However it was in the 1820s with the realignment of the Great North Road that the village began to grow in its present location. In 1844 the Edinburgh to Berwick railway was opened and a station at Ayton benefited the village. It closed in 1966.

After a fire destroyed Ayton House in 1834 William Mitchell Innes built the present Ayton Castle on the site between 1846 and 1851.

The village was served by a public school located just off the High Street from 1864 until1974 when the present school was built. Another significant building in Ayton is the church, built in 1864.

Ayton continued to grow and had many shops and businesses established in the late 19th and well into the 20th century. However since the 1950s there has been a steady decline in these, in common with many villages throughout the country.

Increasing traffic levels on the A1 was causing a problem for the village, and the building of a bypass in the early 1980s provided relief. This changed the character of the village, and although not good for businesses relying on passing trade, has resulted in a more environmentally friendly, safer community. The building of new houses in recent years has increased the population slightly, with people travelling daily as far as Edinburgh and Newcastle for employment.

Key Issues facing the community

• Ageing population
• Lack of employment (especially for young people)
• Poor public transport
• Lack of a proper community facility
• Lack of low cost, affordable housing
• Local Projects
• Village appraisal completed. Results being analysed
• Improved play facilities for children soon to be completed
• New Gateway project being planned.