Prestige property
Bannockburn House is now in the hands of the public for the first time in its history.
The Trust responsible for the community buyout of the historic grade-A listed building completed the purchase yesterday (Tuesday) – and they marked the day with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Trust members, volunteers and youngsters from the nearby St Mary’s Primary made their way to the 17th century mansion for the landmark event.
And chairman of the trust Alan Marshall said: “What a fantastic day for our community. Bannockburn House has been in private hands for more than 300-years. Whilst we are grateful to all previous owners for looking after the property, we felt it should be a community asset that can be enjoyed by everyone. And now it will be.
“It was pointed out to us just last week that this was the single biggest community project ever undertaken for a property of this kind anywhere in the UK. To be honest, at times it felt like it, but thanks to the support and enthusiasm of all of our community volunteers, and with help from the Scottish Land Fund and Stirling Council, we’ve done it.
“Now we will embark on the next chapter of the story, which will be to raise the funds and identify the suitable expertise to begin to restore the property to its former glory and ensure it becomes sustainable for the whole community.
“This in itself will be a huge project that will no doubt take