Stirling Castle from the Back Walk

Category

Library Item

Item no

24483

Title

Stirling Castle from the back walk

Description

The stone built back of Stirling Castle is visible at the top of the picture and the crags of the moss and rock strewn cliffs upon which it sits fill the centre of the photograph. A pathway runs across the face of the cliff with a small stone wall to either side of the path and metal pillars running across the path. Beside these pillars stand two ladies in old-fashioned attire

Artist / maker

Valentine, James

Date

1865

Size

11.4 x 17.7 cm

Type

Photograph

Location

Edinburgh and Scottish Collection

Stirling Castle is one of the largest and historically, most important Castles in Scotland.

Early history is unclear as to the building of Stirling Castle, in 1107 King Alexander I dedicated a chapel to the Castle and this was the first recorded reference to the Castle, however it already seems to have been a well established by this time. There are legends of battles and raids from as early as the 9th Century and tales linking the Castle to King Arthur all of which are open to debate as to their reliability and may simply be tale of folklore.

Since 1107, the Castle has been the centre of much unrest. Control of the Castle has passed frequently between Scots Kings and Queens and the Kings of England during the Wars of Scottish Independence during the 13th & 14th Centuries. The castle has see civil war during the Jacobean uprisings, and many deaths or both natural and unnatural causes, such as the beheading of Murdoch Stewart and his sons in 1425.

More pleasant events have also occurred over the long life of the Castle. The Castle has seen visits by the likes of Queen Victoria and Robert Burns, the birth of children such as that of Anna of Denmark in 1594. The history of the castle is a large and varied one, with event too numerous to recount here. More details on Stirling Castle and its history can be found at their website.

Over the years the Castle has passed from Royal use as a residence for many Kings and Queens into a prison and then into military use. Today Stirling Castle is the headquarters of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders regiment, though they are no longer stationed there, there is a museum dedicated to the regiment. The Castle is now open to the public and is maintained as a historical site of interest by Historic Environment Scotland.

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Related subjects

Homes > Residential buildings > Castles and palaces

Landscape > Landscape architectural facilities > Walls

Places > Scotland > Stirlingshire

Places > United Kingdom > Scotland

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