All About Edinburgh
Stirling Attractions
STIRLING CASTLE
Stirling Castle is located in Stirling in central Scotland and once was the historic capital of Scotland. Stirling Castle is similar to Edinburgh Castle as it overlooks the city, sitting on a volcanic rock.
The Castle had a strategic location as it stood overlooking
the Stirling Bridge the farthest downstream crossing of the River Forth.
There have been many coronations in Stirling Castle of both Kings and Queens including Mary Queen of Scots in 1543.
The Castle also stand close to the Wallace Monument.
The National Monument of Scotland
(The Wallace Monument)
The Wallace Monument was completed in 1869 and stands over 500 feet (152m) above the Stirling Bridge where he had his most famous victory of the English.
There is a bronze statue of William Wallace on the outside of the monument.
Once you climb the short hill to the monument 246 steps await you
to get a fantastic view of the area from the crown of the monument on level 4.
The monument has 4 levels and on each level there are things worth the climb to see.
Level 1 Hall of Arms, level 2 Hall of Heroes, level 3 the Royal Chamber and then to the top.
BATTLE OF STIRLING BRIDGE
The Battle of Stirling Bridge was a battle of the First War of Scottish Independence.
On 11 September 1297, the forces of Andrew Moray and William Wallace defeated
an English Army of Edward I resounding victory for the Scottish Army over the English.
The bridge was a wooden structure at the narrowest point on the River Forth.
SIR WILLIAM WALLACE
William Wallace was the peoples champion and became
the guardian of Scotland in 1298.
King Edward met William Wallace at Falkirk 3 months later and defeated him, but Wallace escaped and went into hiding,
where he remained till caught in Robroyston
by Sir John Monteith (a Scotsman) in August 1305.
Monteith handed Wallace over to Edward I.
He was tried for treason, which Wallace denied.
William Wallace said
"I have never sworn allegiance to the English king"
This did nothing for his innocence and he was executed on
23 August, 1305, Wallace was taken to the Tower of London, then stripped naked and dragged through the city at the heels of a horse to the Elms at Smithfield.
He was strangled by hanging but released while he was still alive,
castrated, eviscerated and his bowels burnt before him,
beheaded, then cut into four parts.
His preserved head (dipped in tar) was placed on a pike atop London Bridge.
His limbs were displayed, separately, in
Newcastle upon Tyne, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Stirling, and Perth.
A plaque stands in a wall of St. Bartholomew's Hospital
near the site of Wallace's execution at Smithfield.
Since his death, Wallace has obtained an iconic status worldwide.
He is the protagonist of the 15th century epic poem
The Acts and Deeds of Sir William Wallace, Knight of Elderslie, by Blind Harry.
Wallace is also the subject of literary works by Sir Walter Scott and Jane Porter
and
the Academy Award winning epic film Braveheart.
ROB ROY MCGREGOR
Rob MacGregor was born in 1671 in Glengyle in the Trossachs in sight of Ben Lomond. He fought in many battles for the Jacobite cause. He was a cattle rustler a an outlaw that became an icon due to Daniel Defoe published the novel "Highland Rogue" in 1723, and 3 years later the book caused him to become a hero of the people and by public acclaim Rob Roy received a Royal Pardon. A redheaded Scotsman with an entrepreneurial skill turning to crime and becoming a hero. He died of old age in Balquhidder Glen in 1734.
OLD TOWN JAIL STIRLING
The Old Town Jail was first opened in 1847 to replace the Old Tolbooth which was dubbed the worst jail in Britain. Take the Jail tour and hope there are no ghosts.
Cambuskenneth Abbey
Cambuskenneth Abbey was founded by order of King David I around the year 1140. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, it was initially known as the Abbey of St Mary of Stirling and sometimes simply as Stirling Abbey.
Cambuskenneth was one of the more important abbeys in Scotland. Its status as a royal abbey in the neighbourhood of a major national stronghold may be compared to that of Holyrood Abbey Edinburgh.
Royalty, including English King Edward and later Scottish King Robert the Bruce,
prayed regularly at the abbey.
Tomb of James III and Margaret of Denmark
James III lived from 10 July 1451 to 11 June 1488 and was King of Scotland
from 3 August 1460 until 11 June 1488
In July 1468 James III married Margaret of Denmark at Holyrood Abbey.
She was the daughter of King Kristian I of Norway, Denmark and Sweden.
In 1486 Margaret of Denmark died at nearby Stirling Castle.
In 1488 her husband King James III was murdered at the Battle of Sauchieburn.
They are both buried in a tomb at Cambuskenneth Abbey.
The abbey fell into disuse during the Scottish Reformation.
Cambuskenneth Abbey closed and most of the buildings looted and burned in 1559.
Argyll’s Lodging
Perhaps Scotland's most important surviving renaissance mansion.
Built circa 1630 by the 1st Earl of Stirling and Viscount Canada.
Then further enhanced by the 9th Earl in 1666.
This house was bought and extended by the Earl of Stirling in about 1632.
Before this he had travelled widely with the Earl of Argyll and had been made
Governor of Nova Scotia where he encouraged settlement.
His commitment to Canada is indicated on the carved stone panel over the main entrance.
Here the Earl of Stirling's coat of arms is combined with the badge of Nova Scotia.
A Red Indian can be seen supporting the shield.
Twenty four years later the Earl of Argyll bought the house.
Which he extended to the south and west, enclosing the courtyard.
Here his boar's head crest appears over the windows.
It is one of the most important 17th Century town houses to survive in Scotland today.