News
Conservation experts have been working on the distinctive stone feature on Dunblane’s historic Leighton Library building.
You can register to attend an event detailing the story of the renovations so far which is being held in the Cathedral Halls on the 1st June.
Article from Stirling Observer 6 January 2023
The carved tablet, or cartouche, on the A-listed building’s east facade was removed early November.
It is part of a restoration project estimated at around £460,000 at Scotland’s oldest purpose-built library, built in the late 17th century.
Edinburgh-based conservator Graciela Ainsworth – who restored the statue of John Cowane at Stirling’s Cowane’s Hospital – took the cartouche to her workshop in the city to assess its condition to recommend conservation treatment.
The Leighton Library Trust has now applied for listed building consent ‘to repair the cartouche removed from the east elevation and currently in storage and then, following repair, to reinstate the cartouche in the niche on the east elevation’.
It follows consent for its removal which was granted in 2021.
The latest application includes a document from the conservator outlining how she aims to proceed with the work.
It states: “Proposed work to repair the cartouche and reinstate it in the niche on the external east wall of the Leighton Library.
“Carefully remove all ferrous fixings. Lessen the dark impervious sulphation layer. Lessen the cementitious residues, being careful not to disturb any early polychrome. Local consolidation and filling of the fractures on the back.
“Supply and installation of new non ferrous fixings, designed to suit the Cartouche and including sall marble repair at the head.
“Reinstallation of the cartouche into the back of the niche. Removal of previous dark cementitious render at the back of the niche, and application of new lime-based render to finish.”
Phase one of the library building’s restoration focuses on its exterior, including removing cement harling and replacing it with lime harling, replacing the crowsteps on the south end, and ensuring chimneys, the roof and slates are secure, as well as renewing windows.
The second phase will involve the conversion of the ground floor room, known as the Undercroft, into a state-of-the-art exhibition and visitor area.
Fundraising for the restoration project is continuing.
Leighton Library honorary treasurer Chris Onslow said: “It has been many years since this wonderful, old and unique building was restored and the Trustees are keen that by restoring the fabric, the legacy of this treasure will be secured for many generations to come.
“We continue to raise funds for the building works, costing around £350,000, and are planning how to raise funds for phase two which we anticipate will cost around £110,000.”
The Leighton Library collection - whose oldest book dates back to 1504 – has been taken into storage during the restoration of the building.
There are around 4500 books which include first editions like The Edinburgh Edition of Robert Burns poems (1787).
The building and collection is managed by the Leighton Library Trust, which originates in a bequest by Robert Leighton who was Bishop of Dunblane between 1662-1672.
By spring 2021 the building restoration appeal had raised £172,000 with generous grants having been received from, among others, The Pilgrim Trust and the Swire Charitable Trust.
Anyone who wishes to discover more about the library or make a donation can contact the trust at www.leightonlibrary.org.uk.
Donations can be made at www.leightonlibrary.org.uk
Historic Environment Scotland commences conservation measures at Dunblane Cathedral
Families urged to come forward to help identify gravestones.
Works have commenced on the stabilisation, repair and re-erection of gravestones at the main entrance to Dunblane Cathedral.
The work, which is being undertaken by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) staff with specialist training in gravestone and monument inspection, will see repairs undertaken to improve access to the graves and the wider cathedral grounds.
The work will continue in 2023 on gravestones around the main entrance, with works progressing to secondary entrances and pathways.
HES has carried out inspections of 595 gravestones at Dunblane Cathedral, with more than 130 to date identified as dangerous and requiring repair. This is as a result of a number of factors, including age and exposure to the elements.
Responsibility for the maintenance of memorials lies primarily with the lair owner or family. To help progress the repair programme, HES is appealing to owners of memorials to come forward.
While some owners have been identified and are arranging repairs, HES is keen to involve the local community further in helping to identify more owners, as well as interpreting and recording the memorials in the graveyard to support the essential work being carried out.
HES is prioritising stabilisation works to memorials posing the greatest risk to the public, and some access restrictions are currently in place for health and safety reasons until repairs are completed. As these works are carried out, HES will continue to review the extent of the fenced areas to see where this can be reduced in order to lessen the impact of the access restrictions, with a rolling programme of phased repairs being undertaken.
Jessica Hunnisett, District Surveyor at HES, said:
“We’re pleased to be able to start work on repairing some of the gravestones within Dunblane Cathedral. We are prioritising memorials which pose the greatest risk and those which affect access to the cathedral.
“We know that the community is very keen for access to be reinstated and owners who are concerned that their memorials may be affected are encouraged to come forward and discuss how we can assist them in progressing repairs.”
