Stirling Weekend Breaks And A Selection Of Exquisite Visitor Attractions You Must See
Stirling has featured strongly in Scotland’s history, especially during vitally important events. In and around Stirling has a fantastic selection of excellent tourist attractions and a mass of of places and monuments to photograph. In the following article I write about three places to visit in Stirling; Argyll’s Lodging, Stirling Castle and Stirling Old Town Jail:
Stirling Castle
Standing guard, 250 feet above the city of Stirling, and surrounded on three sides by shear cliffs is Stirling Castle. Stirling Castle is very important in the history of Scotland, there have been several coronations in the castle, including Mary Queen of Scots’ in 1543. The castle was also witness to an horrific murder in 1452. The 8th Earl of Douglas was victim to James II in 1452. The castle is home to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, although they are, unfortunately no longer stationed at the castle. However, the regimental museum of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, is situated within the castle.
Stirling Old Town Jail
The Stirling Old Town Jail of today is not the first jail in Stirling, for 400 years, Stirling’s prisoners were held in the Old Tollbooth Jail. This jail was awfully overcrowded, and smelled vile, with 24 prisoners in each cell, and no toilet facilities. The Tollbooth jail was condemned, because of the fearful living conditions there, and in 1847 the new jail opened. Although the jail was classed as a custodial jail, from 1888 to 1935, it was also the only military prison in Scotland. Today the Stirling Old Town Jail is a visitor attraction, and was only renovated in the 1990’s. As well as guided tours, there is a glass paneled elevator that rises to a viewing platform at the top of the jail. From this superb spot one is able to gaze out across the Forth Valley, and take in the spectacular view of the Highland mountains.
Argyll’s Lodging
Argyll’s Lodging can be found on Castle Wynd, located in the middle of Stirling and is Scotland’s best existing renaissance mansion. The mansion was built circa 1630, by Sir William Alexander, founder of Nova Scotia and Viscount Canada. Sir William Alexander who became Secretary of State for Scotland, and then became the first Earl of Stirling. Argyll’s Lodging passed to the Argyll family on his death and was extended by the ninth Earl in 1666. The rooms which include the laigh hall, drawing room, dining room and bed chamber, have all been expertly restored and furnished, as they would have been when the ninth Earl lived there, around 1680.
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