River walk art show

Jun 17 2009 by Stirling Editorial Reporter, Stirling Observer Wednesday

RAPLOCH’S riverside walk has blossomed into a triumph of regeneration, community involvement and 21st century design thanks to the completion of a three-year public art project.

Features of the walkway alongside the banks of the River Forth now include a historical steel panel, a 20-step timeline path and a giant chess board and treasure map.

Funded by the Scottish Arts Council with support from the City Heritage Trust, and commissioned by the Raploch Urban Regeneration Company (URC) in partnership with Raploch community members and groups, “Creative Spaces” is a series of permanent installations along the river.

They are designed to take those who walk along the riverside on a journey through Raploch’s people and history and offer a glimpse of its future.

Pamela Brown, head of social and economic regeneration at the Raploch URC, said: “Raploch’s riverside was once under-valued and used solely by locals who were keen to take a shortcut to the road and who didn’t mind getting their shoes dirty in the process.

“We decided that the state of the riverside was not fitting for the place where in 1297 William Wallace declared victory in the Battle of Stirling Bridge and so with the help of artist Peter McCaughey we conceived of the Creative Spaces project as a tribute to Raploch and as an integral part of the on-going regeneration process.”