Historic Cities · Scotland
Stirling through the ages
Stirling is a city in central Scotland, 26 miles (42 km) north-east of Glasgow and 37 miles (60 km) north-west of Edinburgh. The city is surrounded by rich farmland and had a royal citadel, the medieval old town with its merchants and tradesmen, the Old Bridge and the port are all linked in to its history.
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Stirling in 1300
Medieval Stirling
This is Stirling at the height of its medieval strategic role: the royal castle crowns a volcanic crag above the lowest reliable crossing of the River Forth. The walk follows the river and the burgh's steep spine of houses and narrow wynds up to the rock, looks across to Cambuskenneth Abbey, and crosses the busy stone bridge into the carse and the King's Park.
A volcanic crag with a royal keep dominates the skyline, its stonework pale in low sunlight. Below, a narrow medieval stone bridge spans the busy, slow-moving Forth; thatch and timber lean up the slope in a tightly packed burgh of steep, cobbled streets and dark wynds. Across the loops of the river stands the abbey tower; beyond the south bank the marshy carse spreads flat, reed-streaked and dotted with small quays and boats.
The walk — 21 streets, squares and views
Carse Approach → Bannock Burn → Riverside Quay → Wolfcraig → Auld Brig (Old Bridge) → Bridgehead → Lower High Street → Mercat Cross → High Street → Wynds and Closes → …
Step inside — 12 interiors
Fulling Mill Interior · Quay Warehouse · Bridge Toll Booth · Cloth Merchant's Shop · Tolbooth Council Chamber · Butcher's Longhouse · Burgess Hearthroom · Holy Rude Nave · Gatehouse Guardroom · Parker's Lodge · Abbey Choir · Great Hall
Planned from the Wikipedia record: Stirling.
Stirling in 1540
Renaissance Stirling
Stirling in 1540 is a royal centre clinging to its crag: the Stewart court at the palace on Castle Hill, the burgh crowded along the ridge, and the King's hunting park beyond. The walk follows the approach from the Carse across the bridge, up through the market and burgh lanes, around the castle's façades and gardens, and into the royal outskirts and parkland.
A jagged crag topped by the compact sweep of Stirling Castle dominates the townscape; behind its curtain of harled walls the new Royal Palace block rises with ornamented stone, carved heads and vertical chimneys. The burgh runs along a narrow ridge of stone and timber houses with slate and thatch roofs, narrow wynds, and a packed mercat by the bridge. Beyond, the flat green Carse and the tree-scattered King's Park soften the horizon under quick low light and frequent river mist.
The walk — 24 streets, squares and views
Carse of Stirling → Stirling Bridge → Bridge Street → The Mercat Cross → High Street → Church of the Holy Rude → Castle Wynd → Castle Hill → Forework Gate → Outer Defences → …
Step inside — 12 interiors
Tolbooth Council Chamber · Mercat Cloth Hall · Nave of Holy Rude · Master Mason's Workshop · Forework Gate Guardroom · Palace Kitchens at Work · Great Hall at Feast · Chapel Royal Interior · Painted Chamber with Stirling Heads · King's Painted Bedchamber · Royal Stables Interior · Western Battlements Armoury
Planned from the Wikipedia record: Stirling Castle.
