Visiting Stirling Castle, Historic Scotland
The Unicorn Tapestries in Chapel Royal, The Great Hall and Kitchens
Sep 1, 2008
“Stirling Castle is one of that small number of buildings that has come to symbolise the spirit of Scotland for Scots and non-Scots alike. Dramatically set at the very heart of the kingdom, on a high volcanic rock, it commands the countryside for many miles around in all directions” writes Richard Fawcett in Stirling Castle (Historic Scotland, 1999).
The Unicorn Tapestries at Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle visitors including tapestry enthusiasts and readers of The Lady and The Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier (Harper, 2003) will be enthralled by the work in progress in the (temporary) Tapestry Studio at Stirling Castle. Three completed tapestries in The Hunt of the Unicorn series hang in the restored Chapel Royal.
The Chapel Royal
James VI’s first son Prince Henry was baptised in The Chapel Royal in 1594. The Stirling Castle Chapel Royal interior includes a restored frieze with the Honours of Scotland by Valentine Jenkin in 1628-9. Earlier influences of Renaissance Italy on the Scottish castle are shown in the Chapel Royal architecture.
Renaissance carved wooded roundels, The Stirling Heads, undergoing restoration, will be displayed in a new Renaissance Gallery.
The Great Hall
Adjacent to the Chapel Royal, The Great Hall’s restoration is a designers in 1503 perspective. The works completed in 1999 included a hammerbeam timber roof constructed without nails, a Minstrel’s Gallery, stunning stained glass windows and exterior walls rendered and lime-washed in King’s Gold, shown below, a colour that provoked debate.
The Great Kitchens
Culinary work in the sixteenth century is shown in an insightful interpretation by Historic Scotland of The Great Kitchens. The Great Kitchens exhibition displays compartments for preparing fresh fish which would have travelled from Leith harbour, locally reared meats and game and preparing vegetables and fruits from the orchard at Cambuskenneth. Cooking and baking are shown in action. There are also recipes for children and adults to read.
Shopping at Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle has three shopping areas:
- The shop on the Esplanade offers tickets and souvenirs.
- In the Guardroom Square, the shop offers tickets, tapestry goods, Scottish crafts including jewellery on the ground floor and toys for girls and boys are available upstairs.
- In the Outer Close near the Grand Battery, there is a whisky store and bookshop.
Stirling Castle Admission
Ranked by VisitScotland as a five-star attraction, Stirling Castle, where Mary Queen of Scots was crowned at the age of 10 months, is open seven days a week: 21 March – 30 September 9.30am to 6pm. 1 October – 31 March 9.30am to 5pm. Last ticket sold 45 mins before closing.
Admission: Adult £8.50 Child £4.25 Concessions £6.50. Car parking available on The Esplanade Stirling Castle from 7.30am. Cars £2.00 for a maximum of 4 hours. No overnight parking.
Stirling Castle, FK8 1EJ Tel: +44 (0) 1786 450000. At the time of writing, the Palace in the Stirling Castle was closed for archaelogical work, restoration and preparations for the Renaissance Gallery.
Permission for the writer to photograph Stirling Castle for online media publication was granted by the Historic Scotland Stirling Castle Education Officer.
VisitScotland Five Star Ranking of Stirling Castle
On April 6, 2009, it was announced that once again Stirling Castle had been ranked as a five-star attraction by VisitScotland, scoring 90% (324 out of 360 points) to achieve this premier placing in Scotland's visitors' attractions.
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