Our Latest News

Thanks for checking out the latest news from the Bannockburn House Trust. Here you will find the latest blogs from the gardening, history and operations teams and any news updates for the project. We encourage our volunteers to write blogs for the website and would be delighted to hear from you if you volunteer and would like to write a blog for us. Email [email protected].

Latest News

Stirling Council invests £600K in community projects as it celebrates local hero who made his mark in San Francisco

by Web Admin | 13 January 2023 | Latest News | 0 Comments

Stirling Council has allocated an investment of £600,000 in community-led projects on the anniversary of one of Bannockburn’s most famous sons. Four projects across the area will receive awards ranging from £25,000 to £300,000 to support regeneration and economic...

Invitation to Tender- City Deal Green Book Business Case

by marketing | 5 August 2022 | Events, Latest News, Volunteer Blog | 0 Comments

Bannockburn House Trust Invitation to Tender City Deal Green Book Business Case Bannockburn House Trust (BHT) is a Scottish Charity which owns an historic 30-acre estate to the south of Stirling. It is preparing a bid for City Deal finance and requires a...

Events Manager Ross with daughter Bonnie by the giant yarn ball

BANNOCKBURN HOUSE RETURNS TO ITS TARTAN ROOTS

by marketing | 1 August 2022 | Events, Latest News | 0 Comments

A month-long celebration of all things tartan will take place in Stirling this August, marking 200 years since a ‘ban’ on traditional Highland dress was lifted by King George IV. Tartan Fest celebrations will kick off on Saturday 6 August with a two-day...

OUR FIRST BATCH OF BANNOCKBURN HOUSE HONEY

by marketing | 7 September 2021 | Gardens, Latest News, Volunteer Blog | 0 Comments

It has been six months since we started beekeeping at Bannockburn House and here's Ilona Shilliday to report on our progress: The end of the beekeeping year approaches and with it our first 6 months of beekeeping at Bannockburn House. The honey crop has been...

SEEING THINGS FROM A DIFFERENT VANTAGE POINT

by marketing | 1 September 2021 | Events, Gardens, Latest News | 0 Comments

The grounds of Bannockburn House were transformed into an open-air art gallery and studio recently, with hands-on creative fun for families. The free event, organised by Vantage Points (Bannockburn and the Eastern Stirling Creative network) and Scene Stirling, gave...

SEASON OF MISTS AND MELLOW FRUITFULNESS

by marketing | 30 August 2021 | Gardens, Latest News | 0 Comments

Gardener Margaret Pollock reflects on the changing seasons: The recent morning mists and heavy overnight dewfall are a sure sign that we are in early autumn. Farmers are bringing in their crops and as I was leaving Bannockburn House the other day, I noticed a...

YOUNGSTERS DIG DEEP INTO HOUSE’S HISTORY

by marketing | 20 August 2021 | Events, History, Latest News | 0 Comments

A team of budding young archaeologists set about cleaning their latest finds at Bannockburn House on Saturday (14 August), under the watchful eye of local expert Colin Davenport. The hoard, discovered in a Victorian midden (or dump) in the grounds of the seventeenth...

FIRST WEDDING AT BANNOCKBURN HOUSE IN NEARLY 80 YEARS

by marketing | 18 August 2021 | Events, Latest News | 0 Comments

Community owned Bannockburn House hosted its first wedding in nearly 80 years on Friday (13 August). Cumbernauld couple Robert Vance and Erin Conner tied the knot in the mansion’s grand Laigh Hall, which boasts a stunning ornate ceiling rose by the same...

CREATIVE FUN FOR FAMILIES AT BANNOCKBURN HOUSE

by marketing | 11 August 2021 | Events, Latest News | 0 Comments

Join Vantage Points for some family friendly fun at Bannockburn House on Sunday 22 August, 12-5pm. The event will offer an opportunity to view the first public exhibition of artwork by Bannockburn and Eastern Stirling’s creative network. The showcase will include...

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

by marketing | 23 July 2021 | Latest News | 0 Comments

Following the recent meeting of our board we're delighted to share the approved strategy for Bannockburn House Trust: Our Purpose / Aim Bannockburn House Trust (BHT) is a community owned organisation. BHT operates and manages the...

