King Steet is jewel in Stirling’s crown
New exhibition opened celebrating £1m revamp
An exhibition has opened celebrating the £1million revamp of the Stirling street where poet Robert Burns once caused controversy by etching a poem on a hotel window.
Scotland’s national bard almost lost his job after being inspired to write ‘The Stirling Lines’ on a window pane at the Golden Lion hotel, King Street, because he was outraged at the rundown state of nearby Stirling Castle.
Now a pop-up exhibition celebrating a conservation project to revive King Street is giving people the chance to learn more of its history.
The show, which runs at the city’s Stirling Arcade until September 25, has archive photos showing the changes that have occurred in King Street.
In recent years, the street has seen the closure of longestablished stores such McAree Brothers and most recently Wilkies announced it will shut next month.
However, the splendour of the buildings themselves are being safeguarded thanks to a £1m revamp by the Stirling City Heritage Trust (SCHT), in partnership with Stirling Council.
The Golden Lion is King Street’s oldest building and the street in the shadow of Stirling Castle was known in medieval times as the High Gait and became Quality Street in the 18th century before being re-named King Street in 1821 in honour of King George IV’s coronation.
By the early 20th century, the street boasted no fewer than six banks, three hotels and numerous established Stirling family businesses including Graham & Morton, Thomas Menzies and McAree Brothers together with an entrance to the Stirling Arcade.
Stirling Arcade was erected by John McLean between 1879 and 1882 at a cost of £30,000 and is one of only four Victorian arcades that remain in Scotland.
It was the brainchild of china merchant William Crawford who linked King Street with Murray Street with an arcade that comprised two hotels, 39 shops and a 1,200-seat cinema.
The Athenaeum is a Category A listed building that dominates King Street’s skyline with its tall spire rising from the horseshaped structure below.
The former library was used as the Burgh offices between 1875 and 1918 and today houses a number of ground floor shops with offices above.
The exhibition marks the end of the £800,000 King Street Funding Initiative 2012-18 – delivered by the SCHT charity with investment from Stirling Council, Historic Environment Scotland and individual property owners. This initiative followed Stirling Council’s successful Façade Enhancement Scheme pilot project, which saw £220,000 invested to tackle poor shopfronts, repair and enhance street frontages and improved close security.
In total, both initiatives achieved repairs to six buildings, including 24 residential flats, nine shops and four businesses.
Stirling City Heritage Trust’s Grants Officer Lindsay Lennie said: “It’s such an important street linking Stirling Castle at the top of the town with modern shopping at places like The Thistles.
“A lot of the buildings were in need of repair and the Trust’s conservation work was focussed on stimulating the economic regeneration of this historic street. King Street has such a wonderful story.”
The council’s housing and environment convenor Councillor Jim Thomson and vice convenor are both trustees of SCHT and attended the exhibition last week.
Councillor Thomson said: “This free exhibition is an astonishing chance to revel in King Street’s rich history.
“King Street is one of Stirling’s most precious heritage sites and the work that has been done means residents and visitors to our city will be able to enjoy its splendour for many more years to come.
“Hopefully Robert Burns would be more appreciative of the work Stirling Council is driving to protect the city’s historic buildings now than he was during his visit in 1787.”