Merchants become increasingly involved in trade across the Atlantic world, bringing wealth, goods and new commercial connections into the burgh.
The political union of Scotland and England changes the commercial landscape and opens wider markets to Scottish merchants.
A harbour light is established during a period of improvement to the port, reflecting Ayr's continuing dependence on sea trade.
A farmer's son born just outside Ayr goes on to become Scotland's national bard and changes how Ayrshire is seen around the world.
A formal two-day race meeting helps turn Ayr's centuries-old racing tradition into a major sporting institution.
Douglas, Heron & Company grows rapidly before failing spectacularly during the financial crisis of 1772. The collapse damages fortunes far beyond Ayr.
A new bridge carries increasing traffic across the river. Burns responds by imagining the old and new bridges arguing about which is better.
John Loudon McAdam develops a radically improved method of road construction. His name becomes famous worldwide, even though modern tarmac is another story.
A new Gothic tower rises on the High Street and becomes one of Ayr's most recognisable landmarks.
Rail travel makes Ayr dramatically easier to reach, changing trade and helping transform the town into a popular seaside destination.
Visitors arrive for the beach, fresh air and entertainment. Hotels, promenades and leisure facilities reshape the identity of the town.
The racecourse relocates to its present site, continuing a racing tradition stretching back more than three centuries.
Trams disappear, roads widen, shops change, industries decline and parts of the town are redeveloped. Older Ayr survives in fragments among the newer streets.
Medieval bridges, merchant houses, kirk yards, fortress walls and tiny clues above modern shopfronts still tell the story, if you know where to look.
Every point on the timeline can become its own Auld Ayr story, with people, places, photographs, maps and the occasional scandal attached.
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