10 fascinating facts about… Doune and Dunblane

What links Monty Python’s Flying Circus, the European Cup, and the American War of Independence?

The answer is the Dunblane and Doune area, which has an incredible part to play in the history of Scotland, both ancient and recent.

How many of these facts did you know?

Since 2004 Doune Castle, which featured in Monty Python’s Holy Grail, has hosted an annual Monty Python Day, which is held each September.

In 1715 a Jacobite army faced government forces at the Battle of Sheriffmuir near Dunblane.

The former Museum Hall in Bridge of Allan used to be a concert venue which, in 1963, hosted The Beatles.

The first shot fired in the American War of Independence was from a Doune pistol.

Dunblane’s Tommy Gemmell scored the first goal, to help Celtic win the 1967 European Cup

Dunblane has produced a number of sporting stars, and not just double Wimbledon winner Andy Murray. Footballers who came from the town include former Scotland defenders, brothers Gary and Steven Caldwell, and Lisbon Lion Tommy Gemmell, who scored Celtic’s first goal in their European Cup win over Inter Milan in 1967.

Bridge of Allan is the venue for the annual Strathallan Highland Games, which take place on the first Sunday in August.

The land east of Doune was once owned by the Stirling of Keir family. Family member David Stirling founded the SAS.

Dunblane is believed to mean ‘fort of Blane’, which relates to the early 6th-century Irish saint.

Bridge of Allan was a renowned spa town.

A young Robert Louis Stevenson was a regular visitor.

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