Miss World comes to Stirling Caslte

Over 60 contestants from the Miss World competition recently dropped into Stirling Castle to brush up on etiquette before heading to London for the final of Miss World 2011 which was won by Miss Venezuella Ivian Sarcos.

Well done to them all.

Royal Palace Comes Alive

Costumed performers will soon be appearing at the newly restored Royal Palace in Stirling Castle when it opens to the public in June.

The images appeared in in local and national media and will be used for Historic Scotland publications.

Read more on the Stirling Castle blog here.

Into battle

I was up at Stirling Castle last week to carry out some photography of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Regimental Museum which is situated within the castle walls. Stirling Castle is home to the regiment which gave us 'The Thin Red Line' and which also boasts 16 Victoria Crosses (which are on display).

The photography is to be used to enhance the Stirling Castle website.

Well worth a visit and worth the admission price to the castle alone.

Stirling Castle Decorators

Specialist decorator John Nevin photographed in the Royal Palace at Stirling Castle. This portrait was taken to be used for a feature in a French magazine. John and his son Mark are part of a team working at the castle using traditional painting techniques. More info here.

The Carvers Daughter

Master craftsman John Donaldson spent the last 5 years carving replica heads for the ceiling of the King’s Inner Hall at Stirling Castle. The 37 heads were commissioned by Historic Scotland as part of a £12 million renovation of the Royal Palace. The original heads were rescued when the palace roof collapsed in the 18th century but one head was destroyed by fire. This left John without a subject for the remaining head so he decided to use his daughter Fiona as a model.

The 37 heads are on display at Stirling Castle until the 21st February, after which they are to be painted before being mounted on the ceiling of the Royal Chapel. See more images here.
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The Big Ticket

Culture Minister Mike Russell launched the Historic Scotland Free Weekend at Stirling Castle yesterday. To celebrate St Andrew's Day and the finale weekend of Homecoming Scotland 2009, Historic Scotland are throwing open the doors of 47 of their properties for free. To find a property near you text 'WEEKEND' to 84118 or visit the HS site.

Both Edinburgh and Stirling Castles are also free on St Andrew's. How many properties can you visit on one weekend?
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Stirling Musical Heads

EXPERTS believe a piece of musical history has been identified on a 16th-century carving from Stirling Castle’s royal palace. The discovery was made by master craftsman John Donaldson who was commissioned by Historic Scotland to replicate the 16th-century oak medallions. Local schoolgirl, 10 year old Kirsty King plays the tune on a harp. Picked up by The Scotsman, The Herald, The Telegraph, The Metro and regional press.
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Stirling Castle Tartan

When Historic Scotland commissioned me to provide press images to go with the launch of the new Stirling Castle Tartan we knew we wanted to try something a bit different. So we hired a model and dressed her using 3 meters of the specially designed fabric and photographed her striking a ballet pose on the top table in the Great Hall.
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Burns in Stirling

Three exclusive evening tours of Stirling Castle have been arranged by Historic Scotland to celebrate Robert Burns' links with Stirling and the castle. Dates are Fridays 7th, 14th and 21st August at 6.30 pm. More info here. Picture which shows Chris Tait as Robert Burns achieved extensive coverage in the press.
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Stirling Heads

Master wood carver John Donaldson unveils the last of 41 oak heads at Stirling Castle this morning - the culmination of five years work. The medallions will be painted and eventually decorate the ceiling of the King's Inner Hall. Visit RobMcDougall.com

Stirling Castle Tapestry

Mary Queen of Scots (Jo Hart) inspects 'The Unicorn is Found' - the largest of a series of seven hand woven tapestries at Stirling Castle. Measuring 12 foot wide by 11 foot high, it was unveiled Friday morning in the Chapel Royal. Visit RobMcDougall.com

Long Way Down Coffee Table Book

This month sees the publication of the illustrated edition of Long Way Down which contains 8 photographs which I took during Ewan and Charlie's trip through Scotland including the image above which was taken at Stirling Castle.

Battle at the Castle

Historical legends were out in force at Stirling Castle today as part of Historic Scotland's Legends weekend.