If you'd like to learn more about Stirling's Historic Streets and the Conservation Areas that protect them then you can head to @smithmuseum.bsky.social to view our exhibition, will be up until the end of March, open Wed to Sun 10am - 5pm.
Find out more:
This leafy suburb would have been a pleasant and convenient place for the well-heeled residents of Stirling to live.
Landmarks in this area include Manse Crescent, a curving street of sandstone villas designed by local architects McLuckie & Walker from 1893 to 1907.
It now contains a mix of architectural styles; from Arts & Crafts villas on Randolph Road, to the B Listed Beechwood House, built in the mid-18th-century.
After the railway came to Stirling in 1848 it became a desirable commuter-town for people across the central belt.
#AvenuestothePast Next up in our Conservation Area stories is Randolph Place Conservation Area.
This Conservation Area was originally two hamlets; Bellfield and Newhouse.
📷 Dean of Guild Court plans for Manse Crescent, reproduced courtesy of Stirling Council Archives.
Scotland's construction creates 50% of our waste - yet buildings contain valuable, reusable materials with embodied carbon we can't afford to waste.
Material Passports can unlock circular economy benefits ♻️ Read our full manifesto:
Now open: 2026 AHRC CDA PhD Studentship 🎓
A collaborative project with @stir.ac.uk & @stirlingcht.bsky.social exploring built heritage, housing & climate justice, focusing on tenants in historic tenements.
🗓️ Closing date: 23 Jan 2026
🔗 Find out more: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Each of these buildings represents a different function and time-period, so they help tell the story of Stirling.
They remind us that before everyone had a watch, public clocks were an important resource, which is why they can be found on civic buildings.
There are many other buildings with clocks around Stirling, include:
🕑The Athenaeum, which opened in 1817 as a private library.
🕕The Municipal Buildings, which were designed by John Gaff Gillespie and opened in 1918.
🕗The 19th century Stirling High School, now a hotel, designed by James MacLaren.
The clock on the Tolbooth tower is an important feature of one of Stirling’s oldest buildings and was designed and manufactured by Duncan Kerr of Falkirk, we captured some excellent images of it recently when we conducted a drone inspection of the building.
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This weekend the clocks fall back, and we all get an extra hour of sleep, so we’re taking a look at some of the clocks which can be seen on buildings in Stirling City Centre.
Perhaps the most striking and colourful clock can be seen on the Tolbooth tower.
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.
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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.
19.08.2025 16:01 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0Alexander 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.
19.08.2025 16:01 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0In 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.
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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.
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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.
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