Stirling
For other meanings, see Stirling (disambiguation). |
Broad St at the heart of Stirling's Old Town area called Top of the Town by locals on a rare snowy day |
|
The main courtyard inside Stirling Castle. It is said that the ghost of a soldier has been seen walking out from under the stairs (centre bottom.) |
Stirling (
Sruighlea in
Gaelic) is a
city in the
Stirling area of
central Scotland.
Stirling is an ancient
burgh, clustered around a large
castle and
mediæval old-town. It is a centre for government, retail, and light industry. Its population (as of the
2001 census) was 41,243.
A former
capital of the
Kingdom of Scotland, Stirling was a
royal burgh until
1975. In
2002, as part of
Queen Elizabeth's
Golden Jubilee, Stirling was granted
city status.
Originally a Stone Age Settlement, Stirling has been strategically significant since at least the
Roman occupation of part of Britain, due to its easily defensible hill (latterly the site of
Stirling Castle) and its commanding position beside the
River Forth. It is supposed that Stirling is the fortress of
Iudeu where
Oswiu of Northumbria was besieged by
Penda of Mercia in 655.
A
ford, and later bridge, of the river at Stirling brought wealth and influence, as did its port. The town was chartered as a royal burgh by
King David in the 12th century, with charters later reaffirmed by later monarchs (the town then referred to as
Strivelyn). Major battles in Scotland's long conflict with England took place at the
Stirling Bridge in
1297 and at the nearby village of
Bannockburn in
1314.
The place-name is of unknown origin.
The town motto, which was adopted in
1296, is:
The Britons stand by force of armsThe Scots are by this cross preserved from harmsThe Castle & Bridge of Stirling townAre in the compass of this seal set down.Standing near the castle, the Church of the
Holy Rude (Holy Cross) is one of the town's most historically important buildings. The
Church of the Holy Rude, which was rebuilt in the 1400s after Stirling suffered a catastrophic fire in 1405, is the only church in the UK apart from Westminster Abbey, to have held a coronation. On the
29 July 1567 the infant son of
Mary Queen of Scots was crowned
James VI of Scotland here. Gun shot marks from
Cromwell's troops during the
civil war are clearly visible on the tower and apse.
During the Civil War the
Battle of Stirling (1648) took place in the centre of Stirling on 12th September 1648.
The fortifications continued to play a strategic military role during the 18th century
Jacobite Risings. In
1715, the
Earl of Mar failed to take control of the castle. In January 1746, the army of
Bonnie Prince Charlie seized control of the town but failed to take the Castle. On their consequent retreat northwards, they blew up the church of
St. Ninians where they had been storing munitions; only the tower survived and can be seen to this day.
Economically, the River Forth port facilities at Riverside supported trade, including tea trade with India and timber trade with the Baltic. The coming of the railways started the decline of the river trade, not least because a railway bridge downstream made access for shipping more awkward. By the mid 20th century the port had ceased to operate.
Famous residents have included Mary, Queen of Scots, King James VI of Scotland, Sir
Henry Campbell-Bannerman (former British Prime Minister), documentary film pioneer
John Grierson, film music composer
Muir Mathieson, animation pioneer
Norman McLaren, and TV presenter
Kirsty Young.
The Barnwell brothers, Frank and Harold, worked at Grampian Motors in Causewayhead, and in 1909 they designed and flew the first powered flight in Scotland.
Frank Barnwell went on to design aircraft including the
Bristol Blenheim. A small monument to the brothers' pioneering achievement has been erected at Causewayhead roundabout.
Stirling is also famous for its many hauntings, like the Green Lady of the Castle, seen by many a Soldier and the Settle Inn near the Castle which is one of the most haunted places in Scotland
Stirling is renowned as the
Gateway to the Highlands and is generally regarded as occupying a strategic position at the point where the flatter largely undulating Scottish Lowlands meet the rugged slopes of the
Highlands. The starkness of this contrast is evidenced by the many
hills and
mountains of the lower Highlands such as
Ben Vorlich and
Ben Ledi which can be seen to the northwest of the city. On the other hand, to the east of the city, the
Carse of Stirling is one of the flattest and most agriculturally productive expanses of land in the whole of
Scotland.
The land surrounding Stirling has been most affected by
glacial erosion and
deposition. The city itself has grown up around its
castle which stands atop an ancient volcanic plug a major defensive position, which is, in turn at the lowest crossing point on the
River Forth. Stirling stands on the
River Forth at the point where the river widens and becomes
tidal. To the east of the city the
Ochil Hills dominate the skyline with the highest peaks in the range being
Dumyat and
Ben Cleuch. The Ochils meet the flat
floodplain of the
River Forth to the east of the distinctive geographical feature -
Abbey Craig, a
crag and tail feature upon which sits the 220ft (67m) high
National Wallace Monument[Gazetteer for Scotland Abbey Craig].
The climate of Stirling differs little from that of much of the rest of central
Scotland. Warm, unstable air from the
Atlantic Ocean is the predominant influence, with a prevailing southwesterly wind
*
Bannockburn* Braehead
* Broomridge
* Cambusbarron
*
Cambuskenneth* Causewayhead
*
Cornton* Kings Park
*
Raploch* Riverside
*
St. Ninians* Top of the Town
* Torbrex
The city of Stirling had a population of 41,243 at the
2001 census, which has risen to 44,460 according to mid-
2004 population estimates
[Settlement Population Estimates 2004General Register Office for Scotland, 2004]. The wider
Stirling Council area had a population of 86,370 in
2004. The city is reputed to be the third fastest growing area of
Scotland in terms of population
[Stirling Council City Profile Stirling Profile]. According to the
2001 census
[Scotland's Census Results online Results for the Stirling locality, 2001], 52.7% of the population was female compared to 47.2% male. Stirling had both a smaller proportion of under 16's, at 16.7% compared to the
Scottish average of 19.2% and a smaller proportion of those of pensionable age - 17.8% - compared to the Scottish average of 18.6%. The highest proportion of the
population, at 24.3% was concentrated in the 16-29 age group. Stirling also had a higher proportion of non-Scottish born residents at 16.5% compared to the Scottish average of 12.8%. The population was also slightly younger than the Scottish average - the
median age for
males was 34 to the national average of 37; and the
median age for females was 36, to the national average of 39.
