🏘️ Roughcaster in Dollar, Clackmannanshire

About Roughcasters

A roughcaster applies a textured external finish to buildings - the traditional Scottish harling that protects stone and blockwork walls from the weather while giving them a clean, uniform appearance.

Harling is one of Scotland's most common wall finishes and when it cracks, blows or starts to let in damp, getting it patched or replaced promptly prevents more expensive damage to the masonry underneath.

Ask whether they use traditional lime harling or modern cement render - on older stone buildings, lime-based finishes allow the walls to breathe and avoid the moisture problems that cement can cause.

About Dollar

Dollar is an attractive hillfoot village in eastern Clackmannanshire, sitting at the foot of the Ochil Hills roughly ten miles east of Stirling, with a population of around 2,700.

The village is best known for Dollar Academy, a prestigious independent school founded in 1818 with a bequest from Captain John McNabb - the handsome neoclassical main building, designed by William Henry Playfair, is a prominent landmark.

Castle Campbell stands dramatically above Dollar Glen, perched on a rocky promontory between two steep ravines - originally known as Castle Gloom, it was the lowland stronghold of the Campbell clan and is now managed by Historic Environment Scotland.

The village has a good range of local shops, a golf course and excellent access to hill walking in the Ochils, making it one of the most desirable places to live in the county.

About Clackmannanshire

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Clackmannanshire is the smallest council area in Scotland by land area, tucked between the Ochil Hills to the north and the River Forth to the south, with Stirling to the west and Fife across the water to the east.

Alloa is the county town and largest settlement, a former brewing centre on the north bank of the Forth, while a chain of hillfoot towns and villages - Tillicoultry, Alva, Menstrie and Dollar - runs along the base of the Ochils to the north.

The county has a rich industrial heritage: textiles in the hillfoot towns, brewing in Alloa and coal mining across the lowland parishes shaped the area through the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.

Despite its small size, Clackmannanshire packs in considerable variety - from the dramatic gorges and hill walks of the Ochils to the flat carseland of the Forth, from medieval tower houses to Victorian mill architecture.

The area is well connected, with the A91 running along the hillfoot corridor and rail services from Alloa to Stirling and onward to Glasgow, making it a practical base for commuters working across the central belt.