Editing Prestwick (section)

== History ==
[[File:Prestwick Town Hall.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Prestwick Burgh Hall]]]]

Prestwick's name comes from the [[Old English]] for, ''priest's farm'': ''preost'' meaning "priest" and ''wic'' meaning "farm". The town was originally an outlying farm of a [[religious]] house.<ref>{{cite web|title=Prestwick South Community Council|url=http://www.prestwicksouthcommunitycouncil.org/history.html|website=Prestwick South Community Council History|access-date=15 January 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160122044101/http://prestwicksouthcommunitycouncil.org/history.html|archive-date=22 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=A Vision of Britain through time|url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/17383|website=Prestwick, Ayrshire|access-date=15 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Old English Translator|url=http://www.oldenglishtranslator.co.uk/index.htm|website=Old English Translator|access-date=15 January 2016}}</ref> [[George T. Flom]] suggested that the name was of [[Old Norse]] origin.<ref>[[George T. Flom]], 1900, ''Scandinavian Influence on Southern Lowland Scotch'', p. 3</ref> In this case, it would mean "priest's bay".

From [[Robert the Bruce]]  is reputed to have been cured of [[leprosy]] by the waters of the well at [[St Ninians]] church. The well still exists behind the church.{{fact|date=March 2024}}

Although it has been a Burgh of Barony for over a thousand years, it was a village until the railway arrived in the 1840s and the middle class from Glasgow started to build large houses along the coast. [[Prestwick Burgh Hall]] was completed in around 1837.<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|num=LB40329|desc=Old Burgh Chambers (now County Council District Office)|access-date=3 August 2021}}</ref>

The Prestwick Bathing Lake, known as the Lido, was opened in 1931 by the Secretary of State for Scotland, William Adamson. It was the largest swimming pool north of the border. It could accommodate 1200 bathers and 3000 spectators. It hosted swimming galas, diving exhibitions, moonlight swimming sessions and regular fireworks displays and was the venue of some of the Miss Scotland competitions. It was closed in 1972 and subsequently demolished.

On 28 August 1944, a [[Douglas C-54 Skymaster]] (42-72171) of the [[United States Army Air Forces]], on approach into Glasgow Prestwick Airport in bad weather, crashed into a residential area of Prestwick, killing all 20 passengers and crew and five people on the ground.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19440828-2|title=ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-54A-1-DC (DC-4) 42-72171 Glasgow-Prestwick Airport (PIK)|first=Harro|last=Ranter|website=aviation-safety.net}}</ref>