Jail’s board game fame
Iconic Monopoly square
Stirling Old Town Jail is heading for the Old Kent Road slot on the new Stirling Monopoly board, which hits shop shelves in October.
In May, Stirling was awarded the prestigious honour of its own official board after it emerged victorious in a competition with nine other locations across Scotland.
Since then, the people of Stirling have been nominating their favourite local landmarks to replace the 22 that appear from the famous London classic original Monopoly board. Falkirk was heavily mooted as favourite to be on Old Kent Road.
But it’s the jail that will now land on the “high cachet” Old Kent Road for two reasons, say the makers of this game Winning Moves UK, who operate under official license from Hasbro. It is old – just like Old Kent Road – and it is high profile, like the Monopoly game’s most modestly ranked location.
It had been tipped to replace the Monopoly Jail but that wasn’t possible. Although every single coloured space on the board changes from a London address to a Stirling landmark the four corner spaces – Go, Jail, Free Parking and Go To Jail – remain as they are.
So, almost uniquely, the Stirling game will have two jails.
“It would have been unthinkable for Old Stirling Town Jail to appear anywhere else than one of our most talked about spaces,” said Winning Moves custom games executive Emma Lodwick.
During voting, one member of the public said the Old Town Jail for Old Kent Road would be “the perfect fit”, and calls for Falkirk to be on the square were overruled.
The board will feature around 30 Stirling landmarks on Monopoly spaces. As well as the customised spaces, the Community Chest and Chance cards will be citythemed too.
The board will be launched on Friday October 6, the same day that it hits shop shelves. “It’s set to be a world seller,” added Ms Lodwick.
“Interest in the board has come from tourists from every corner of the world and advance orders from retailers, including big online players like Amazon, have been beyond our expectation.”
Stirling Council Leader Scott Farmer said: “We’re looking forward to seeing the launch of the Stirling Monoploy in October and it is fantastic that the Old Stirling Town Jail has landed on one of the most famous locations on the board.
“This important Victorian jail building, a former military prison, complements the fine historic attractions within our city, including Stirling Castle and the National Wallace Monument. The jail is a well-known and popular attraction within our city and I’m sure that it will be an excellent addition to the Stirling edition of the Monopoly board.
“This is a great opportunity to celebrate what Stirling has to offer and we are all looking forward to seeing what other locations are chosen to be included in the finished game.”
Among Stirling stores who have confirmed they will be stocking the board in large numbers are Argos, Toy Hub, Waterstones, WH Smith and The Works. The game will also be hugely available online including on Amazon.