Women in Construction at Bannockburn House

Women in Construction is a series of events conceived and organised by Stirling City Heritage Trust, with the aim of inspiring female high school students to consider a career in the construction sector. Our events showcase how varied and rewarding work in the sector can be, with a focus on roles which involve working with the historic built environment.

According to the Office of National Statistics women currently make up only 16.6% of workers in the construction sector, and only 2.5% of Modern Apprentices in Scotland, with a 23% gender pay gap within the construction industries biggest companies. These events are therefore much needed.

Pupils started their first day of our event with a tour of Bannockburn House, led by one of its History Volunteers, and learned all about this beautiful building’s interesting story. Only 1 of the 12 pupils had visited the house before, so we were glad to be able to introduce them to this important part of their local history. Bannockburn House is an A Listed architectural gem. It was built in the late 17^th century for the Paterson Family. Sir Hugh Paterson III was a Jacobite, so he must have been thrilled to host Bonnie Prince Charlie in January 1746, who was nursed back to health by Sir Hugh’s niece, and Charles’s future mistress, Clementine Walkinshaw. 

The House was later owned by the Wilsons of Bannockburn, renowned tartan manufacturers. In the 19^th century Alexander Wilson added an extension to the rear and opened-up the ceiling of the main hall (or Laigh Hall) to create a gallery, showcasing one of the House’s incredible 17^th century plasterwork ceilings. The complex plasterwork may have been created by John Houlbert and George Dunsterfield, who also worked on the lavish interiors of Holyrood Palace.

In 2017, Bannockburn House was purchased via community buyout, and is now cared for by the Bannockburn House Trust. Since then, the House has been used as a filming and photoshoot location, and events are held throughout the year, so keep an eye on their website and social media if you’d like to visit yourself.

Our 12 enthusiastic pupils were mentored by expert joiners Kirsty Cassels, Katrina Mantell, and Jim Bunce, and over two days the group managed to build a lovely timber pergola, which has been gifted to Bannockburn House. We’re looking forward to seeing it in the gardens and hope that the girls will come back and admire their hard work. They should all be incredibly proud of themselves, they learned new skills, gained confidence in using a variety of tools, from sanders to chisels, and got stuck in, working well together as a team.

With thanks to Bannockburn House for being excellent hosts. Thanks also to our funders, Historic Environment Scotland, and our demonstrators, Kirsty, Katrina and Jim.