Forework of Stirling Castle, Stirling

The Forework of Stirling Castle, built by King James IV around 1506, served as the grand entryway into the castle proper, connecting the outer defenses to the heart of the castle. Originally, the Forework extended as a curtain wall across the entire width of Castle Hill, with its centerpiece being a gatehouse. Though the gatehouse now stands at less than half its original height, it once boasted round towers at its outer corners, crowned with conical roofs and battlements.

This design, which shows French influence and parallels the forework of Linlithgow Palace, reflected more of a symbolic rather than a practical defense purpose. In an era when artillery had made such structures vulnerable, the Forework evoked the imagery of chivalric times. The gatehouse featured a central passage for larger traffic, flanked by two pedestrian walkways, an unusual design likely inspired by Classical triumphal arches.

At either end of the curtain wall stood rectangular towers. The western Prince’s Tower, likely named after Henry, Prince of Scotland, remains at its full height, connected to the later palace. The eastern Elphinstone Tower, which housed a kitchen and officer’s lodging, was repurposed as a gun battery in the 18th century when the outer defenses were reinforced.

Within the Forework lies the Outer Close courtyard, surrounded by Georgian military structures like the Main Guard House and the Fort Major’s House. Adjacent to the Outer Close is the Inner Close, where the castle’s key buildings — the Royal Palace, the King’s Old Building, the Chapel Royal, and the Great Hall — form a quadrangle.