Paul Nelson, Dunblane Development Trust, said: “The restored 12th century Cathedral is the centre of historic Dunblane, alongside the 17th century Leighton Library and Museum buildings. It is critical, for the businesses that operate in Dunblane High St, that the Cathedral is accessible and visitors are encouraged to come to the Cathedral and Dunblane. We are, therefore, glad that HES has commenced this work in the grounds of the Cathedral and look forward to the rapid completion of the improvements.”
Ailsa Gray, Chair, Dunblane Community Council, said: “We welcome the fact that work has started and look forward to working with HES in the interpretation and recording of the ancient stones within the graveyard. Such discoveries will underline Dunblane Cathedral’s position as an ancient monument of national importance.”
If your family plot is affected by safety closures, please contact HES at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 01786 823388 to discuss the condition of the memorial and arrange repairs if necessary.
More information about HES’s approach to gravestone and monument inspections and repairs can be found on the HES website.
Cromlix, the five-star hotel in Dunblane, has announced that it will be undergoing major refurbishments next year and moving to self-management.
From 3rd January 2023, the hotel will close its doors for nearly three months to upgrade bedrooms, bathrooms and communal areas, including the restaurant, and improve the grounds with new landscaping and planting.
The hotel, which was bought by Andy and Kim Murray in 2013, is also pleased to welcome three senior appointments to its team - Barry Makin as new General Manager, Emily Shields as new Head of Sales & Marketing and Neville Ablitt as Non-Executive Director.
Barry was formerly GM at The Scotsman Hotel and Hotel Indigo, both in Edinburgh, and has also held senior roles at The Principal Edinburgh George Street, The Grand Central Hotel, Glasgow and The Roxburghe Hotel, Edinburgh. Barry's extensive experience in the hospitality industry, coupled with his ability to manage teams effectively and consistently generate excellent guest satisfaction scores in his previous roles, will help him maintain an outstanding experience for guests at Cromlix.
Emily Shields was Senior Event Sales Manager at The Royal Yacht Britannia and held roles at Dundas Castle, Edinburgh, The Royal Crescent Hotel, Bath and The Dorchester, London. She will be tasked with helping to drive occupancy throughout the year, managing the relaunch of the property and creating an exciting roster of events for overnight guests and day visitors.
Neville Ablitt has worked in the five-star luxury hotel sector for over three decades, both in an executive and non-executive capacity.
For more information, please stay tuned to our social channels, and visit https://cromlix.com. Cromlix will be reopening on 22 March, but the hotel reservations team will be available while the renovations are taking place for any bookings and enquiries.
-Ends-
Editors Notes
Cromlix Hotel was bought by former world number one tennis player Andy Murray and his wife, Kim Murray, in 2013. The hotel has 15 bedrooms and a self-catering Lodge house. Situated in 34 acres of private grounds, Cromlix also has its own chapel, loch, award winning restaurant, kitchen garden and tennis court.
For more information about Cromlix, visit https://cromlix.com
The Daily Record reports that Dunblane High has come 9th in the Sunday Times top schools awards
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/lifestyle/family-kids/scotland-top-secondary-schools-table-28689919
The Daily Record reports concerns about a new 5G mast at Dunblane Primary
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/dunblane-telecoms-mast-plans-near-28674393
This will be the first Extravaganza in three years and the Dunblane Development Trust can’t wait to bring this community event back for everyone to enjoy! We’re keeping it local and we’ve got a packed evening for you.
Order of Events Reverse Christmas Storytelling Pods Map of Events
The High Street will be closed to traffic between Charisma and the gold postbox from 5pm - 8.30pm on Thursday 1 December and shops, businesses, cafés and food outlets will stay open late. So lots of opportunities for everyone to enjoy a bit of socialising, some late-night shopping and the chance to buy your tea from one or more of the many fab local eateries!
At 5.30pm Santa will arrive on his sleigh accompanied by his elves and, with help from six primary school children, will switch on the lights of a giant Christmas tree* at station plaza and start the event. Youngsters visiting Santa in his grotto are being invited to bring a tin or packet for Start Up Stirling in a reverse Christmas (read more here) and, in return, will be given a lasting memento made here by the dedicated teams at Creative Dunblane. Mrs Claus will be joining us for the first time ever (at the library) and there’ll be Alpacas to (at the gold postbox)!
This is the Year of Storytelling and we’ll have several Storytelling pods along the route in various locations including the Library. Local authors will be reading excerpts from their books to children, teens and adults and a variety of storytellers will be telling traditional and festive tales to young folk too.
