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Stirling Castle - Stirling, Central Scotland (HS)

A Royal Castle built on a great basalt rock dominating the surrounding countryside. The site once overlooked the main passageways through the centre of Scotland. Marshes to the west of the rock, the surrounding hills and the river Forth meant that to cross from north to south or east to west, you had to pass close to the castle. It was thus a naturally defended stronghold, with sheer rock on three sides. It is probable that the site was used by Iron Age people, as were some of the hills around, but through many centuries of building and occupation, any obvious evidence has been lost. 

Stirling Castle viewed from the Wallace Monument

The first firmly evidenced castle at Stirling was that occupied by Alexander I, between 1107 and 1115. Both he and his later successor, William the Lion, died in the castle, which was probably made of wood, earth and thatch. Stirling's positional and nationalistic importance were confirmed by the nearby battles of Stirling Bridge in 1297 and Bannockburn in 1314. The two Scottish heroes of these victories are William Wallace and Robert Bruce and there are impressive monuments both here and at the site of Bannockburn.

Statue of Robert Bruce at Stirling Castle

The earliest remaining building at Stirling is the core of the North Gate, built around 1381, but little remains of whatever construction was carried out in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The castle as it was then was very much a Royal Residence, with both James I and James II carrying out assassinations of their enemies at Stirling.

Stirling Castle's Outer Defences 1708-14

It was James IV who started to create the castle we see today, turning Stirling into a brilliant court where splendid entertainments were held and he gained a reputation in Europe as a true Renaissance King. He built the Inner Close, the King's Old Building, the Great Hall and the Forework, seen below.

Stirling Castle Gatehouse, built for James IV c1500

The Great Hall was later used as a military barracks until 1964, when it was decided to recreate its original appearance. The three floors dividing up the Hall were carefully removed and the stonework repaired. A new hammerbeam roof was built using the technology of the early sixteenth century and the outside was once again covered in protective harling and limewashed. The work was completed in the Autumn of 1999 and is stunning. It is easy to forget that so many of the drab stone ruins we see today were once brightly coloured and luxurious residences.

The Great Hall, built 1503

James V was crowned at Stirling in 1513, at only 17 months old, but by the age of 16 he had taken effective rule himself. He built the Palace for his French Queen, Mary of Guise and the style reveals his visit to France in 1536 to claim his first wife, the short-lived Princess Madeleine. As well as being impressed by the architecture he saw in France, he brought over French masons to work on his own Renaissance Palace. Unfortunately, James V followed the fate of his Stewart predecessors and died early after the defeat of his army by the English at Solway Moss. He left a baby girl who was crowned Mary, Queen of Scots within the castle's Chapel Royal.

The Palace, built for James V in 1538

Mary of Guise, her mother, continued to live at Stirling after the child had gone to France for safety and the defences of the castle were strengthened during this time of religious change. The French Spur and parts of the outer walls date from this time. Mary Stewart eventually married the Dauphin, briefly becoming Queen of France before her husband died early. On her return and second marriage, she gave birth to James at Stirling and his Baptism in 1566 was a splendid and lavish occasion. A year later, Mary was forced to abdicate and James was crowned in nearby Stirling parish church. The Chapel Royal at Stirling had fallen into disrepair and the elegant building we see today was rebuilt under James VI in 1594 for the Baptism of his son, Prince Henry, another lavish occasion, celebrated in the Great Hall by a banquet, embellished by a great ship bringing in the fish course. James VI of Scotland became James I of England in 1603 and moved to London to rule both kingdoms. This signalled an end to the importance of Stirling as a Royal residence, although Charles I visited and the beautiful wall painting in the Chapel Royal date from this time. The military importance of Stirling came to the fore once again and during the later Jacobite Rebellions, the castle's defences were strengthened with little thought for the more aesthetic aspects of the castle's appearance. Bonnie Prince Charlie, the last Stewart claimant of the throne, laid siege to Stirling in 1746, but the gun batteries now in place made short work of his own artillery emplacements.

During the Napoleon Wars, the castle became a military headquarters and the buildings in the Guardroom Square date from this period. Queen Victoria visited Stirling in 1849 and thought it 'extremely grand' and although its military function still predominated, there was a subtle change of attitude to the older parts of the castle. After its lengthy restoration, Stirling today is an impressive and enduring reminder of the prominence of the Renaissance Stewart Kings of Scotland and together with its contemporaries at Edinburgh and Linlithgow, provide a glimpse of their ambitions and lifestyles.  

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