In terms of
local government, the city of Stirling is a part of the wider
Stirling Council area, which governs on matters of local administration as set out by the
Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994. Elections to the council take place every 4 years, with the next elections scheduled to take place in May
2007. Currently the council is controlled by the
Labour Party. The
Provost of Stirling is Colin O'Brien.
In terms of national government, there is a
Stirling constituency of the Scottish Parliament with the
MSP being
Sylvia Jackson of the
Labour Party and a
Stirling constituency of the House of Commons represented by
Anne McGuire of the
Labour Party. As
Scotland comprises a single
European Parliament Constituency, Stirling participates in electing 7
MEP's using the
d'Hondt method of
proportional representation every 4 years.
At the centre of a large rural
agricultural hinterland that encompasses some of the flattest and most productive land in
Scotland, Stirling principally functioned as a
market town with farmers coming to sell their products and wares in the large agricultural market that was held in the town. Today, agriculture still plays a part in the economic life of Stirling, given its focus at the heart of a large rural area, but to a much less extend than previously.
With Stirling's development as a
market town and its location as the focus of transport and commmunications in the region, it has developed a substantial
retail sector serving a wide range of surrounding communities as well as the city itself. Primarily centred on the city centre, there are a large number of chain stores. However this has been augmented by out-of-town developments such as the Springkerse Retail Park on the city bypass to the east of Stirling, the development of a large
Sainsbury's at
Raploch and a large Dobie's Garden Centre on the northwestern approaches to the city.
In terms of the services,
financial services as well as
tourism are the biggest employers in this sector. The financial services and insurance company -
Prudential - have a large and well-established base at Craigforth on the outskirts of Stirling. In terms of tourism, the presence of such historical monuments as
Stirling Castle, the
National Wallace Monument and the key role which Stirling has played in
Scottish history, as well as the scenery of the area, has bolstered Stirling's position as an important tourist destination in
Scotland.
The
University of Stirling and
Stirling Council are two of the biggest employers in the area. Knowledge related industries,
research and development as well as
life sciences have clustered around the university in the Stirling University Innovation Park, close to its main campus. Other public sector agencies that are major employers in the city include
Central Scotland Police,
Forth Valley Health Board and the
Scottish Environmental Protection Agency.
With good transport connections to the major cities of
Edinburgh and
Glasgow, Stirling is home to a large number of commuters, with 12,000 residents commuting to work in other areas, with 13,800 workers travelling in to the city
[Stirling Council, Property and the economy Keeping an eye on your business]Local sporting teams include the
football team
Stirling Albion F.C., and the
rugby union team
Stirling County. Footballers
Billy Bremner and
Duncan Ferguson were born in Stirling, as was rugby internationals
Kenny Logan and
Allister Hogg,
jockey Willie Carson, and
cricketer
Dougie Brown.
Stirling is also a major centre of sports training and education in
Scotland. The
Scottish Institute of Sport is headquartered in a purpose built facility on the campus of
Stirling University which opened in
2002. Also at the university in the state of the art Scottish National Swimming Academy as well as the
Gannochy National Tennis centre which is seen as a tennis centre of excellence
[Stirling University University background].
Furthermore the university itself has its own dedicated Sports Studies department and was ranked amongst the best in the
United Kingdom for its provision of sports facilities, with the maximum 5 star award, shared by 16 other universities in the UK
[ Stirling University External Visitor Information].
Stirling and its surrounding area has a number of 9 and 18 hole
golf courses, the largest of which is the Stirling Golf Course, located in the Kings Park area of the city.
 |
Looking out over Airthrey Loch on the main campus of The University of Stirling |
The
University of Stirling opened in
1967 on a greenfield site outside the town. Currently there are 9000 students studying at the university, of which 7000 are
undergraduates and 2000 are
postgraduates. Students of over 80 nationalities are represented at the university, with 14% of students coming from overseas
[Visitor Information - Useful facts and figures Stirling University Facts and Figures]. It has grown into a major research centre, with a large
science park - Innovation Park, located on land to the immediately adjacent to the main university campus. Innovation Park has grown since its initiation in
1993, and is now home to 40 companies engaging in various forms of
research and development[Stirling University Innovation Park About us]. Stirling is also home to part of the wider
Forth Valley College which was formed on August 1st
2005 from the merger of
Falkirk, Stirling and
Clackmannan colleges.
There are three main high schools in Stirling itself -
Stirling High School, with a school roll of 940 pupils,
Wallace High School with 950 pupils and
St Modan's High School, located in the suburb of
St Ninians.
*
Villeneuve d'Ascq,
France*
Dunedin,
Florida,
United States*
Obuda,
Hungary*
Summerside,
Prince Edward Island,
Canada*
Stirling Castle*
Battle of Stirling Bridge*
Battle of Stirling (1648)*
Stirling Council Website*
Stirling Castle (
Historic Scotland)
*
Mapping the Town: the history of Stirling, presented by
Julian Richards (
BBC Radio 4) (
RealAudio format)
*
Stirling Online*
University of Stirling*
Photos of Stirling*
More photos of Stirling - Taken by Stuart Gillespie, Pastor of
Calvary Chapel Stirling
*
Cambusbarron Village - Local website with lots of information about the village and the Stirling area
Coordinates: 