Різдвяна феєрія в Данблейн Четвер, 1 грудня
There’ll be a Winter Wonderland at Dunblane Christian Fellowship and other churches will be open too for you to enjoy music and more. There’ll also be a Nativity Trail in shop windows and lots more going on throughout the evening.
And throughout all of this, we’ll have a wonderful selection of talented musicians and performers who’ll be entertaining us throughout the evening, including Rubber Chicken Theatre, the Rosenethe Singers, Boys’ Brigade band, Dunblane Cathedral Handbell Ringers and Dunblane Shanty Crew. And we very much hope that we’ll be joined by some Ukrainian singers on the night so that we can enjoy hearing a traditional song or two from their homeland.
Then at 8.30pm the Pipes & Drums of Queen Victoria School will provide a heart-stirring full stop to the Extravaganza as they march through the town and bring the event to a close. We’re so looking forward to this special evening for everyone and do hope you can join us!
We are very grateful to Barty’s for sponsoring the giant Christmas Tree this year. If anyone would like to support the work of the Dunblane Development Trust Town Centre group please get in touch with DDT for sponsorship opportunities
You’ll see this Extravaganza QR code on publicity soon. This, the webpage to which it leads, will be updated on a regular basis as details become confirmed so please keep checking so you don’t miss anything. Download this article
Stirling Council have released information on their annual budget engagement process.
The local authority has launched its annual round of public budget engagement, seeking opinions and feedback from residents through the Budget Conversation to understand the services that matter most to them. With no increase expected in Local Government core funding from the Scottish Government for the next three years, the Council now needs to find a way to bridge a gap which is almost double its annual roads and land services budget.
Join this year's budget conversation by telling us what is important to you through our quick survey. We want as many people to take part so please spread the word about the survey in your community. The Conversation will close on Friday 16th December
Access the survey on Engage Stirling. You can also fill out the survey via Stirling Council Libraries or order a paper copy of the survey by calling our Customer First Contact Centre on 01786 404040. You can also request alternative formats by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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This will be the first Extravaganza in three years and the Dunblane Development Trust can’t wait to bring this community event back for everyone to enjoy! We’re keeping it local and we’ve got a packed evening for you.
Order of Events Reverse Christmas Storytelling Pods Map of Events
The High Street will be closed to traffic between Charisma and the gold postbox from 5pm - 8.30pm on Thursday 1 December and shops, businesses, cafés and food outlets will stay open late. So lots of opportunities for everyone to enjoy a bit of socialising, some late-night shopping and the chance to buy your tea from one or more of the many fab local eateries!
At 5.30pm Santa will arrive on his sleigh accompanied by his elves and, with help from six primary school children, will switch on the lights of a giant Christmas tree* at station plaza and start the event. Youngsters visiting Santa in his grotto are being invited to bring a tin or packet for Start Up Stirling in a reverse Christmas (read more here) and, in return, will be given a lasting memento made here by the dedicated teams at Creative Dunblane. Mrs Claus will be joining us for the first time ever (at the library) and there’ll be Alpacas to (at the gold postbox)!
This is the Year of Storytelling and we’ll have several Storytelling pods along the route in various locations including the Library. Local authors will be reading excerpts from their books to children, teens and adults and a variety of storytellers will be telling traditional and festive tales to young folk too.
Різдвяна феєрія в Данблейн Четвер, 1 грудня
There’ll be a Winter Wonderland at Dunblane Christian Fellowship and other churches will be open too for you to enjoy music and more. There’ll also be a Nativity Trail in shop windows and lots more going on throughout the evening.
And throughout all of this, we’ll have a wonderful selection of talented musicians and performers who’ll be entertaining us throughout the evening, including Rubber Chicken Theatre, the Rosenethe Singers, Boys’ Brigade band, Dunblane Cathedral Handbell Ringers and Dunblane Shanty Crew. And we very much hope that we’ll be joined by some Ukrainian singers on the night so that we can enjoy hearing a traditional song or two from their homeland.
Then at 8.30pm the Pipes & Drums of Queen Victoria School will provide a heart-stirring full stop to the Extravaganza as they march through the town and bring the event to a close. We’re so looking forward to this special evening for everyone and do hope you can join us!
We are very grateful to Barty’s for sponsoring the giant Christmas Tree this year. If anyone would like to support the work of the Dunblane Development Trust Town Centre group please get in touch with DDT for sponsorship opportunities
You’ll see this Extravaganza QR code on publicity soon. This, the webpage to which it leads, will be updated on a regular basis as details become confirmed so please keep checking so you don’t miss anything. Download this article
