Stirling!!

[endlessrarities]

I'll return once again to Stirling, because it deserves another mention!

Forget Edinburgh.  Forget Glasgow.  If you want to get to the heart of medieval Scotland, come to Stirling.  Many of the key events of Scotland's medieval past played out here.  The Battle of Bannockburn.  The Battle of Stirling Bridge.  The murder of the Earl of Douglas by James II and his cronies (the 'Black Dinner').  The Battle of Sauchieburn and the murder of James III.  The list goes on, and on...

The reason for its importance is obvious enough if you stand at the castle ramparts and look out:-

It's the bridging point between Highlands and Lowlands, a place of crucial strategic importance.  Edward I knew this.  So did Wallace and Bruce.  And it was small wonder that James IV chose it as his base when he decided to rebel against his father...

Yesterday, it was looking at its best.  Here's some more views of the 15th century Great Hall of James IV, the Palace Range of James V, and the ramparts and bastions of the 18th century:-

 

 

Who needs Spinalonga??  We've got Stirling!!!

There's more to Stirling than the castle, too.  The Renaissance gardens of James V still survive as upstanding earthworks just below the ramparts.  Yesterday evening, we caught them in just the right light, and this was the result:-

 

And, because Stirling was such a happening place in the sixteenth century, everyone else built nice townhouses there, too.  Here's a view of Argyll's Lodging, where - surprise, surprise - the Earl of Argyll used to hang out:-

 

And Mar's Wark, built at the behest of the Earl of Mar, but sadly unfinished:-

 

But for my last image, I'll return to the late 15th century, and the Great Hall of James IV.  Amongst the carved stones in its fabric was this rather fetching beast:-

 

Ah, yes...  I'd forgotten just how much I like Stirling. 

Perhaps it's time to set the Ancient Greeks aside and get back to the historical novels...  My 'inner Hugh' has spoken, and he doesn't like to be ignored...  I'm sure he's most displeased that he's been displaced for a younger model while I've worked on 'Hades' over the last couple of years, but if the chips were down...  Seasoned late fifteenth century knight versus nineteen year old Spartan stripling?  Em, sorry, Hugh, but my money's on Lysander...

Come to think of it, Hugh's a realist.  In the circumstances, his money would be on Lysander, too.  He'd probably offer him top rates as one of his retainers...  Yikes.  What a frightening combination....

Comments

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

My mother has a print of Stirling Castle on her wall. It's been there as long as I can remember. It really is the most castley castle going. I must go and see it for myself some day.

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

Oh, you must!

But delay any trip until after Easter, when the Palace opens. And hopefully 'The Giant Peach' (aka Jimmy IV's Great Hall) will have had its scaffolding removed, too. It kind of ruins the ambiance just now...

[veronica-milvus.livejournal.com]

Somebody should restore those gardens! Perhaps a joint effort between the Time Team and Ground Force?

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

The issue was raised yesterday. The answer was that it would be prohibitively expensive to maintain any formal gardens. The other problem is that the area is very low lying and therefore prone to flooding...

[bellakara.livejournal.com]

Lovely photos, lovely places. Haven't visited there in twenty years.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

I must arise and go, further north than Glasgow! Thanks for the enticement.

[red-trillium.livejournal.com]

Love the beastie! And that castle does have great views.