Weekend Breaks In Stirling And 3 Exquisite Visitor Attractions to Visit

The city of Stirling has played an important role in the history of Scotland, especially during crucially important times. The city and surrounding area has an amazing selection of excellent tourist attractions and masses of monuments and places to photograph. In the article below I provide information about 3 places to visit in Stirling; Stirling Old Town Jail, Stirling Castle and Argyll’s Lodging:

Stirling Castle

Set two hundred and fifty feet above the city of Stirling, and surrounded on 3 sides by steep cliffs is Stirling Castle. Stirling Castle is incredibly important in the history of Scotland, there have been several coronations within the castle, including Mary Queen of Scots’ in 1543. Stirling Castle was also witness to a horrifying murder in 1452. The 8th Earl of Douglas was victim to James II in 1452. Stirling Castle is the home of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, although they are, unfortunately no longer stationed there. However, the regimental museum of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, is situated in the castle.

Stirling Old Town Jail

The Stirling Old Town Jail we see today is not the first jail in Stirling, for four hundred years, Stirling’s prisoners were committed in the Old Tollbooth Jail. This jail was seriously overcrowded, and smelled dreadful, with 24 prisoners to each cell, and zero toilet facilities. The Tollbooth jail was condemned, because of the awful living conditions there, and in 1847 the new jail was opened. Although the jail was classed as a custodial prison, from 1888 to 1935, it was also the only military jail in Scotland. Today the Stirling Old Town Jail is a tourist attraction, and was only restored in the 1990′s. As well as guided tours, there is a glass paneled lift that rises to a viewing platform at the top of the jail. From this superb spot a person is able to gaze out across the Forth Valley, and soak in the atmosphere of the Highland mountains.

Argyll’s Lodging

Argyll’s Lodging is on Castle Wynd, located in the center of Stirling and is Scotland’s finest existing renaissance house. The house was constructed circa 1630, by Sir William Alexander, originator of Nova Scotia and Viscount Canada. Sir William Alexander who became Secretary of State for Scotland, and then became the 1st Earl of Stirling. Argyll’s Lodging passed to the Argyll family on his death and was further extended by the 9th Earl in 1666. The rooms which include the dining room, drawing room, bed chamber and laigh hall, have all been superbly furnished and restored, as they would have looked when the 9th Earl lived there, circa 1680.

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