Doors Open Days Stirling

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Scotland's annual Doors Open Days festival gives you free access to lots of fascinating buildings across Stirling! This year's event will be held on 23rd & 24th September.

About Doors Open Days Stirling

Listed Under Days Out Events / Arts and Crafts Events / Exhibitions Events / Family and Kids Events / History Events / Tour Events

That’s the magic of Doors Open Days; you can be a tourist in your own town or discover a new place entirely – including some buildings and spaces not normally open to the public.

Don’t miss this annual opportunity to see inside some of the most interesting places that Stirling has to offer.

The Engine Shed – Scotland’s Building Conservation Centre - 23-24 September 2023
The Engine Shed was built sometime between 1896 and 1913 and was used as a goods transfer shed. The Engine Shed is now a dynamic hub of digital innovation, heritage science and an accredited training centre.

Bannockburn House - 23 September 2023
Bannockburn House dates from around 1675 and is an outstanding example of a Scottish country house. This Category A Listed Building is of national importance and retains many original features as well as a long and significant history. Empty for over half a century, the house and gardens were bought by the local community and are now run by a group of dedicated volunteers who are creating a community hub and providing a range of activities and resources to benefit future generations.

Camphill Blair Drummond - 23 September 2023
Camphill Blair Drummond is a rural community situated six miles from the historic city of Stirling, Scotland. We offer a home, meaningful activities and opportunities for personal development to adults with learning disabilities and other special needs. In all some 200 people live and work within Camphill Blair Drummond.

Central Library - 24 September 2023
The Central Library is an ongoing impressive testimony to the generosity of the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and to the persistence of Provost George Kinross. This Category B Listed Building dates from1904 and was the first free library in Stirling, although not the first building Carnegie had contributed towards in the Stirling area. Built off the Old Town Wall, in the Scots Renaissance style, it has one of the most elaborate roofs in Stirling.

Central Scotland Islamic Centre - 24 September 2023
NEW
Everyone is welcome. Come and take a guided tour of the building or collect a leaflet and have a look around yourself. This is a fantastic opportunity to meet members of the local Muslim community and learn about the centre. There will be opportunities to ask questions of the tour guides and the Imam of the Mosque on any aspect of Islamic tradition or teachings.

Church of the Holy Rude - 23-24 September 2023
One of the most important and historic buildings in Stirling and beyond. Surrounded by four of the Top of the Town graveyards, the Category A Listed Church of the Holy Rude dates from at least the 1400s and is the second oldest building in Stirling. A mighty place of worship for over 600 years, it is where King James VI was crowned. The building retains visible musket shot-holes on its tower wall from when Stirling Castle was under siege in 1651.

Cowane’s Hospital - 23-24 September 2023
Cowane’s Hospital Trust was established in 1637 and is Scotland’s second oldest surviving charitable trust. The Category A Listed Building Cowane’s Hospital, set within stunning gardens at the Top of the Town, was founded by John Cowane for poor members of the local Merchant Guild. Originally two storeys inside it was altered in 1852 to form a Guild Hall with a viewing gallery, minstrel’s gallery and elongated windows throughout.

Dunblane Library - 23 September 2023
The Category A Listed Leighton Library in historic Dunblane is Scotland’s oldest purpose-built private library and is over 300 years old. After many years of preparation and fund-raising, the library is presently closed as it is undergoing extensive renovation and repair works. Many interesting discoveries have been made about the unusual construction of the building.

Gargunnock Parish Church - 23-24 September 2023
Gargunnock Kirk is Category B Listed and dates from 1628. The picturesque T-plan building, with three sets of external stairs leading to separate Lairds lofts. It sits at the historic heart of the village of Gargunnock, where there has been a church in one form or another for over 500 years. The kirk was altered in 1774 and has had a number of internal refurbishments since. It contains a Robert Lorimer war memorial and pulpit and has two good 20thcentury stained glass windows which are attributed to William Wilson and Douglas Hamilton. The church is set within its graveyard.

Holy Trinity Scottish Episcopal Church - 24 September 2023
This Category A Listed Building was completed in 1878 to the design of the distinguished Scottish architect Robert Rowand Anderson, with interior work from 1921-22 by Robert Stodard Lorimer. The building has been little altered since its construction and is noted for its many original features as well as a considerable number of high-quality 19th and 20th century stained glass windows and military memorials. It has been well maintained by successive generations of members and remains home to a vibrant Christian community.

Kippen Parish Church - 24 September 2023
Situated in the picturesque village of Kippen is the Category B Listed Kippen Parish Church. A church in Kippen was first mentioned in public records in the 1300s, the existing church dates from 1825 and was enlarged in 1928. These works resulted in a beautiful sanctuary which reflected some of the ideals of the Arts and Crafts Movement and it is thought that much is owed to the input of knowledge, taste and contacts of the prominent Scottish artist, Sir David Young Cameron, who lived in the parish for 46 years. This is a well-loved church building which contains a stunning wealth of arts and craftsmanship within it and it is definitely well worth the trip to Kippen to see.