Garden Blog

The garden in January

by Web Admin | 27 January 2023 | Gardens, Volunteer Blog | 0 Comments

What a pleasure it has been to be out in the garden for the past few days. The weather is so much milder and although we know that more cold weather might be just around the corner, it is such a treat to feel the warm sun on your face and see the first signs of life...

Waxcaps in Advent

by Web Admin | 2 December 2022 | Gardens, Volunteer Blog | 0 Comments

It has been rewarding to see the Enclosed Garden come to life this summer as our fruit and vegetables began to flourish and as a result we have been able to send a regular, weekly picking of fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs to the local food bank, ‘Ladies of the...

Pumpkins and Orange Peel

by marketing | 31 October 2022 | Gardens, Volunteer Blog | 0 Comments

So half-term is over, the clocks have gone back an hour and Hallowe’en is upon us! During October the final warm days of Autumn vanish, leaves carpet the garden and the wind grows colder but, surprisingly, the soil still...

Pumpkins galore

by marketing | 30 September 2022 | Gardens, Volunteer Blog | 0 Comments

At the start of September our own swallows upped and left for their long journey south. But as compensation, for at least the next ten days or so, we had mixed groups of swallows passing through the gardens and feeding around ‘The Broccoli Tree’. ‘The Broccoli Tree’...

Autumn Gleanings

by marketing | 1 September 2022 | Gardens, Volunteer Blog | 0 Comments

Twice this week we have had geese flying low across the orchard, so close that we can almost feel the ‘whoosh’ of air through their feathers as they pass by and even though it has been several months since we last heard them, their approaching sound is unmistakable....

And then the Rains Came

by marketing | 28 July 2022 | Gardens, Volunteer Blog | 0 Comments

How lovely it was to finally have some rain last weekend. Because we have been creating the new growing beds in the Enclosed Garden it has been a very difficult time for the new planting trying to get established . The soil is very dry and with the strong...

The Midsummer Garden

by marketing | 28 June 2022 | Gardens, Volunteer Blog | 0 Comments

As it is midsummer we have been hosting our annual archaeology dig at Bannockburn House. The dig began last Saturday with a group of local children excavating a mysterious hollow in the front lawn. We thought that there might have been a well there in days gone by but...

It’s All About The Queen

by marketing | 13 June 2022 | Gardens, Volunteer Blog | 0 Comments

It’s been a month of Queen cells at the apiary. There are three types: swarm cells, supersedure cells and emergency queen cells. Swarm cells occur when the colony becomes congested – the old queen and about 60% of the colony form a swarm and relocate in a...

Ne’er cast a cloot ’til May is oot!

by marketing | 30 May 2022 | Gardens, Volunteer Blog | 0 Comments

As a young girl growing up in Bannockburn my grandparents often used this phrase and I wondered if it referred to the month of May or the flowering of the May-blossom or Hawthorn. Either way, what it really means is ‘beware as the weather is often fickle at this...

Bloomin’ Marvellous!

by marketing | 29 April 2022 | Gardens, Volunteer Blog | 0 Comments

Spring Blossom never ceases to amaze me. The fact that huge, sturdy, solid trees can create something so delicate, fragile and perfect as their blossom is one of the wonders of the natural world. Cherry Blossom or ‘Sakura’ is the national flower of Japan. There,...

History Blog

St Ninian Clock Tower Event Sunday 29th January 2023

by Web Admin | 28 January 2023 | Events, History | 0 Comments

Come to St. Ninians Church Hall for an afternoon of history and a guided walk and talk around the clock tower that exploded during January when the Jacobites were based in Stirling, led by Dr. Murray Cook. On the day, refreshments are also available. The tickets can...

A famous Son coming back home

by Web Admin | 16 January 2023 | History, Volunteer Blog | 0 Comments

John McLaren, Horticulturalist, born in Bannockburn, started his gardening career at Bannockburn House before he eventually emigrated to America. This is an information panel talking about his documented journey back home to Bannockburn and other places around the...

Battle of Sheriffmuir

by Web Admin | 26 November 2022 | Events, History, Volunteer Blog | 0 Comments

Battle of Sheriffmuir Written by Liam McDermott - History Group The 13th November is an important date within the Jacobite Calendar as this year it commemorates the 307th anniversary of the Battle of Sheriffmuir. Pictured above: Depiction of the Battle of...

