Architectural Features & Points of Interest
The Main House
The original house structure is thought to have been built in the late 17th century with late 19th century additions. The house has many surviving features from the 17th century including timber panelling, elaborate plasterwork, earlier moulded plaster friezes, and grand 19th century timber staircase.
The Laigh Hall
The Laigh Hall is one of the most important spaces in Bannockburn House, originally a single story drawing room, it is notable for its remarkable historic plasterwork by the late 17th century plasterers Houlbert and Dunsterfield. Rich in craftsmanship and detail, the ceiling reflects the skill and ambition that shaped the house in the 17th century, transforming the room into far more than a simple hall. Its survival is especially significant. Offering a rare glimpse into the artistry, status decorative taste of the period, the plasterwork makes the Laigh Hall a key part of the house’s architectural importance.
The 17th century drawing room was converted to the 2-story hall by Alexander Wilson in the late 19th century. He also added the vestibule which is on the front of the house today and an extension to the back of the house with a beautiful grand staircase.
More recently, the hall was reliving some of its Jacobite connections and was used as a set for Outlander: Blood of My Blood, showing how its remarkable character continues to capture imaginations today.
Principle State Room (The Blue Room)
The Blue Room is one of the most extraordinary interiors at Bannockburn House, celebrated for its rare and highly significant historic plasterwork. Rich in detail and craftsmanship, the ceiling reflects the ambition and artistry invested in the house during its most important period of development. Its survival is remarkable, and its conservation is central to the wider restoration of Bannockburn House, offering a rare glimpse into the decorative richness and cultural world of a 17th-century Scottish mansion.
Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Bedchamber
Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Room is among the most historically resonant spaces in Bannockburn House, traditionally linked to Prince Charles Edward Stuart during his stay here in 1745–46. More than simply a named room, it connects the house to one of the most dramatic episodes in Scottish history. Discoveries of musket-ball damage associated with the room have made that connection even more compelling, turning it into a space where Jacobite history can be traced not only in story, but in the surviving fabric of the house itself.
More recently, the room also took on a new life as a film set for Outlander: Blood of My Blood, bringing its atmosphere and historic character to the screen. With its Jacobite associations and recent discoveries of musket-ball damage linked to the room, it is a space where national history, tradition, and modern storytelling meet.
The Wilson Drawing Room
The Wilson drawing room or “The Burnt Room” as our volunteers lovingly call it, was severely fire damaged in the 1970’s by vandals. It is one of the most striking spaces in Bannockburn House, bearing visible traces of the fire that damaged part of the building in the 20th century. Even in its damaged state, the room tells an important part of the house’s story, revealing both the vulnerability of historic buildings and the scale of the challenges involved in their rescue. Today, it stands as a powerful reminder of loss, survival, and the ongoing work to conserve Bannockburn House for the future.
The Laundry
The laundry offers a glimpse into the harder, often unseen side of life at Bannockburn House. Far from the grand rooms upstairs, it was a place of relentless physical work, where washing, drying, ironing, and heating water formed part of the daily labour that kept a large household running. Spaces like this remind us that historic houses were not only homes of status and display, but working environments shaped by the effort of the people behind the scenes.
The Kitchen
The kitchen and range were at the working heart of Bannockburn House, where food was prepared, water heated, and the daily needs of a large household were met. Dominated by the range, this was a place of heat, labour, and constant activity, far removed from the formality of the principal rooms. Spaces like this reveal the practical realities of life in a great house, and the skill and effort required behind the scenes to keep it running. Locally made by Graham & Morton Ironmongers in Stirling, the range dates to the mid 20th century.
