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Stirling Castle is a royal fortress occupying a commanding position on the volcanic crag of Castle Hill in the centre of Stirling, Stirlingshire. The castle complex developed from the twelfth century onwards, with the earliest surviving structures including the outer defences and lower ward dating to the medieval period, whilst the principal domestic and ceremonial buildings within the upper ward were constructed and modified from the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries. The castle served as a seat of Scottish royal power and was associated with significant events in Scottish history, including sieges during the Wars of Independence and residence of the Stuart monarchs. The present structures reflect multiple phases of construction and adaptation, particularly substantial works undertaken during the sixteenth-century reigns of James IV and James V, which established much of the architectural character visible today.
Stirling Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90291. View the official record →
Stirling Castle is a royal fortress occupying a commanding position on the volcanic crag of Castle Hill in the centre of Stirling, Stirlingshire. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90291.
Stirling Castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM90291.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Common Hill,homestead (6.8 km), Plean Cottages,palisaded enclosure 350m SSE of (7.4 km), Plean Farm,ring ditch 800m SE of (7.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Stirling Castle's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Stirling Castle stands on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Carboniferous To Permian, bedrock that formed in the Permian. The rock here is dolerite and tholeiitic basalt.