Stirling Castle

Unsurprisingly, Scotland's most popular paid visitor attraction is Edinburgh Castle. In second place is the Stirling counterpart - a hilltop stronghold steeped in royal and military history. Considered the de facto capital of Scotland during the Middle Ages, Stirling had long been a strategic crossing point between the Lowlands and Highlands. It was for centuries the furthest point downstream where the mighty River Forth was bridged. Indeed, the famous battle here in 1297 saw William Wallace's troops emerge victorious. A key point in the nation's history. Stirling Castle is visible from miles around but it was many years since I'd been inside the walls. My hand was somewhat forced, due to the hosting of a railway exhibition within the compound. The only way in was to purchase a regular castle ticket.

The advance price online was £18.50 but that turned out to be good value, as there is a lot to see inside the various buildings. The panoramic views across the surrounding landscape are immense. I travelled there by bus on a new route. Despite having city status and lying just 22 miles apart, Dunfermline and Stirling didn't have the benefit of a direct public transport link in recent years. Stagecoach have rectified this and a service departs hourly, via Alloa and the Springkerse Retail Park. I made my way uphill from the town centre to the castle - a lovely heritage walk in itself. Walking across the esplanade, I was greeted by a statue of King Robert the Bruce, sword in hand. Erected in 1876, the figure faces south towards the location of the Battle of Bannockburn, a 1314 conflict that saw the Scots gain a decisive victory over English forces. Another pivotal point in the country's fortunes. The last reigning monarch to stay in Stirling Castle was Charles II, who was crowned King of Scots in 1651. He was forced into exile following defeat at the Battle of Worcester - the last major conflict in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Republican soldiers occupied Stirling but the monarchy was eventually restored in 1660. I passed through the impressive castle gates and took in the view from the battlements, looking west. The vast flat plain of the Carse of Stirling spread out for miles. Once a virtually impassable peat bog, it has been transformed by drainage into prime agricultural territory. The old royal pleasure and hunting grounds are situated directly below the castle. The distinctive earthwork known as the King’s Knot (pictured below) was part of the formal garden area and is easily identifiable from above. The octagonal and rectangular design was created for the Scottish coronation of Charles I in 1633. After a period of abandonment, Queen Victoria ordered a full restoration. I proceeded into the cobbled courtyard and began to explore the castle history. Stirling has been a seat of Scottish royalty for almost 1000 years. The castle changed hands many times during the long-running Wars of Independence. Whoever controlled Stirling was said to hold the keys to the kingdom. Almost all of the present structure dates from 1490 to 1600, when successive generations of the House of Stewart developed the site. I passed through an undercroft, which contained several small exhibition rooms. The crossover between the Stewart and Tudor royal lineage was explained. The sister of Henry VIII married James IV of Scotland in 1503 This union led to the vacant English throne passing to the Scottish monarch James VI, precisely 100 years later. Before James IV became the last reigning sovereign to die in battle (at Flodden, 1513), he launched a programme of building works at Stirling Castle, the place of his birth. He was also the final Scottish king known to have been conversant in Gaelic, just one of many languages he spoke. After the travesty at Flodden, James V inherited the throne aged just a year and a half. Born at Linlithgow Palace, he spent much of his childhood at Stirling (where he was crowned) while a series of regents ruled on his behalf. At one stage, the Earl of Angus overstepped his authority and effectively held the young king prisoner, until the teenage James fled from Edinburgh to Stirling in disguise.

There didn't appear to be any effects of trauma below the waist, as James sired several illegitimate issue before being urged to marry and produce a legal heir. Visits to the French court were arranged and he became hitched to Princess Madeleine, who sadly died six months after the wedding at the age of 16. The second bride was noblewoman Mary of Guise, also of French extraction. The marriage helped maintain good relations between the two nations. It often seems that royal nuptials were more about business and diplomacy than actual matters of the heart. You could probably make a good case for this being true until very recently. James V continued and expanded his father's construction phase, creating the Royal Palace, now the centrepiece of the complex. He also specified the open courtyard design. The substantial dowries received from the two marriages helped meet the building costs. In fact, the King was legally contracted to provide a lavish home for his second wife, who would also retain the right of residency should James pre-decease her. Following the death of two infant sons, a daughter (Mary) was born. Six days later, she became Queen of Scots when her father passed, having recently turned 30. The exterior of the palace was adorned with fabulous carvings, including monkeys, parrots, gods and griffins. Talented woodcarvers were employed to create the intricate ceiling patterns. It was also not unknown for real live lions to be kept within royal compounds. I walked through the royal apartments and was surrounded by opulence. Access to the King was tightly controlled and it was considered a great honour to be granted an appointment. Most visitors - typically ambassadors, courtiers and nobles - would have met the monarch in the inner hall, after first being made to wait in the outer room. Only the most important guests were ushered all the way into the bedchamber. Queen Mary (of Guise) had a similar set-up in her royal quarters. Her state bed (pictured below) is on display today. The luxurious four-poster was purely symbolic. Both King and Queen actually slept in smaller apartments off to the side. James V commissioned a series of carved timber portraits (known as the Stirling Heads) to decorate the palace ceilings. The spectacular pieces were eventually taken down in 1777 when the surrounding plasterwork began to collapse. Most of the 38 surviving artworks (from an estimated original 56) are currently on display in a purpose-built gallery.

