RAMPART Magazine NOV 2012
In this issue: Stirling CASTLE Arbroath Abbey EDINBURGH CASTLE
CONTENTS
ARBROATH ABBEY
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HISTORIC SCOTLAND PICTORIAL
STIRLING CASTLE
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INSIDE THESE WALLS 800 years of conflict and peace
STIRLING CASTLE SEAT OF THE NATION
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Stirling Castle is one of the largest and most important castles, historically and architecturally, in Scotland. Built in the early 12th century atop Castle Hill, a huge formation of quartz-dolemite over 350 million years old, the castle is surrounded on three sides by steep cliffs, making it an excellent defensive position. The first record of Stirling Castle dates back to 1110, when King Alexander I, “The Fierce”, dedicated a chapel at the castle. Alexander died there in 1124, and Stirling became a royal burgh during the reign of his successor, David I. This cemented Stirling Castle’s designation as a royal centre. Since then, Stirling Castle has been occupied and modified by many rulers - Scottish and English. It was taken over by English forces during the Wars of Independence, in both 1296 and 1336. Almost all the buildings seen today in Stirling Castle were constructed between 1490 and 1600 during the reigns of the Stewart kings James IV, V and VI.
The buildings they had built reflect their lofty ambitions - English, German and French. designs are present, indicative of their ambitions of an international presence. The most striking of their contributions is the Royal Palace, the first Rennaissance palace in Britain. Its combination of Rennaissance architecture and late-gothic detail makes it one of the most impressive and fascinating buildings in Scotland. The architecture is French-inspired, but the carved stonework that adorns its sides are influenced by German carvings. They may be the work of renowned engraver Hans Burgkmair, repurposed and imitated for the Royal Palace. The statues include a series of fullsize figures overlooking the courtyard. They depict St Michael, Venus, Satan, planetary deities and James V himself, who initially ordered the carvings. The west side of the building is unfinished, as James V died shortly before the Palace was fully decorated, in December 1542.
The 19th century architectural historian R. W. Billings described the statues as “the fruits of an imagination luxuriant but revolting.” Inside, the the ceiling of the King’s Prescence Chamber was originally decorated with a series of oak carvings known as the Stirling Heads. Of the original 56 heads, only 38 survive today after the ceiling collapsed in 1777. Most are now preserved inside the castle, and some have been recreated in colour, as they originally would have appeared.
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“The rich man in his castle, The poor man at his gate,
God made them, high or lowly, And order’d their estate.� - Cecil Frances Alexander
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“For, so long as a hundred remain alive, we will never in any degree be subject to the dominion of the English. Since not for glory, riches or honours do we fight, but for freedom alone, which no man loses but with his life.� - Scottish Declaration of Independence
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ARBROATH ABBEY Founded in 1178 by King William 1 ‘The Lion’, the red sandstone image of Abrorath Abbey is one of the most important structures in Scottish history. Now a ruin, the abbey was built to house a group of Tironesian Benedictine monks from Kelso Abbey in the Scottish Borders. The most important event in the history of the abbey took place in 1320, when the Scottish Declaration of Independence, penned by the abbot Bernard of Kilwinning, under the supervision of King Robert the Bruce. This event has been reenacted by street theatre organisations since 1947. In 1950, the Stone of Destiny was stolen from Stirling Castle and, on April 11th 1951, found placed symbolically on the altar within Arbroath Abbey. These events have been recreated in the 2008 film Stone of Destiny, starring Robert Carlyle. The abbey was built over 60 years using locally acquired sandstone. The distinctive ‘Round O’ window in the south transcept (seen right) was originally lit up at night as a beacon for mariners. Due to this, Arbroath locals are nicknamed ‘Reid Lichties’. So inspiring was the abbey, that Sir Walter Scott based his description of the ruined monastary of St Ruth in his 1816 novel The Antiquary on Arbroath Abbey.
Nemo me impune lacessit No one provokes me with impunity
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