Weather Vane - The Bryce Douglas

Local historian, Mr George McGrattan, was recently researching some history and came across the following information about the model ship on our weather vane, which was published in the Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald of 7 August 1885.

THE BRYCE-DOUGLAS
The model ship presented by A D Bryce-Douglas esquire has this week been successfully placed on the steeple of the new Parish Church, Ardrossan. The old stone courses at the top of the steeple were taken down a distance of nine feet, the old rod taken out and a new rod two inches thick by twenty feet long inserted. From the top of the base stone to the deck of the ship is eleven feet and the rod rises seven feet clear of the topmost point of the steeple, the indicators north, south, east and west being midway between that and the ship. The work is being done by Mr John Boyd, mason, Mr Robert Barbour junior, joiner, the steeplejack in this instance being Mr John Mellon, joiner, Vernon Street, Saltcoats who has done several jobs of this sort in Paisley and elsewhere. The ship is four feet eight inches long by eight inches broad of beam, three feet intervening between keel and the truck on main topmast. The hull and rigging are of copper, yards of brass and she is steered by "double spankers" or main sheets.