Welcome
Bannockburn House has survived largely unchanged since the 17th century apart from a Victorian extension. After 50 years of dormancy it was bought by the local community in Dec 2017, with help from public donations and grants from organisations including Stirling Council and the Scottish Land Fund.
Volunteers are breathing new life into the house and grounds to create a community hub providing a range of activities and resources to benefit future generations.
Discover the house's connections to centuries of history, and its links to the worldwide tartan trade. Who knows, you may even meet Bonnie Prince Charlie, who found romance within its walls.
Dress warmly!
Level access
There is level access from the main entrance to:
Main HallLibraryOfficeMain hall reception and information deskPort-a-loo at main entranceMain house smoking areaGardens and groundsCottage and outbuildingsAccess with steps
There are steps from the main entrance to:
First floor rooms, minstrel gallery and first floor of Victorian extensionLaundry and kitchenBasementVictorian extension ground floorSecond floor roomsVisual
General
Getting here
For further information on accessible travel in Scotland, go to Transport Scotland.Travel by public transport
There is no public transport route to Bannockburn House yet. Arrival by car or taxi to the house itself (for booked tours) or to Corbiewood Stadium car park (where we have the owner's permission to park for open days - a minibus will transfer you to the house) is the only way to access the house.
The main road beside which it stands (A91) is exceptionally busy, with fast-moving traffic, and has no footpath.
Travel by taxi
The house and grounds are open to the public on certain dates throughout the year. These dates can be found on our website athttp://www.bannockburnhouse.scot/bannockburn-house-events/athttp://www.bannockburnhouse.scot/bannockburn-house-events/
In August and November, a large-scale opening is held, and a wheelchair accessible minibus service operates between the house and Corbiewood Stadium whose owner has kindly allowed us to use its car park.
For the guided tour programme that operates during the summer months, parking is available on the house driveway for booked visitors only.
Parking
The pre-booked guided tours that are available throughout the summer months allow visitors to park directly outside the house on the driveway leading to the main entrance.
At this time Bannockburn House does not have the facility to transport visitors from the driveway area to the main entrance of the house during these tours, though volunteers on site at such times will be happy to assist as much as possible.
Arrival
Path to main entrance
Main entrance
The main entrance has steps with risers of 40mm, 140mm, 130mm and 140mm to reach the ground floor level of the house. In addition there is a small indentation of 30mm depth where a door mat was in place at some point.This gives flat access to the main hall, the office and the library.
The entrance from the south lawn has a step in, with a riser of 70mm and a drop on the other side of 110mm. There is a grass path leading to the entrance from the main driveway with a single step with a drop of 150mm and a gate with a width of 800mm. This gives access to the laundry and the kitchen.
A pair of portable metal ramps is available and volunteers on site will be happy to help any visitor.
Getting around inside
Ticket/ information desk
Main hall reception and information desk
The table used for reception is 700mm in height and can be used from a seated position.
PLEASE NOTE: The house has been unused for over 50 years and is very damp and cold, even on the sunniest of Scottish summer days! Warm clothing is strongly advised.
Main Hall
Dining type chairs are available as well as two lower sofas
Library
Office
The main features of the room, including the rare 17th century plasterwork, can be seen clearly from the doorway.
First floor rooms, minstrel gallery and first floor of Victorian extension
There are stone stairs at each end of the building leading to the first floor. Each stair has two sets of 9 steps with risers of 160mm and a large flat area between the sets with a chair.
The steps at the west end are considerably more worn than those at the east end. Parts of the east stair have a rope handrail.
Laundry and kitchen
1. Access to the kitchen area directly from the main hall is by a set of 9 steps as in the main description. The kitchen has a threshold height of 40mm and the door is 850mm.
To access the laundry from the kitchen there is a step down with a riser of 150mm.
The laundry door is 970mm and there is a step of 70mm with a drop on the other side of 110mm to gain entrance to the room itself. Some of the features can be seen from the doorway.
2. Alternate access to the laundry can be gained from a grassed path to the south lawn where an 800mm door leads into the courtyard buildings. There is a step at the threshold of the courtyard entrance door of 70mm at one side and 110 mm at the other.
There is a step of 150mm from the courtyard area through a door of 980mm into the lower ground corridor leading to the kitchen.
3. Alternate access to the kitchen level from the main hall is via a set of 7 steps with risers of 160mm to the ground floor of the Victorian extension, then a set of 2 steps with risers of 150mm down to the lower ground corridor leading to the kitchen.
4. Volunteers on site will be pleased to offer advice and assistance.
Basement
There are 9 steps from the ground floor to the lower ground floor (with kitchen and laundry) and a further 6 steps from the lower ground floor to the basement. All risers are 150mm. These steps are dimly lit at present; torches are carried by tour guides.
Victorian extension ground floor
The ground floor of the Victorian extension can be accessed by 7 steps down from the main hall with risers of 160mm or by 2 steps up from the lower ground floor corridor with risers of 160mm.
There is a restricted view of the two largest rooms from the south doorway of the main hall on ground level.
Alternate access may be gained via the south lawn entrance as described in the section on the laundry and kitchen above.
Second floor rooms
Public toilet
Port-a-loo at main entrance
Handrail on right hand side of toilet
Getting around outside
Main house smoking area
outdoors on adjacent garden area
Gardens and grounds
Access to the gardens and grounds is by grassed surface only at this time, much of which is very wet and boggy. In this first year of public ownership we are cataloguing and surveying the grounds and there is little to see while we clear 50 years' worth of brambles and nettles. We hope to possibly start plantings in 2019 - keep an eye on our volunteer blog for updates on our progress. http://www.bannockburnhouse.scot/latest-news-blog/
Information. maps and photographs of the gardens and grounds, including their history and our hopes for their resinstatement, are available in the main hall.
Cottage and outbuildings
Access to the cottage and outbuildings is via a rough surfaced track and a cobbled courtyard. There is no access to the inside of these buildings at present.
We hope to improve access and use this area of the property during our open events during the early years of the project. Please keep an eye on our blog for details.
Customer care support
Emergency evacuation procedures
Emergency evacuation procedures for the safe exit of disabled visitors are made on an individual basis. Visitors who require assistance to exit the building safely in the event of an emergency are asked to make their needs known to the events team by emailing events@bannockburnhouse.scot before their visit so that appropriate arrangements can be made.
A reception and information desk is set up for each occasion the house is open to the public and visitors requiring assistance are asked to make themselves known to the volunteer on duty at the desk on their arrival.
Customer care support
Bannockburn House Trust is owned by the local community and its public openings are staffed by volunteers from a variety of backgrounds. Some volunteers will have had training in disability awareness, receiving calls from Next Generation Text Service and in British Sign Language, however no guarantee can yet be made that such volunteers will be on site during your visit. We hope to improve this part of our visitor experience in the coming years as the project develops and will keep this guide updated as things change.
Similarly, our volunteer history and marketing teams are working on making visitor information available in different formats.
Enquiries may be made by email to events@bannockburnhouse.scot and we will endeavour to meet your particular needs as closely as possible.
We may be able to offer personalised tours to visitors with specific requirements by prior arrangement. Please email events@bannockburnhouse.scot