Kilmarnock Cross

Kilmarnock Cross is the large open square in the heart of the pedestrianised town centre, surrounded by several streets and some striking buildings including the former Royal Bank of Scotland, built in 1939, which has a large green dome. (Apparently there was an ornate mosaic floor in the banking hall with a 1939 threepenny bit in the centre; I don't know whether it is still there as I haven't been inside.)

There used to be seven streets which fanned out from The Cross but, owing to a major redevelopment in 1970,  some were demolished. Many shops, the bus station and a car park were built in their place. You can also find the modern (and controversial) Burns Shopping Mall to one side.

In the centre stands the striking statue of Robert Burns and his printer, John Wilson, where a roundabout used to be in the 1970s when traffic flowed around these streets. This replaced the marble statue of Sir James Shaw which was moved to its new position in London Road near the Dick Institute.

The shops which surround The Cross, as I write this, include Holland and Barrett, Barclays Bank, Aulds Bakery and Costa Coffee.