2013 Magazine - Royal Caledonian Ball

and the best craftsmanship of the day. After all,
James V’s intention was to use the design of his
Palace to demonstrate his wealth, knowledge,
power and taste as a leading European ruler.
The Stirling Heads:
One of the most ambitious elements of the
Palace project was the recreation of the
Stirling Heads – often referred to as Scotland’s
other crown jewels.
The heads – a series of metre-wide carved oak
medallions - depicted images ranging from
classical heroes to contemporary portraits,
originally adorned the ceiling in the Kings
Inner Hall. There is nothing quite like them
anywhere else in the world.
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After Stirling Castle fell from favour as a royal
residence it found a new role as an army
garrison. The royal lodgings were not
maintained as before and the ceiling
collapsed in 1777. Some of the heads were
lost or destroyed, with others being
dispersed. But even during the darkest
moment of their history there were those
who recognised their importance. Some
were saved as curiosities, others ended up in
private homes. But by the 1970s all the
remaining heads were back in public hands.
Many were displayed at the Smith Gallery in
Stirling and three are owned by National
Museums, Scotland
One of the most important parts of the
project has been to display the original
Stirling Heads in their own gallery, allowing
visitors to see the heads much closer-up
than any of the select few who would have
been admitted to the King’s Inner Hall five
centuries ago.
A new ceiling was also painstakingly created
from 34 newly carved copies of the
originals. Created over 4 years by expert
woodcarver John Donaldson they offer a
spectacular and stunning insight into the
palace’s past.