Doune

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Doune is a burgh in the district of Stirling, Scotland, on the River Teith. The town is dominated by Doune Castle (where much of the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail was filmed), built in the late 14th century. Architecturally it constitutes a mixture of fortress and manor-house.

Doune was also famous for its manufacture of pistols, but this eventually ceased due to the competition of manufacturers in, for example, Birmingham where production was cheaper. Today, these pistols are collected and can be found in major museums, including the Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. Allegedly a Doune pistol fired the first shot of the American War of Independence.

Land east of Doune was owned by the Stirling of Kier family (who still own Kier House and the land near it). One member of the family, SAS founder David Stirling, is memorialised at a monument on the Kier land near Doune.

Officially, Doune is within Perthshire (this is reflected in the addresses, for example “17 Pine Road, Doune, Perthshire, Scotland”) however Doune is closer to and under the control of Stirling council. Further confusion arises form the fact Doune is assigned Falkirk post codes starting “FK” (for example FK16 6DJ).

Doune Speed Hillclimb is the most prestigious hillclimb course in Scotland, and hosts a round of the British Hill Climb Championship each year.