A TEAM of volunteer wall restorers are bringing Bannockburn House back to its “former glory”.
The house, a 17th-century mansion used by Bonnie Prince Charlie during the siege of Stirling, is being fixed by 18 “wallunteers”.
They are working alongside two retired stonemasons to rebuild walls in the garden of the mansion and have so far restored over 150 square metres.
Willie McEwan, one of the leading stonemasons on the project, discussed its success. “By teaching these very dedicated volunteers traditional crafts, we are not only educating them on a prized set of skills but we are returning Bannockburn back to its former glory whilst using the land as a vehicle to teach others,” he said. “The programme has been a massive success. To be able to teach the volunteers completely traditional methods of stonemasonry is very exciting for us to be a part of.”
Other projects in the house are helping volunteers learn about architecture and traditional Jacobean engineering while restoring 18th century windows.
Jim Bennett, chief executive officer at the Bannockburn House Trust, said: “Our aim is to use the historical estate we have here at Bannockburn House as a vehicle to regenerate Bannockburn and people local to it, rather than using it solely as a heritage attraction.”
The Bannockburn House Trust made the house community owned in 2017 – at the time, it was the biggest community buyout in the UK.
Hamish Trench, chief executive of the Scottish Land Commission, said the campaign will help highlight the land potential around Scotland. “The way in which land is used can impact everything from house prices to climate change,” Trench said.
“The Bannockburn House Trust and its great army of volunteers have taken a piece of Scotland’s history and turned it into a present-day benefit while respecting the building and grounds itself. They’ve well and truly built a community project from the land around them that is adding so many different strands of value to the area.”
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