Stirling Head

I came across a surprising bit of history in the centre of Stirling today when I descended the steep narrow circular iron staircase underneath the city's shopping centre into the Bastion, where 16th century thieves were thrown.

Here I found this replica of one of the carved wooden Stirling heads, which adorn the ceiling of the Kings chamber in Stirling Castle.

It dates from about 1540s, same time as the Bastion was built.

The Stirling Heads, of which 38 survive, were part of the sumptuous decoration undertaken for the great Renaissance palace of King James V (1513-42).


What is curious about them is that the style and presentation are similar to the heads carved in the ceiling of the Wawel Palace for King Sigismund 1 of Poland in the 1530s.


James V employed French and English builders and decorators as well as Scots.


Part of the ceiling collapsed in 1777 destroying some of the heads.
Subsequently the heads had a chequered history with some demolished when the army took over the castle, some fell into private hands and others came into possession of the local Burgh.
In 1870s the Trustees of the local museum Stirling Smith gathered all the heads together and in 1970
the heads were finally returned to Stirling Castle.

Now they are restored to their original position in the refurbished Kings chamber.