Careful research by Historic Scotland - the current guardians of the castle - has revealed some of the inspiration behind the elaborate designs. The Heads were fashioned from oak trees felled in 1539, in modern-day Poland. Paint was originally applied, but only tiny fragments remain. Nevertheless, this discovery gives an insight to the original colour scheme of the palace interior. The imagery of the Heads reinforced James's position by aligning him with influential ancestors, key biblical players, historical giants and European contemporaries. Having noted allies in high places helped convey a sense of uncontested power, as did the emphasis on the lengthy and unbroken Stewart family line. By including figures such as Charles V - the Holy Roman Emperor and possessor of the fearsome Habsburg chin - James was making it clear that he stood firmly among the mightiest men on the continent. Mary, Queen of Scots, was crowned at Stirling as an infant. She grew up in France and married the heir apparent Francis II, who became King shortly afterwards at the age of 15, following the accidental death of his father. The teenage ruler reigned for little more than a year before becoming gravely ill and passing away. Mary returned to Scotland in 1561 and often visited Stirling Castle. Having remarried, her son James was baptised here and became King at a year old, following a chain of events that prompted his mother's forced abdication and eventual execution. Growing up within the caste walls, young James was frequently used as a pawn between his regents and the nobles who wished to see Mary restored as Queen of Scots. James acceded to the English throne in 1603 and became ruler of two nations, moving his court to London. Stirling's role as a royal residence declined and the castle became primarily a military stronghold. It was used as a prison for persons of rank during the 17th century, and saw few visits by the sitting monarch. A powder magazine was created within the castle gardens and a formal garrison installed in 1685. Government forces moved quickly to secure the fortress during the Jacobite rebellion. From 1800, the castle was owned by the War Office and functioned as an army barracks. Many alterations were made over the years. The Great Hall became an accommodation block and the Chapel Royal was transformed into a lecture theatre and dining hall. The King's Old Building was repurposed as a military hospital and the Royal Palace found a new role as the Officer's Mess. Royal visits still occurred from time to time. Queen Victoria visited in 1842 and the Prince of Wales in 1859. The army departed in 1964 and the King's Old Building now houses the regimental museum of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. The fighting force was formed in 1881, following an amalgamation of two individual county units. The soldiers used Stirling Castle as their training headquarters. I wandered in for a look around the various galleries. Entry to the museum is included in the general admission ticket.

The new combined regiment expanded rapidly upon the outbreak of the First World War. Battalions served in several locations and around 7000 men were lost over the four years of the conflict. Many Highland communities were stripped bare of manpower, with devastating consequences to the local economy, not to mention the social impact. Two decades later, global war erupted again and the Argylls were involved on all fronts. Troops fought in the Korean War in the early 1950s, a somewhat forgotten struggle, yet a brutal one. In more modern times, the regiment was engaged in Northern Ireland for 30 years. The Argylls staved off the threat of disbandment in 1967 but eventually the Highland force was absorbed into the Royal Regiment of Scotland in 2006, when the entire army structure was reduced in size and reorganised. I enjoyed my wander through the museum. The themes examined stretched beyond the battlefield campaigns, looking at issues such as military medical progress, sporting opportunities, life at home during the world wars and the changing face of Highland culture during the industrial revolution. Well worth investigating. I walked across the courtyard into the Chapel Royal, built in 1594 as the setting for the baptism of Prince Henry, the oldest son of James VI. He died aged 18 and his brother Charles endured an ill-fated reign. Yet another historical twist with far-reaching consequences. An undoubted highlight for visitors is the fully restored Great Hall. Renovation commenced after the army moved out and the spectacular hammer-beam roof contains the timber of 350 oak trees and is held together by 4000 handmade pegs. Queen Elizabeth II performed the opening ceremony in 1999. A historical talk was in progress and I caught some of that before seeking out the railway photography exhibition. I traversed the defensive wall and enjoyed the views of the Wallace monument atop nearby Abbey Craig. The choo-choo experience is covered in a separate post. I poked my head into the gunpowder store and checked out a tapestry display in the far corner of the castle footprint. Thought to be the biggest project of kind undertaken anywhere in Britain for over a century, seven new tapestries were woven, based on the original designs commissioned by James. The final design was completed in 2014. The castle visit had been extremely satisfying and it's not hard to see why it attracts tourists from all over the world.