Raploch, known locally as The Raploch or The Raptap, is a district of the city of
Stirling
Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...
, which lies to the south of the
River Forth
The River Forth is a major river in central Scotland, long, which drains into the North Sea on the east coast of the country. Its drainage basin covers much of Stirlingshire in Scotland's Central Belt. The Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic name for the ...
in central
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
.
The first houses were built in the late 17th century, after the land had been sold by the
Earl of Mar
There are currently two earldoms of Mar in the Peerage of Scotland, and the title has been created seven times. The first creation of the earldom is currently held by Margaret of Mar, 31st Countess of Mar, who is also clan chief of Clan Mar. Th ...
to the patrons of
Cowane's Hospital in Stirling. Economic conditions led to stagnation but housing began again in earnest at the start of the 19th century.
The real expansion came in the middle of the 20th century, when council housing replaced decrepit housing in the old town.
Perhaps one of the most notable people to have come from the district is football legend
Billy Bremner
William John Bremner (9 December 1942 – 7 December 1997) was a Scottish professional Association football, footballer who played for Leeds United F.C., Leeds United, Hull City A.F.C., Hull City, and the Scotland national football team, Scot ...
, who also attended the local St. Mary's Roman Catholic primary school. A more recent football star from Raploch is
David Goodwillie.
The Raploch was the subject of a 2002
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. Its headquarters are in Glasgow, employing approximately 1,250 staff as of 2017, to produce 15,000 hours of television and radio programming per year. BBC Scotla ...
documentary entitled
Raploch Stories, and in a 2017 sequel Raploch Stories Revisited.
Since 2004, the Raploch area has undergone a great deal of physical regeneration.
In 2008 the area became the home of the UK's first ''
El Sistema
El Sistema (which translates to The System) is a publicly financed, voluntary sector, music-education program, founded in Venezuela in 1975 by Venezuelan educator, musician, and activist José Antonio Abreu.Lesniak It later adopted the motto " ...
'' children's orchestra, called Big Noise Raploch. A children's orchestra with over 100 members, who performed with Gustavo Dudamel and the
Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela on 21 June 2012 and on a BBC Scotland Christmas Eve (2012) Special in Stirling's
Holy Rude Church.
References
*{{cite book , author=Mair, Craig , title=Stirling: The Royal Burgh , publisher=John Donald Publishers , year=1990 , isbn=0-85976-420-6
External links
Raploch projectRaploch Community Partnership website - for Community Hub Activities such as Parent and Toddlers and Computer access and trainingBig Noise websiteThe Raploch: A history, people's perceptions and the likely future of a problem housing estate. Douglas Robertson, James Smyth and Ian McIntosh
Geography of Stirling (council area)
Stirling (city)
Housing estates in Scotland