Only one more Scotland blog after today----in case you are tired of reading about it!
The photos today are from Stirling Castle, the first parts of which were built in the 1100's. Most of the buildings that are seen today are from the 1400-1500's.
Much of the history of Scotland has taken place at Stirling Castle or around it. It has been very important to anyone who wanted to control central Scotland. There is a theory that the legend of Camelot is based on a castle here during King Aurthur's conquest of parts of Scotland in the 500's----but that is pure speculation with no evidence at all.
What is known, however, is that many Scottish kings and queens have been baptised or were crowned or died in or near the castle. Mary Queen of Scots was crowned here in 1543----when she was 9 months old! It has been attacked at least 16 times. Two battles fought near the castle were turning points in Scottish history.
The following photo is the building called The Palace. The building was begun by James V in 1538 and was the living/visiting quarters of royalty. This building is in the process of being restored. Now the rooms are bare, but there are interesting exhibits of things the archaeologists have discovered while the restoration is going on.
This is our tour guide. We really enjoyed his Scottish accent! He was very animated and was a great storyteller!
The next photo shows the Forework Gatehouse. It was James IV's defensive works.
The next two photos are of The Great Hall, also built by James IV (around 1501). It was built for state occasions. It was heated by 5 huge fireplaces. James VI, at age 12, presided over a meeting of the Scottish Parliament here in 1578. At a party in the Great Hall celebrating the christening of Prince Henry in 1594, there was a huge banquet served from an 18 ft long wooden ship with masts 40 ft. high. It was definitely meant to impress!
The next photos are just random shots of the castle.
When Scotland and England were joined, there was no need for Stirling Castle's use for royalty. It was used for the military, and many of the buildings, including The Great Hall, were used for barracks, stables, and storage sheds. The military left the castle in the 1960's, and restoration began. The Great Hall was opened by Queen Elizabeth in 1999.
2 comments:
Cool! I wish we had had the time to tour the inside. The history there is fascinating. We just watched the movie Elizabeth again last night. It was extra good this time because of the historical sites we recognized. (Mary Queen of Scots was killed in it.) They have made another movie with Cate Blanchett to pick up the story of Queen Elizabeth where the first one left off. We are anxious to see it!
I can't imagine a 12 year old kid presiding over a meeting!!!
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