Find Your Way Around Stirling, Bannockburn & Bridge of Allan

FIRST THINGS FIRST! The best way of finding your way around Stirling, Bridge of Allan and Bannockburn is to purchase a copy of Ronald P A Smith's coloured Stirling Street Plan (cover pictured on the right). The map is available from the best local bookshops, newagents and stationers, and from the local tourist information centres. This map was first published in 1982 and is now in its 13th Edition. Although probably the most detailed map of its type, it is conveniently sized for general use, whether in the car, office or house. As well as the usual street lists, it has comprehensive indexes of antiquities, places of interest and visitor attractions; parks and recreational facilities; educational establishments; places of worship; health and welfare facilities; and other information (including the locations of police stations, government offices, cemeteries, railway stations, etc).

The Stirling Street Plan covers a fairly large area, extending from Bridge of Allan to Bannockburn, and of course it takes in the University of Stirling.

To order by post direct from the publisher, please click on the 'Map Ordering' button on this website's 'Home' page.

THE CITY AND ROYAL BURGH OF STIRLING

The ancient Royal Burgh of Stirling (2001 Census population: 32,673) lies at the heart of Scotland, both physically and historically. It is situated on the banks of the meandering River Forth at the gateway between the Lowlands and the Highlands, in a beautiful setting where the flat Forth carselands are squeezed by the Lennox Hills from the south-west and the Ochil Hills from the north-east. Rising abruptly from the plain is the rocky volcanic outcrop crowned by the Stirling Castle, its eastern slopes occupied by the steep streets of the old town. Stirling was, until 1890, the lowest bridging point on the Forth, giving the town a great strategic significance, perpetuated by its present position on Scotland's motorway network.

Stirling was one of Scotland's first royal burghs. It received a royal charter from King David I in 1125 at which time the town already had a thriving port on the River Forth. Stirling Castle became the main seat of the Scottish monarchy until the Union of the Crowns in 1603. In more recent times, Stirling became an important market, administrative and railway centre, with prosperous and attractive residential areas, and now has its own university and a large industrial and commercial area to the east. Its wide range of shops serve a wide area, and the extent of its indoor shopping malls is perhaps surprisingly large for the size of the town.
 
Stirling has recently been elevated to the 'official' status of a city, the sixth in Scotland, which has given the community some preferential financial allocations from the Scottish Executive, much to the annoyance, no doubt, of  the authorities in other places which have been regarded as cities for hundreds of years - Perth, Dunfermline, Elgin, to name but a few!

Antiquities and Places of Interest

Stirling Castle - Stirling Castle, sitting on top of its high volcanic rock outcrop, is often compared to Edinburgh Castle, but is comparatively little changed from its original appearance and form. It consists of many buildings, the most notable of which are the splendid Great Hall, recently restored both internally and externally, and the Palace. The Great Hall dates from the early 16th century, while most of the Palace was built in 1540 during the reign of King James V. In the latter are displayed some of the famous 'Stirling Heads', wooden medallions of real and imagined characters and now the subject of another restoration exercise. Below the castle rock can be seen the King's Knot, the grassed over remains of an extensive terraced garden.

Church of the Holy Rude - Stirling's ancient and impressive parish church (photograph on the left) stands at the top of the town, divided from the castle by an extensive graveyard, interesting for its topography as well as its variety of old tombstones. The structure dates back to 1455 and features beautiful stained glass windows and ancient pulpit, memorials and bells. The coronation of James VI took place here in 1567. The adjacent Cowane's Hospital is an old almshouse dating from 1637.

Mar's Wark - A short distance up the hill from the church and facing the top end of Broad Street is the windowless facade of Mar's Work or 'Wark' (right). This was once a grand palace, built by the 18th Earl of Mar in 1571-2.

Argyll's Lodging - On the opposite side of Castle Wynd, a little further up is another aristocratic palace, this time in a better state of preservation - Argyll's Lodging. Formerly used as a youth hostel but more recently restored and opened to the public by Historic Scotland, it is a 17th century town house, considered to be the best example of its kind in Scotland.

The Old Town - The ancient streets between the castle and the modern town centre at the foot of the hill are an excellent example of restoration and sensitive reconstruction (left). Much of the improvement work took place over decades when public authorities elsewhere were often indifferent to townscape restoration or even hostile to the concept - Stirling is lucky to have escaped the worst excesses of architectural fashion, such as afflicted the ancient fabric of some other Scottish royal burghs in the 1960s. Notable buildings, features and visitor attractions in the area include the old tolbooth, the mercat cross topped by its unicorn and the Old Town Jail.

Stirling Bridge - Famous as the site of the Battle of Stirling Bridge, the present picturesque bridge (right), now used for foot traffic only, dates from the 15th century. In the background of the photograph, atop the wooded Abbey Craig, can just be seen the great monument to William Wallace, the celebrated victor of the battle.

University of Stirling - In the vale behind the Abbey Craig and the Wallace Monument, the modern buildings of Stirling University nestle in the former policies of Airthrey Castle. Here, the university has a superb landcape setting, centred on a winding loch. The MacRobert Centre at the university is a cultural facility with an appeal which extends well beyond academia.

Cambuskenneth Abbey - Just across the Forth from Stirling are the remains of Cambuskenneth Abbey in the very peaceful village of Cambuskenneth. Apart from a large, square, 13th century bell tower, little, other than the foundations, remains of the abbey church and monastic buildings. Needless to say, after the Reformation, most of the stonework was used to construct buildings in Stirling!

Tourist Information Centres - Stirling has no fewer than four strategically placed information centres - in the town centre at Dumbarton Road; near the Castle; at the Wallace Monument; and at the Service Area on the M9/M80. These are the places to go for further details of the area's visitor attractions and to arrange overnight accommodation.



Bridge of Allan

Also included on R P A Smith's Stirling Street Plan is the former burgh of Bridge of Allan (2001 population: 5.046). Originally a Victorian spa resort, made a burgh in 1870, it is a very pleasant residential town on the banks of the Allan Water.


Bannockburn

Beyond the southern outskirts of Stirling at St Ninians is the large village of Bannockburn (2001 population: 7.396), near which was fought the famous battle of the same name in 1314. Although the main part of the battle was fought on the flat riverside lands to the north of the village, the National Trust for Scotland's visitor centre with its impressive equestrian monument to Robert the Bruce is actually situated to the west, off the main Glasgow Road out of Stirling.

Other Places of Interest - Stirling has many other antiquities, architectural monuments and places of interest; it has been possible to provide only a flavour of them here on this web page. However, it is hoped that the above information has whetted your appetite for a visit to Stirling - and remember to buy R P A Smith's Stirling Street Plan to find your way around!