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Stirling, Royal Gardens including King's Knot is a scheduled monument comprising the remains of formal gardens associated with Stirling Castle, one of Scotland's most significant royal residences. The site lies on Stirlingshire bedrock formed during the Permian period, where igneous dolerite and tholeiitic basalt intruded the underlying strata, creating the geological foundation upon which these gardens were laid out. The King's Knot, the distinctive earthwork feature at the heart of the gardens, consists of a series of flat-topped mounds arranged in a geometric pattern, typical of Renaissance garden design favoured by Scottish royal courts.
The gardens represent the horticultural ambitions of the Stewart monarchy, reflecting European Renaissance principles of formal gardening and geometric layout. The King's Knot itself comprises a central octagonal mound surrounded by rectangular terraces, demonstrating the sophisticated landscape engineering of the period. The site's proximity to Stirling Castle, perched on its volcanic crag above the gardens, created a dramatic setting for royal leisure and display.
Today, the Royal Gardens including King's Knot remain substantially preserved as earthworks, their grassed mounds and terraces still clearly legible across the site. The monument is protected by Historic Environment Scotland under the scheduled monument reference SM90288, safeguarding this important example of Renaissance royal garden design in Scotland.
Stirling, Royal Gardens including King's Knot is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90288. View the official record →
Stirling, Royal Gardens including King's Knot is a scheduled monument comprising the remains of formal gardens associated with Stirling Castle, one of Scotland's most significant royal residences. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM90288.
Stirling, Royal Gardens including King's Knot 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 SM90288.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Common Hill,homestead (6.4 km), Plean Cottages,palisaded enclosure 350m SSE of (7.1 km), Plean Farm,ring ditch 800m SE of (7.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Stirling, Royal Gardens including King's Knot'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, Royal Gardens including King's Knot stands on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Carboniferous To Permian, bedrock that formed in the Permian. The rock here is dolerite and tholeiitic basalt.