The Kings Arms

At its best a pub can be all things to all people. A place for men and women to meet to chat and, yes drink a little, but also a real hub of a vibrant community that serves that community –  and ‘temporary locals’ from further afield - a lot more than just beer. The Kings Arms is one such pub, a historic 18th century coaching inn whose very continued survival is a stirring testament to the community of Ballantrae and the volley of passionate people who have fought to save their lifeline pub.

 

I’ve always felt a sense of the romantic about Ballantrae, here in Carrick, South Ayrshire. Maybe it’s partly because Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson evoked its name in his novel ‘The Master of Ballantrae’, or because my imagination likes the idea of our national bard and Ayrshire exciseman Rabbie Burns extending his duties this far south into a coast alive with the colourful ghosts of the smugglers who once held sway on the rugged coast around Ballantrae.

My strongest reason, though, is perhaps the setting at the heart of a UNESCO Biosphere. This picturesque village lies on the very southern reaches of the Ayrshire coast with water on one side and a green and pleasant hinterland stretching behind. Peer north and on a good day you can see Kintyre, Arran and even as far as Cumbrae and Bute. To the west and south, the island of Ireland unfolds in a horizon-dominating shadow, whilst somewhere out there, with the ghosts of the myriad ships who have foundered on this littoral, lies the Isle of Man.

In Ballantrae the survival of the community has never been assured despite the remarkable location. Too many people just whizz by on the A77 on the multi-nodal transport artery between Glasgow and Belfast. And three pubs that burned at the village core were reduced to one. Then almost none, when the Kings Arms owners failed to find a buyer. This precipice fired up the community and the Ballantrae Community Council consulted a village that only has around 600 inhabitants, and that is when you count the sprinkling of surrounding smaller settlements.

 

The result of the 2019 consultation was almost unanimous, with 90% supportive and only 3% against looking into a community buy out of the hallowed Kings Arms. Condition reports, feasibility studies, a business plan and cash flow forecasts followed, then in May 2020 the Scottish Land Fund provided a grant of over a quarter of a million pounds. That allowed the buy out to go ahead and a manager to be appointed, with ownership confirmed in September 2020.

Martin McCourt, Treasurer of the Ballantrae Trust and volunteer at the Kings Arms, takes up the story. “Covid brought immediate challenges to add to the existing ones of taking over, revamping and running a pub,” he explains, still retaining the positivity that the community continues to approach the Kings Arms with. “We managed to open in April 2021 for outside drinks, then more fully in August, after a small team of volunteers did repairs, upgrading work, a deep clean, upgraded the toilets and also installed more energy efficient lighting, log burning stoves and new furniture for the beer garden.”

McCourt continues, “The body running the pub ran a share offer for badly needed revenue between April and May. Over 75% of shareholders came from the Ballantrae Community Council area and we exceeded the initial target, but that was not the end of the story. With rising energy costs, the difficulty of finding and retaining staff, and the cost of living crisis combined we had to close again in October 2022.”

 

Undeterred, the community fought back yet again. New blood in the Trust and the pub built on the previous hard work. In the words of Martin, “Everyone involved today stands tall on the shoulders of the great people who got the pub through tricky times and gave the pub and the village a chance.” A public meeting led to a new Management Committee, a revised business plan and a phased re-opening. The Kings Arms re-opened in time for the summer season to the delight of Ballantrae and visitors alike. Since then, a dedicated team of volunteers has staffed the bar and has taken over the kitchen too, providing home cooked Sunday roasts and a warm welcome

So why make such an effort? Martin explains, “The Kings Arms Community Pub & Hub aims to offer a friendly community hub where villagers can meet with friends at any time of day. A place to get a reliably good pint or a decent meal without the need and the expense of travelling elsewhere to have coffee and a cake, a light lunch or afternoon tea. It is also a place to hold family celebrations – such as an 18th birthday party or wedding reception; even funeral teas.”

Judie McCourt, who is involved in tourism in Ballantrae, talks up the Kings Arms’ appeal too – “The Kings Arms is for everyone – local or ‘temporary local’. We welcome a multigenerational range of people. Here, there are no strangers, just friends you’ve not met yet. Those ‘temporary locals’ are very welcome to come to the pub and learn about the village to interact with the community. We are looking at setting up a history trail and also now have links between the pub and the wonderful luxury hotel at Glenapp. Their five star guests can come down and meet the community in a real pub.”

“The Revised Community Action Plan in 2024 showed how much the pub is a vital part of village life both historically and currently. The residents and friends of Ballantrae will benefit directly from having a vital village amenity preserved for future generations, both through the use of the facility itself but also because our Kings Arms Community Pub and Hub will play its part in ensuring Ballantrae remains a great place to live, work and visit. The pub is community owned and no-one will personally profit from it.”

Local young people are profiting from the Kings Arms in different ways. Martin explains: “ We aim to set ourselves up as a training hub. If young people decide to stay in hospitality great, if they go off to university, they still have the hospitality training they can use. The aim is not only to restore this well-loved building to its traditional place at the heart of the village but to establish jobs, offer work experience and skills training.”

This pub that is more than a pub has two bars – one more old school bar designed solely for men (in a symbol of how it has changed, a current project is to build female toilets in here), and then there is also a more family-friendly and dog-friendly lounge bar, as well as a restaurant area. There is also a ‘games room’ that does a bit of everything. It is a regular meeting place for small groups, such as the local history group, karaoke and quizzes. There are music events, yoga and Pilates in addition. Judie stresses, “The Trust and the pub want to tackle lack of warmth and social isolation too., like Cosy Spaces providing, warmth & company every Friday during the winter months ”

There is good food and drink too. Local Five Kingdoms Beer stars alongside Ayrshire-made Ballantrae gin and whisky and Hendricks gin from just up the road in Girvan. The Sunday roast comes with love and provenance – the meat hails from the local butcher, the seafood from the local fishmonger. 

The Kings Arms has plans too, ambitious ones. They are looking at funding and have architects plans to install fully inclusive changing spaces and toilets, revamp the bedrooms upstairs to provide managers accommodation, family accommodation as well as upgraded ensuite rooms and add a lift to make the bedrooms more accessible. They are also planning onrepainting the exterior and working with Scotmid on improved parking, have installed a new boiler, and carried out roof repairs.

“As the Kings Arms develops, the pub will be channelling profits back into the wider community,” says Sue. The Ballantrae Trust already does sterling work – they are working on the popular local food and drink festival, improved the playpark, produce the quarterly Ballantrae News, run a Cinema once a month in the Village Hall, facilitate a Friday Lunch Club in The Kings Arms, are part of the village Resilience team and assisting with a winter hardship fund. 

Judie calls last orders on a typically positive note – “We have a really good group of volunteers trying to find a sustainable future for the pub and community. We are constantly evolving, creating a future, and talking to other communities and community pubs around Scotland to share advice and help each other. We have a viable Business Plan which shows this historic 18th Century Coaching Inn can be a vibrant, flourishing 21st Century enterprise”

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