Kippen Smiddy - 23-24 September 2023
The Smiddy is located next to The Cross in Kippen, right at the centre of the village, at the top of a cobbled slope in one of the most characterful streets in the Stirling area. It was used by the Rennie family as a blacksmiths for nearly 200 years until the mid-1980s. It is now cared for by the National Trust for Scotland, to whom it was donated by Andrew Rennie in 1985. Refurbished by the NTS in the early 1980s, this Category C Listed Building retains many of the features and tools from its use as a smiddy.

Lecropt Kirk - 24 September 2023
A familiar landmark to many, the stunning Category A Listed Lecropt Parish Church has overlooked the Carse since the early 1800s. Behind its unique façade, the interior boasts an arched and ribbed ceiling, plaster groin vaults and some of the most interesting windows within the Stirling area. The church contains the Keir loft and Stirling vault. William Stirling was the architect of the church.

Mugdock Castle - 24 September 2023
Mugdock Castle is situated within the scenic Mugdock Country Park, about a twenty minute walk from the car park, and is one of Scotland’s most popular visitor attractions. This Scheduled Ancient Monument dates back to the 1300’s and it retains its original four-storey south-west tower mostly intact.

Park Church - 24 September 2023
Park Church was formed in 2020 as a result of the union of the former Allan Park South Church and St Columba's Church. It is a Category B Listed Building, built in 1901 by JJ Stevenson. The organ was installed in 1903 and was built by Binns of Bramley, Leeds. The millennium window, designed by Christian Shaw, was installed in 2002 to commemorate the Millennium and the centenary of the church building.

Stirling Astronomical Society at Old Stirling High School Observatory - 23-24 September 2023
New
This impressive building used to be used as Stirling High School, it was converted into an hotel in 1990. View the night sky through the 133 year old Newtonian reflecting telescope within the copper-domed Observatory at the Category A Listed Stirling Highland Hotel courtesy of Stirling Astronomical Society members. Group tours of up to 10 people will last approximately 30 minutes. This is a very popular event so you may have to queue but the hotel has kindly provided a room where you can watch a digital presentation while you wait, or if you can’t make it up the two-three flights of spiral stairs. If the sky is clear it should be possible to view stars, the moon, Saturn & Jupiter.
Please come after 20.00 if you have no children.

Stirling City Heritage Trust - 19 September 2023
Join SCHT for an illustrated lecture ‘Who built Stirling?’ about the architects of Stirling’s historic buildings. Please note this talk is on Tuesday 19th September at 6:30pm.

Stirling Community Fire Station - 23 September 2023
Visitors can look round an operational fire station, find out about all the specialist firefighting equipment, see the training facilities, ask questions and learn about Community Safety and Home Fire Safety Visits. The station will be operational throughout and Doors Open Days and visitors might get a safe opportunity to watch the fire personnel responding to an incident

Stirling Sheriff Court - 23 September 2023
The Category B Listed Sheriff Court was designed by Thomas Brown in 1864 and modified by Wardrop and Reid in 1874-76. Court Room One contains an impressive hammer-beam roof, original seating and hooded canopy above the judge’s bench.

The Well House, Bridge of Allan - 23-24 September 2023
The tiny Well House has a big history. Cat B Listed in 2014, the Well House dates from 1821 and is the earliest surviving building associated with the spa town of Bridge of Allan. It may even be one of the earliest buildings of this type in Scotland.

University of Stirling Art Collection - 23 September 2023
NEW
The University of Stirling Art Collection is a treasure trove of contemporary Scottish art, sculpture courtyards, 1960s furniture and working 19th Century Columbian Printing Press! Visitors are invited to explore our latest exhibitions, including work from artists such as Christine Borland, Barbara Hepworth, Willie Rodger and Wilhelmina Barns-Graham (amongst many others) housed within the Category A Listed Pathfoot Building, the first teaching building of the University of Stirling.
The Pathfoot Press will be open between 11am-2pm and giving printing demonstrations so visitors can try their hand at some printing or just watch the fascinating Press in action! This is a rare and exciting opportunity to see a working Columbian Press.

A free curator’s tour of exhibitions will run between 11:30-12:30.
War Graves Tour at Mars Wark Cemetery - 23 September 2023
NEW
In this cemetery, the CWGC care for 48 war graves of service personnel who had served and died during either the First or Second World War. The CWGC also care for Canadian, and Australian casualties in this cemetery.
Join the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) for a cemetery tour at Mars Wark Cemetery and learn about the history of the organisation, as well as the work we have done and continue to do, to ensure the stories of the remarkable individuals who served and died during the world wars are not forgotten!
There will be two tours on the day. Tour 1 is from 11am to 12pm and Tour 2 will take place from 1pm to 2pm.

Where possible we will update our listings to notify of cancelled, postponed and rescheduled events, however we STRONGLY ADVISE that you check with the venue/organiser in the first instance for updates.

All information (whether in text or photographs) is supplied in good faith but should not be relied upon as being a statement of representation or fact.

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