Raploch

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Raploch
Stirling UK location map.svg
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Raploch
Location within the Stirling council area
Council area
Country Scotland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town STIRLING
Postcode district FK8
Dialling code 01786
Police Scotland
Fire Scottish
Ambulance Scottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
56°07′47″N3°56′50″W / 56.1297°N 3.9471°W / 56.1297; -3.9471

Raploch, known locally as The Raploch or The Raptap, is a district of the city of Stirling, which lies to the south of the River Forth in central Scotland.

Contents

The first houses were built in the late 17th century, after the land had been sold by the Earl of Mar 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.

The Raploch was the subject of a 2002 BBC Scotland 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, [1] overseen by the Raploch Urban Regeneration Company. The Scottish government has praised Raploch's masterplanning as an example of good practice. [2] Conditions which ensured access to training and employment for previously long-term unemployed workers in regeneration work have also been well-received. [3]

In 2008 the area became the home of the UK's first El Sistema 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 [4] on 21 June 2012 and on a BBC Scotland Christmas Eve (2012) Special in Stirling's Holy Rude Church.

People

Perhaps one of the most notable people to have come from the district is football legend Billy Bremner, who also attended the local St. Mary's Roman Catholic primary school. A more recent football star from Raploch is David Goodwillie. [5]

References

  1. Adams, David; Tiesdell, Steve (2013). Shaping Places: Urban Planning, Design and Development. Routledge. pp. 115–6. ISBN   9780415497961 . Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  2. Scottish Government, Planning Advice Note 83: master planning, accessed on 4 August 2025
  3. UK National Sustainable Commissioning and Procurement Programme Board (2007), Sustainable Procurement Cupboard – The Legal Shelf, commissioned by the New Economics Foundation, archived on 5 December 2009, accessed on 4 August 2025
  4. "El Sistema: How a Venezuelan music scheme changed Raploch". BBC News. 23 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  5. David Goodwillie can become as successful as Duncan Ferguson, says Dick Taylor www.dailyrecord.co.uk, 20 June 2010