10 vital venues on Doors Open Day

THEY are some of the country’s most famous, beautiful and fascinating buildings and, every September, everybody gets a chance to get the inside scoop.

Thanks to Doors Open Days, every weekend during the month, hundreds of buildings and other venues that are normally closed to the public hang out the ‘welcome’ signs. Some open up annually while for others it really is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It’s Scotland’s largest free architectural event, coordinated nationally by the Scottish Civic Trust, and is part of European Heritage Days which are now attended by more than 20 million people every year.

10 vital venues on Doors Open DayOur pick of the best places to go this month.1) Anchor Mill, PaisleySeptember 5 and 6, 10am to 5pmA proud reminder of Paisley’s great industrial heritage, it’s located at the Hammills on the White Cart River.This landmark Grade A-listed Domestic Finishing Mill was built in 1886 and is one of the few remaining buildings of the Anchor Mill complex.Picture credit: Damian Shields2) HM Frigate Unicorn, DundeeSeptember 20, 10am to 5pmHis Majesty’s Frigate Unicorn was built for the Royal Navy in the Royal Dockyard at Chatham and launched in 1824.She is now the world’s last intact warship from the days of sail and one of the six oldest ships in the world.Picture credit: Damian Shields3) Glasgow CathedralSeptember 19 and 20, Saturday noon-4pm, Sunday 1pm-4pmThe cathedral has been described by Historic Scotland as “the finest building of the 1200s now surviving in mainland Scotland”.It combines magnificent mediaeval Gothic architecture with a fine collection of mostly 20th Century stained glass.Picture credit: Damian Shields4) Hospitalfield House, AngusSeptember 5 and 6, 11am to 5pmLeft in trust for the visual arts by artist, estate owner and luminary Patrick Allan-Fraser in 1890, Hospitalfield House has cast a spell on artists, musicians and writers for over 100 years.The building dates from the 13th century.Picture credit: Damian Shields5) The Library of Innerpeffray, near CrieffSeptember 26 and 27It was Scotland’s first free public lending library, founded in 1680, and is now a museum in a beautiful Georgian building erected in 1762.Explore the Register of Local Borrowers going back to 1747 and taste recipes from the old books.Picture credit: Damian Shields6) Old Penicuik House, MidlothianSeptember 12, 10.30am to 3.30pmThe finest and most influential example of Palladian architecture in Scotland.Gutted by fire in 1899, it stood as a ruin for over 100 years.Restoration work to consolidate it and improve access to the surrounding estate is complete.Picture credit: Damian Shields7) Carr’s Flour Mill, KirkcaldySeptember 13A very rare opportunity to literally climb through the story of flour processing in the 21st Century.See Kirkcaldy’s critical contribution to some world famous Scottish brands in the state-of-the-art mill installation.Booking essential.Picture credit: Damian Shields8) Tobacco Warehouse, GreenockSeptember 12 and 13, 11am to 3pmThe 19th Century five-storey building, located on the corner of Clarence, Hood and Haig Streets, dates back to 1896.The B-Listed bonded store was also used for the storage of whisky and as accommodation for American soldiers during World War 2.Picture credit: Damian Shields9) British Linen Bank, LinlithgowSeptember 12, 10am to 1pmThe West Lothian Local History Library was built as Linlithgow’s branch of the British Linen Bank.The upper two floors made an imposing home for the bank manager’s family and the library holds an extensive stock of local photographs.Picture credit: Damian Shields10) The Argyll Papers at Inveraray Castle ArchiveSeptember 26The archive is housed in Cherry Park, an 18th Century Palladian-style farm steading.One of the most important private archives in Britain, it is a rich resource for Scottish and British history from the 13th to 21st Centuries.Picture credit: Jan GooderhamThe first was held in France back in 1984 and Scotland got in on the act 25 years ago after the then-boss of the Trust saw it going down a storm in the Netherlands. Doors Open Days were piloted in Ayr and Glasgow in 1990 and it then spread to other areas of the UK with 2014 marking the 20th anniversary of Heritage Open Days in England. The milestone event smashed all records, attracting three million visitors, up 900,000 on the previous year. A total of 4,685 sites took part, from Berwick-on-Tweed right down to the southernmost tip of the Cornish coast. The first awards were also staged in the impressive surroundings of the Masonic Hall in London’s Covent Garden with patron Loyd Grosman saying the event had become a “national institution”. In Scotland, more than 800 buildings are expected to open in every area of the country.

It’s anticipated that there will be over 200,000 visits to sites and hidden architectural gems. More than 4,000 volunteers help run tours that tell the intriguing stories of these buildings. The first weekend of September, the 5th and 6th, sees buildings in Angus, Ayrshire, East Fife and the Highlands turning the keys in their locks. Other areas follow suit with Aberdeen, Midlothian, Inverclyde and Stirling among the areas opening up on the 12th and 13th and Dundee, Glasgow, Falkirk and Borders doing the same on the 19th and 20th. Edinburgh , Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire are among the places rounding things off on style on the 26th and 27th. Anchor Mill in Renfrewshire is just one of the fascinating buildings sure to be busy. A proud reminder of Paisley’s great industrial heritage, it’s located at the Hammills on the White Cart River. This landmark Grade A-listed Domestic Finishing Mill was built in 1886 and is one of the few remaining buildings of the Anchor Mill complex.

Visit doorsopendays.org.uk