New funding means 13 buildings will fully accessible to public for first time
Two secret bunkers will be accessible to the public for the first time later this year after funding for vital work was secured by The Scottish Civic Trust. The Skelmorlie Secret Bunker and the Arbroath Underground Bunker will be open to the public in September.
In total 13 buildings will be made safe for public viewing for the first time as part of the Doors Open Days festival in September, thanks to funding from the William Grant Foundation and administered by the Architectural Heritage Fund.
Other buildings include a doocot in Pittencrieff, the Scottish Lime Centre and St Monans Coastwatch.
Back for Good
The work is part of the Trust’s ‘Back For Good’ programme, which helps community groups to identify and renovate buildings that have fallen into disuse.
This year Doors Open Days celebrates its 30th year of letting the public have a look inside Scotland’s most exciting and important buildings, and the new funding will help more new buildings become part of the programme.
Dr Susan O’Connor, Director, Scottish Civic Trust said:
It is really exciting to be able to support groups who want to open up new buildings to the public. It can cost as little as £60 to do work required to make public access possible, and removing these barriers is a really important way to support community groups.
Gordon Barr, Support Officer for Scotland, Architectural Heritage Fund said:
We are delighted to be able to support Doors Open Days in its 30th anniversary year, with funding to help widen the range of buildings able to take part, making it easier for people of all abilities and background to find and get inside the fascinating built heritage that is all around us across Scotland.
In particular it will also help groups looking to take on long-term ownership of places to test their ideas and get immediate feedback from their local communities.
Come September, we hope that those Secret Bunkers will not be secret much longer!’
About Doors Open Days
Doors Open Days is Scotland’s largest free festival that celebrates heritage and the built environment. It offers free access to over a thousand venues across the country throughout September, every year.
The aim of Doors Open Days is to ensure that Scotland’s built heritage, new and old, is made accessible to people living and visiting the country on weekends in September.
Doors Open Days first took place in Glasgow and Ayr in 1990 where it formed part of the European City of Culture celebrations. It celebrates its 30th year in 2019.
It is coordinated nationally by the Scottish Civic Trust and is part of European Heritage Days alongside Scottish Archaeology Month, coordinated by Archaeology Scotland (formerly known as the Council for Scottish Archaeology). Both are supported by Historic Environment Scotland.