Doors Open Days is Scotland’s largest free festival that celebrates heritage and the built environment, new and old. Every September, you can explore hundreds of fascinating buildings across Scotland for free. Some open up once a year, some just once in a lifetime.
Doors Open Days is a national event run by the Scottish Civic Trust. Information about the national programme, including event listings, can be found at www.doorsopendays.org.uk. Doors Open Days, along with Scottish Archaeology Month take place throughout Scotland and are part of European Heritage Days – an initiative which promotes a sense of community and a “common heritage” throughout the continent.
Programme Highlights:
Bellshill Central Parish Church
The main Bellshill Central Parish Church building is the former Macdonald Memorial Chirch and was designed by David Clunas and constructed in 1874. It is described as a Gothic, gabled rectangular-plan church with set-back gabletted buttresses with pairs of Gothic rectangular windows with inverted rounded corners and vertical stone mullions, on both upper and lower levels. It is set back from the main road and the principal elevation has a pointed-arch timber panelled door to centre.
Bellshill Central Parish Church was formed in March 2014 when the former Macdonald Memorial and Orbiston Parish Churches were united as one. Part of the outreach of the former Orbiston Parish Church is the Orbiston Neighbourhood Centre which provides a community focus for adults and young people.
Stewards will be on duty throughout, able to guide people around the church.
Kilsyth Burns and Old Parish Church
Kilsyth Burns and Old Parish Churches have a rich and interesting history leading to the unification of the Old Parish Church and Burns Parish Church to form Kilsyth Burns and Old Parish Church in 1975. The Parish Church was built in 1816 with the Chancel being added in 1932.
Kilsyth Community Fire Station
Kilsyth Burns and Old Parish Churches have a rich and interesting history leading to the unification of the Old Parish Church and Burns Parish Church to form Kilsyth Burns and Old Parish Church in 1975. The Parish Church was built in 1816 with the Chancel being added in 1932.
Find out about the history of the Burns and Old Parish Churches in this magnificent building.
Spotlight Shotts - Shotts Community Centre
Shotts Community Centre has a long history as the former Calderhead Junior Secondary School from 1870 to 1965 . It is one of Shotts few remaining Victorian public buildings with fine architectural features and is integral to Shotts history and culture. After closing as a school it became a Community Centre. In 1982 part of the main building was converted to a professional black box theatre and named the Henderson Theatre after Archie Henderson, a local actor, drama teacher prominent member of community.
Spotlight Shotts, is a recently formed voluntary group of local residents with a mission to reinstate the facilities of the theatre and along with it, opportunities for education, celebration, and appreciation of performing arts.
For Doors Open Days there will be a programme of live theatre and music in the Henderson Theatre for all ages. In other spaces in the centre there will be local history exhibitions, drama workshops, children’s activities and videos. Community groups and public services in the town will also create displays to create awareness and promote their causes.
There will be displays about Shotts rich industrial and social past including about various groups and bands that have formed in the town. It will also reflect the history of the centre and the theatre which grew out of a love of the dramatic arts and hosted many amateur and professional theatre and musical productions and also served as a meeting place and social activity for the people of Shotts and surrounding villages to come together.
Where possible we will update our listings to notify of cancelled, postponed and rescheduled events, however we STRONGLY ADVISE that you check with the venue/organiser in the first instance for updates.
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