Sunday June 2011 weather forecast was Sunny periods with light showers – this made me revise my plans for the day. Previous forecast for Sunday was Sunny in the West coast which in turn help Susan and I to decide on a gallivant to Culzean Castle (pronounced as Kuh-Lane Castle), in light of the up to date forecast we changed our trip out to Stirling Castle. We last visited Stirling Castle in 2009 and at that time were not able to visit the Place of King James V (Scotland) *The Stuarts Apartments) as they were undergoing a massive reconstruction to show them as they would have been at the death of James V. The palace was officially reopened on 4/5 June.
The title of this Blog is taken from a statement I think was made by Edward Longshanks the completed phrase is “He who holds Stirling holds Scotland”. The castle is sited on top of an extinct volcano and commands a great view of the surrounding countryside around the River Forth. At that time Stirling had the only southernmost bridge across the River Forth and was the cross roads of the highlands and central Scotland. It is not until you stand on the ramparts of the French Spur or the roof garden of the Unicorn Café and look across do you realise how clear the view is and the distance that can be observed.
From this viewpoint you look across the Forth to Abbey Crag to Wallace’s Monument between the monument and castle lies the site of the Battle of Stirling Bridge. Two bridges may be seen there. The new road bridge and the old cobbled, high humped bridge – it is believed that neither of these bridges are on the site of the old wooden bridge which is reputed to have only enough space to allow two horsemen abreast to cross. The site of the battle is allegedly further upstream.
Whilst there had been a fortress at Stirling since before the 11th Century the earliest recording was during the reign of Alexander 1 – who is reputed to have built a chapel there. It was used as the administrative centre for the Scottish crown since then. The castle became the focal point of power during 60 years of the Wars of Scottish Independence after the death of Alexander III. Please remember these are Scottish Kings. Up until the demise of Alexander III Scotland was an uncontested Kingdom, Alexander had resisted all advances by Edward Longshanks and his ambition to be overlord of the Kingdom of Scotland. It was the Stewart line (Stewart later became Stuart (the French Spelling) on James VI / I taking the thrones of Scotland & England) James IV built his Residence there and the Great Hall to hold Parliament there. James the IV was succeeded by his son James V and a renaissance took place at Stirling with the first Renaissance palace in the British Isles, the Royal Palace, being built. A truly imposing building even after 500 years, the Palace was adorned with over 200 statues and other embellishments – it was a political statement of power by a Scottish King. In 2009 this palace was closed to the public. On the weekend of the 4/5 June the Palaces was re-opened to the public.
The setting is just after the death of James V – who never recovered from his defeat at Battle of Solway Moss by the English. The first apparment one sees is the King’s Waiting Room where supplicants awaited the King’s pleasure.
If you were one of the lucky supplicants and invited to appear before the King you entered the King’s Chamber
Here the restorers have installed the Kings Coat of Arms on the ceiling.
We now move to the most oppulent room in the royal appartments – the State bedchamber of Queen Mary and here the restorers have created a room that exudes wealth, power and grandure Walls have covering of Purple and Green hangings and a sumptious decorated four poster bed.
The formal Queen’s Chamber where The Queen held Court is next. Here the restorers have provide a great illusion regarding the wall hangings – one which I shall not ruin here. They have also put in place the tapestry panels of the Hunting of the Unicorn. 4 Panels that tell a story of the tracking and killing of a Unicorn – but not is all as it seems.
The final room is the Queen’s waiting room:
To say that Susan and I were overwhelmed by the rooms would be an understatement – the work has been to a very high standard. The restorers set out to give the visitor to these apartments the feeling they were entering the past and being greeted by a powerful King who was displaying his power and wealth to intimidate. They have surpassed that aim. I was saddened to see some visitors walking in, have a quick look the walk out – the restoration demands that one takes their time absorb the splendour then really look at the details, There is much to see and enjoy – staff are dressed in the costumes of that time, their knowledge of the history is so good they make the apartments come alive. On our visit we had the Lord Lyon – Sir David Lindsay, a Guard and two Chambermaids who were willing to pose for photographs and to answer questions and relate the history.
Whilst the apartments were the main reason for our visit – the Castle is well worth a days outing by itself. We had to beware of the time as we were only allowed 4 hours parking time so had to cut short this visit – but that just means we will have to go back again. We also visited the Old Stirling Bridge and Wallace’s Monument. At the monument we heard the tale of the battle of Stirling Bridge by what I would term and Actor/Bard or should that be the Ghost of One who fought the battle.
