| Stirling's 'Back Walk' is a scenic
pathway around the Castle and Old Town that rivals the attractions of the city
walls of York or Chester. The heritage hillside takes in the medieval Church of
the Holy Rude, where James VI was crowned in 1567, when he was one year old. The
grandeur of a leading 17th century nobleman and his family is on display in
Argyll's Lodging, a magnificent 1630s townhouse which is furnished as it was in
the 1680s. Built in 1632 by William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling, the Lodging
was enlarged by the 9th Earl of Argyll in the 1670s to become one of Scotland's
finest renaissance townhouses. Specialist furniture makers, upholsterers.
silversmiths and glass blowers reproduced the many items described in an
inventory of the mansion dated 1680.
Stirling's Old Town Jail has been transformed from a grim Victorian reform
prison into a vibrant visitor attraction. In the narrow, dingy cells of the
restored 19th century jail, live actors - as prisoners, warders and governors -
realistically portray the horrors of the noose, the birch and the branding iron.
On show is a punishment machine from which warders got their nickname of
"screws". Prisoners had to turn a cranking machine handle 14,000 times a day
before they got their dinner. By tightening a number of screws, warders could
increase the power needed to turn the handle and the name "screw" stuck. There
is also a modern exhibition where visitors can experience Jail life in Scotland
today.
The Tolbooth opposite was the previous town jail where up to 25 prisoners
were housed in one cell, up until it was closed amid cries for prison reform in
the Victorian era. March 2002 saw The Tolbooth transformed into a new music and
arts venue, where new architectural ideas are blended with original features.
The venue will feature live performances and act as a vibrant new base for
street theatre and other arts based events. Rare objects and paintings from
Stirling's past, including the world's oldest curling stone and the ancient
Stirling jug, are on display at the Smith Art Gallery and Museum. Open free of
charge, the 'Smith' has changing exhibitions, children's activities, a gift shop
and cafe.
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