Every Picture Tells A Story

by marketing | 4 March 2022 | History, Volunteer Blog | 0 Comments

Throughout the country our museums and galleries are full of paintings showing different aspects of life through the centuries. But how often do we look really closely at these paintings and wonder about the lives of those captured by the artist. A volunteer at...

A dram fit for a Prince

by marketing | 23 January 2022 | History, Volunteer Blog | 0 Comments

HRH Charles Edward Stuart arrived at Bannockburn House on the 6th January 1746. He remained at Bannockburn House for the rest of the month, chosen for its strategic location for the Siege of Stirling Castle and considered a place of safety as the Prince had a natural...

The Ancient Port Key of Stirling Returns to Bannockburn House

by marketing | 4 January 2022 | Events, History | 0 Comments

On Friday the 7th of January Bannockburn House will see a brief return of the Ancient Key of Stirling which had lain hidden within the House for many a year. The Jacobite army approached Stirling on Friday the 3rd January 1746 surrounding the town the...

SNIPPETS FROM HISTORY

by marketing | 13 September 2021 | History, Volunteer Blog | 0 Comments

Our History Tours are back up and running and our volunteers' research into the rich history of Bannockburn House continues apace, as volunteer Helen explains: History volunteer Hugh McCusker discovered that Bannockburn House's first resident, Sir Hugh Paterson I, had...

YOUNGSTERS DIG DEEP INTO HOUSE’S HISTORY

by marketing | 20 August 2021 | Events, History, Latest News | 0 Comments

MAKING BOREDOM HISTORY

by marketing | 3 June 2021 | History, Uncategorized, Volunteer Blog | 0 Comments

It's been a year like no other, but Bannockburn House History group have busted boredom in lockdown with their regular Monday online meets. History volunteer Helen Rudland said: "When lockdown happened in March 2020 we switched to Zoom meetings. This...

CELEBRATING WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

by marketing | 26 March 2021 | History, Volunteer Blog | 0 Comments

To mark Women's History month, history volunteer Anne Monaghan shares the stories of three women who worked at Bannockburn House in the first part of the 20th century: MARY WINTER Mary was a table maid at Bannockburn House in 1911 and 'lived in'. Born in...

Events Blog

St Ninian Clock Tower Event Sunday 29th January 2023

by Web Admin | 28 January 2023 | Events, History | 0 Comments

Battle of Sheriffmuir

by Web Admin | 26 November 2022 | Events, History, Volunteer Blog | 0 Comments

Invitation to Tender- City Deal Green Book Business Case

by marketing | 5 August 2022 | Events, Latest News, Volunteer Blog | 0 Comments

BANNOCKBURN HOUSE RETURNS TO ITS TARTAN ROOTS

by marketing | 1 August 2022 | Events, Latest News | 0 Comments

Work Experience at Bannockburn House

by marketing | 17 June 2022 | Events, Volunteer Blog | 0 Comments

An exclusive look at the breath-taking Bannockburn House. Nestled outside Stirling in beautiful woodland and exquisite gardens stands a magnificent 17th Century mansion with a rich, colourful history. Now owned by the local community this enchanting building holds...

Visit from MP and MSP to Bannockburn House

by marketing | 4 March 2022 | Events, Volunteer Blog | 0 Comments

On Friday 4th March Bannockburn House had the pleasure of hosting MP Alyn Smith, MSP Evelyn Tweed and Cllr Alasdair MacPherson to discuss our plans. We briefly discussed our recent achievements from our huge volunteer led gardening, construction and wall work...

Wedding Awards Recognition

by marketing | 3 March 2022 | Events, Volunteer Blog | 0 Comments

Bannockburn House was recently named as a finalist for Most Romantic Wedding Venue at this year’s Scottish Wedding Awards. Three members of the team attended The Marriot Hotel in Glasgow to represent the Trust on the 23 February in their finery for the prestigious...

Looking Sharp

by marketing | 25 January 2022 | Events, Volunteer Blog | 0 Comments

Our three young men Martin, Matt and Matthew have had the opportunity of a lifetime after being photographed in a high society styled photoshoot by top photographers David Ho and Sandie Knudsen of Headshots Scotland at our historic house. Developing New Skills...

The Ancient Port Key of Stirling Returns to Bannockburn House

by marketing | 4 January 2022 | Events, History | 0 Comments

SEEING THINGS FROM A DIFFERENT VANTAGE POINT

by marketing | 1 September 2021 | Events, Gardens, Latest News | 0 Comments