The red carpet was literally rolled out for a Royal visit of the Queen more than 50 years ago.
Torrential downpours didn’t dampen the spirits of thousands of Kilmarnock residents as the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited the town in July 1970.
Locals waited two hours in the horrid weather to catch a glimpse of the pair — who were half-an-hour late.
And despite the weather, the couple spent several minutes chatting to the crowds.
Carpet factory BMK, where the Queen would visit later in the day, had woven 250 yards of velvet wool carpet for the occasion, some of which was laid out at the Dick Institute where the couple were received by Lord Lieutenant of Ayrshire Sir James Fergusson.
Special window displays were arranged in shops and the Royals even dined in the Dick Institute.
The lunch consisted of melon in a port wine; sea trout with asparagus salad and buttered Ayrshire potatoes; and Auchencruive strawberries with cream and an Oppenheimer Riesling hock of 1964 vintage.
The couple were gifted a pair of pale blue satin-bound blankets knitted by Fleming’s Laces in the town.
They went on to visit various factories and when they left the red carpet was so wet they couldn’t walk on it.
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