Stirling City Heritage Trust

They are now looking for feedback from anyone who engages with Scotland’s cultural heritage to support the development of the final version of the strategy.

The draft strategy and public consultation can be found here:

#HaveYourSay: Historic Environment Scotland has published its draft strategy for Properties and Collections: Towards Sustainable Stewardship.

The strategy outlines HES's plans for caring for and protecting its properties and collection in the long term.

Find out more about the Traditional Buildings Health Check scheme and how to become a member: bit.ly/JoinTBHC

#HESSupported

Checking your roof for repair issues can be tough. We’re here to help.

Owners of pre-1919 properties in Stirling, Bridge of Allan, & Dunblane can sign up for membership of the Traditional Buildings Health Check scheme and get access to subsidised drone inspections and year-round repair advice

Slate roof with a number of slipped and missing slate and gutter filled with water

As we unbatten the hatches after #StormAmy, now is an important time to take a look at the exposed areas of your property.

⚠️Are there any slipped or damaged slates?
⚠️ Are the gutters and downpipes secure and draining properly?
⚠️ Is there any water ingress inside the property?

p.s. If you're looking for things to this weekend, Falkirk, Glasgow, West Lothian, West Fife, and East Renfrewshire are all running Doors Open Days events this weekend.

Stirling's Doors Open Days 2025 Scotland's largest free festival celebrating Architectural Heritage: Windows to the Past, Doors to the Future

It's Stirling Doors Open Days Open Days next weekend. This is your chance to step inside buildings and spaces that are usually closed to the public.

Head over to the Doors Open days map to find out what’s open in Stirling next weekend:

The Stirling Old Town Jail was built in 1847 after the Tolbooth, built in 1705, had become dilapidated and Frederick Hill (Scotland’s first Inspector of Prisons) condemned it as “The worst prison in Britain.” in 1842.

Find out more:

It's #BloodyScotland this weekend, Scotland's International Crime Writing Festival. To mark the occasion we're taking a look at two of Stirling's historic jails, the Tolbooth Stirling and the Stirling Old Town Jail.

📷 Drone photo of Stirling Old Town Jail

To see more images like these, we recommend treating yourself to a copy of Old Stirling by Elspeth King, which you can purchase from
@smithmuseum.bsky.social’s recently refurbished shop.

Minnie Dewar began her business around 1910-1920 and was in business at 33 The Arcade in 1914/15. We’d love to know more about her and her work.

Alexander Crowe was a professional portrait and landscape photographer based at 33 Murray Place, he began his career as a cabinetmaker, and these skills helped him to build his own cameras. He came to Stirling in 1859 and entered into partnership with William Rodger in 1872.

In the late 1890s or early 1900s, local photographer Sergeant William Mackenzie took many photographs of Stirling. We’re lucky that he enjoyed photography as a hobby! Sergeant Mackenzie’s photographs, alongside many others, are part of The Smith’s incredible photography collection.

This #WorldPhotographyDay we’re highlighting the work of Stirling’s pioneering 19th & 20th century photographers. We’re indebted to them in particular for their street photography.

📸 Barnton Street, 1890s by Sgt Mackenzie. Courtesy of The Stirling Smith

Christian MacLagan was recognised for her work with a special honorary membership of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland in Edinburgh in 1871.

Discover more about her life and work in our guest blog by independent researcher and archaeologist Morag Cross: bit.ly/SCHTblogmaclagan

#HESsupported

Did you know that you can find the grave of one of Scotland’s pioneering female archaeologists’ in the Stirling’s Old Town Cemetery?

Christian MacLagan was born near Denny, Stirlingshire, in 1811, she conducted pioneering studies of the ancient landscape.

#adayinarchaeology #FestivalofArchaeology

Running out of free summer holiday activities? We've just restocked Stirling Central Library with our David Galletly illustrated Family Heritage Trail for Stirling City Centre.

Follow the trail to learn all about the history of the city and complete a codebreaker word scramble.

On the tower, an inscription and pair of scissors pays tribute to Robert Spittal and a medallion resembling the castle’s famous Stirling Heads features a portrait of the merchant John Cowane, both renowned local philanthropists.

Next time you wander past see if you spot all of these.

The façade has a number of sculptures and carvings which relate to the history of Stirling. A sculpture of Mary Queen of Scots sits above those of a cleric and a warrior, carved by sculptor A W Young. His initials, as well as the builders, William Gourlay, can also be spotted on the façade.

Built on the site of the old Corn Exchange, Stirling’s new Municipal Buildings were designed by John Gillespie, who would later become a partner in the renowned Glasgow-based architecture firm Gillespie, Kidd & Coia.

#OnThisDay the foundation stone for Stirling’s Municipal Buildings was laid by King George V in 1914, but less than one month later on August 4th Britain declared war on Germany and the First World War began, delaying construction.

These photographs for the @smithmuseum.bsky.social feature the Back Walk Butt Well (which was originally known as the Spout Well).

Head over to our blog to find out about it and the St Ninian’s Well that is now a scheduled monument:bit.ly/SCHTblogwells

Staying hydrated is important during the summer months. Today water bottle refill points are ubiquitous throughout the country, back in the 18th & 19th century Stirling one of the ways they stayed hydrated was through ancient wells. Some of them still survive today.

📷 @smithmuseum.bsky.social

Bannockburn Stand shoulder to shoulder with Robert the Bruce on the site of his greatest victory

To learn more about the Battle of Bannockburn, you can visit the The Battle of Bannockburn NTS visitor centre: nts.org.uk/visit/pla...

The fabulous photos featured in this thread from the @smithmuseum.bsky.social collection were taken during the construction and opening of the Battle of Bannockburn memorial in 1964 for the 650th anniversary of the battle.

The exhausting 2-day battle took place on the 23rd - 24th June and ended in a great victory for the Scots, largely won through the deployment of defensive schiltrons, a shield wall of soldiers armed with pikes, and use of the boggy battlefield to their advantage.

📷 @smithmuseum.bsky.social

He gathered around 25,000 infantry soldiers and 2,000 horses from across England, Ireland and Wales, whilst Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, had a much smaller force made up of only 6,000 Scots infantrymen.

📷 @smithmuseum.bsky.social

In 1314, Stirling Castle was controlled by King Edward II of England and his forces but was under siege by the Scots. Determined to relieve his forces in the Castle, Edward II assembled the largest army to ever invade Scotland.

#OnThisDay

📷 @smithmuseum.bsky.social

Looking for free things to do with the kids over the Holidays? We've created an Family Heritage Trail for Stirling City Centre, learn all about the history of the city and complete a codebreaker word scramble.

Pick-up the trail for free at Stirling Central Library

To read about the new strategy and have your say, click on the link below and complete the survey, you have until the 1st July.

haveyoursay.historic...

#HESSupported