Kings and queens and classical heroes return to Stirling Castle

IT HAS been more than two centuries since the great and good graced one of the most magnificent halls in Scotland, but after a multi-million-pound make-over, they are ready to show their faces again.

• Picture: Getty

Kings and queens, lords and ladies, emperors and classical heroes once looked upon proceedings in the royal palace of James V at Stirling Castle but were then unceremoniously removed.

Their return has helped bring the palace back to how it is thought to have looked when it was home to the royal court.

Yesterday marked the completion of a six-year project to recreate the historical images, known as the Stirling Heads, that adorned the ceiling of the King's Inner Hall in the 16th century.

When the ceiling was taken down in 1777, some of the carvings were destroyed and the rest ended up scattered throughout Scotland and England.

In all, 34 of the metre-wide oak medallions survived. A full set of copies has been completed and the ceiling is again resplendent with the features of the likes of James V, his French queen Mary of Guise, Henry VIII of England and Julius Caesar.

The project is part of a 12 million restoration of the palace by Historic Scotland, which includes creating a special gallery on the upper floor of the palace where the original Stirling Heads will be on display. The opening is planned for June this year.

Peter Buchanan, Stirling Castle Palace project manager, said: "We've been looking forward to this moment for a long time - the new versions of the heads took five years to carve and since then, a great deal of work has been done to create the ceiling and get the painting just right.

"The original ceiling was a masterpiece of Scottish Renaissance art and craftsmanship, and our recreation is designed to be just as impressive."

The original heads were commissioned in the 1540s by James V, as part of the scheme to build a palace celebrating his marriage to Mary of Guise. However it is uncertain if he ever saw the ceilings completed. The king died, aged just 30, in December 1542, when the building was probably still being finished - leaving his widow with a baby girl less than a week old.

The next year, Mary of Guise and the infant Mary, Queen of Scots arrived at Stirling, which became their main residence until the "Little Queen" was sent to the French court in 1548 to keep her safe from the English.

The new heads were hand-carved by Livingston-based master craftsman John Donaldson.He said: "Carving new versions of the Stirling Heads was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and the new ceiling looks absolutely stunning.

"It's quite a feeling to have your work included in a project of this scale and importance, and which will hopefully be enjoyed by millions of visitors for many decades to come."

Fragments discovered on the heads prove they used to be painted and extensive research was carried out to make sure that suitable colours were used for the modern versions.

The painting was carried out by a specialist art conservation and restoration team led by Graciela Ainsworth, from Leith. She said: "There's nothing quite like the Stirling Heads anywhere in the world, and the palace project is wonderful, so it is fantastic to be involved."

It has taken four painters about three months to complete the heads, using materials and techniques as close as possible to those of the 16th century.