Restored hammerbeam roof of the 1503 Great Hall in Stirling Castle. Scotland, UK, Europe.

The Great Hall in Stirling Castle was the largest medieval banqueting room ever built in Scotland. The Great Hall was thoroughly rebuilt 1969-1999, including timber from 350 Strathyre oak trees pinned together with 4000 handmade pegs for the hammerbeam roof. Originally completed for James IV in 1503, it has four pairs of tall windows at the dais end, where the king and queen sat, and was heated by five large fireplaces. In 1594, for the baptism of his son Prince Henry, James VI held a banquet here so lavish that the fish course was served from an enormous model wooden ship 18 feet long with masts 40 feet high, complete with firing cannons. Historically, Stirling controlled a strategic position (until the 1890s) as the lowest bridging point of the River Forth before it broadens towards the Firth of Forth, making it the gateway to the Scottish Highlands. One of the principal royal strongholds of the Kingdom of Scotland, Stirling was created a royal burgh by King David I in 1130. Before the union with England, Stirling Castle was also one of the most used of the many Scottish royal residences, serving as both a palace and a fortress. Several Scottish Kings and Queens have been crowned at Stirling, including Mary, Queen of Scots in 1542, and others were born or died there. Stirling Castle has suffered at least eight sieges, including several during the Wars of Scottish Independence. This image was stitched from several overlapping photos.

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Filename: 17SC1-2184-86-Pano_Scotland.jpg
Copyright: © Tom Dempsey / PhotoSeek.com
Image Size: 5963x5830 / 8.4MB; http://www.photoseek.com/; Europe Panorama Scotland UK architecture building history past pattern
Contained in galleries: SCOTLAND: Stirling, 2017 Aug: SCOTLAND all

The Great Hall in Stirling Castle was the largest medieval banqueting room ever built in Scotland. The Great Hall was thoroughly rebuilt 1969-1999, including timber from 350 Strathyre oak trees pinned together with 4000 handmade pegs for the hammerbeam roof. Originally completed for James IV in 1503, it has four pairs of tall windows at the dais end, where the king and queen sat, and was heated by five large fireplaces. In 1594, for the baptism of his son Prince Henry, James VI held a banquet here so lavish that the fish course was served from an enormous model wooden ship 18 feet long with masts 40 feet high, complete with firing cannons. Historically, Stirling controlled a strategic position (until the 1890s) as the lowest bridging point of the River Forth before it broadens towards the Firth of Forth, making it the gateway to the Scottish Highlands. One of the principal royal strongholds of the Kingdom of Scotland, Stirling was created a royal burgh by King David I in 1130. Before the union with England, Stirling Castle was also one of the most used of the many Scottish royal residences, serving as both a palace and a fortress. Several Scottish Kings and Queens have been crowned at Stirling, including Mary, Queen of Scots in 1542, and others were born or died there. Stirling Castle has suffered at least eight sieges, including several during the Wars of Scottish Independence. This image was stitched from several overlapping photos.