Inventory Garden & Designed Landscape

KINGS KNOTGDL00241

Status: Designated

Documents

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Summary

Date Added
01/07/1987
Local Authority
Stirling
Parish
Stirling
NGR
NS 78919 93712
Coordinates
278919, 693712

Historically Kings Knot was the garden and park attached to Stirling Castle and remnants of the structure can be seen today. It provides an important landscape setting for the castle.

Artistic Interest

Level of interest
High

The Kings Knot has been recorded in the past as having high value as a Work of Art.

Historical

Level of interest
Outstanding

The Kings Knot provides the physical remains of an early garden design and has outstanding Historical value.

Horticultural

Level of interest
None

There is no remaining Horticultural significance.

Architectural

Level of interest
Outstanding

The Kings Knot was designed to be viewed from Stirling Castle, an A listed building of outstanding Architectural value.

Archaeological

Level of interest
Not Assessed

Scenic

Level of interest
Outstanding

The Knot makes a major contribution to the scenery from Stirling Castle.

Nature Conservation

Level of interest
None

The site has no significance for Nature Conservation.

Location and Setting

The Kings Knot is situated immediately to the south-south-west of Stirling Castle on the north side of the Kings Park. It lies on the low, flat floodplain of the River Forth and was designed to be viewed from Stirling Castle perched high above on its basalt rock cliffs at 420' (128m) above sea level. The main view from the Kings Knot is of the Castle to its north-east, and the view is open to the north and west. To the south-east, housing development has extended to the boundary of the park.

The Kings Knot is today separated from the Kings Park by the Dumbarton Road as it was in 1859. However, at that time this whole area would have been within the policies of Stirling Castle, and a racecourse, curling ponds and a rifle range were laid out in the Park. The Kings Park is laid out as a golf course today and the Kings Knot has not been maintained as a garden for some centuries, but its stepped mound remains and this gives it its name of Knot. An aerial photograph taken in 1977 shows a further area of formal patterned layout to the north of the remaining mound and adjacent to it. Its external rectangle is of the same size as the Knot; it is further subdivided into quadrants with a central square which may have been sunken rather than raised, and which is not so obvious from ground-level, but can be picked out easily from the Castle. There are 20 acres (8ha) in the designed landscape today.

Site History

Stirling Castle was founded in the 11th century on the site of an old fortress. The buildings date from different periods in its history after it became a favourite royal residence in the 11th century. The last sovereign who resided in the castle was James VI, but it has been used on several occasions since for Royal visits. The King's Park was enclosed by William the Lion at the end of the 12th century, and the best historical account of the gardens is given in the OS Gazetteer of 1882.

"All this tract of ground is now open to the public, and walks beginning at the Mote Hill to the north extend round the base of the Castle Rock and along the wooded slopes to the SW of the old town, the principal path in this latter portion being the Back Walk with its fine trees. It was laid out in 1724 at the instigation of William Edmonstone of Cambuswallace. To the south of the Esplanade, and between it and the north-west end of this walk, is a flat-bottomed hollow now occupied by part of the cemetery, but known particularly as 'The Valley', and said to have been the ground used for tournaments and sports in the time of the Stewart Kings. A rocky eminence on the south side, called The Ladies' Rock, is traditionally the spot whence the ladies of the Court surveyed the feats of strength and skill. To the south-west of this were the Royal Gardens or Haining, now simply laid out in grass, and with but few traces of the terraces and canal that once existed, though in this respect the Government have in recent years caused considerable improvement to be made. The canal seems to have been near the line of the modern Dumbarton Road. Near the extreme SW side of the gardens is an octagonal earthen mound with terraces and a depressed centre known as the King's Knot, and probably the place where the old game called The Round Table was played. The older name of the mound seems to have been also The Round Table, and it must have been here from a very early date, for Barbour speaks of King Edward and some of his followers who had in vain sought refuge at Stirling Castle after the battle of Bannockburn 1314 going

'Rycht by the Round Table away;'

"so that it must have been there in his time; and Sir David Lindsay, in his Farewell of the Papingo (1539) also mentions it:-

'Adew fair Snawdoun, with thy towris hie,

Thy Chapill Royall, Park, and Tabill Round.

May, June, and July wald I dwell in thee,

War I ane man, to heir the birdis sound

Quhilk doth agane thy Royall Rocke resound'.

"To the south of the Knot is the King's Park, 2 miles in circumference, which was in the time of the Stewarts stocked with deer and partially wooded. It is now a stretch of fine sward used as a drill ground and public park. It was here that Argyll's army was encamped in 1715. From the higher part of the ground to the west there are excellent views. The racecourse in the north-eastern part was formed in comparatively modern times, but has been disused for a considerable period."

Landscape Components

Architectural Features

Stirling Castle is listed A. The Kings Park wall which commences at the castle and follows the southern perimeter of the Kings Park is listed B.

The Gardens

This is an octagonal, stepped mound rising to approximately 9' in height. It measures 22' across the top and stands within a double-ditched enclosure measuring 420' x 425' overall. When first created it was probably covered with flowers, treillage and fountains, and there is a suggestion that an ornamental building surrounded by a moat was at its centre. Archaeologists are investigating what kinds of plant material were grown on it. The surrounding pasture was planted out to be viewed from the castle. It is maintained today under close cut grass and the structure can still be clearly seen from above.

References

Bibliography

Sources

Printed Sources

Guidebook, Stirling Castle

Listings

Historic Environment Scotland Properties

King's Knot

https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/kings-knot

Find out more

Related Designations

  1. Stirling, Royal Gardens including King's KnotSM90288

    Designation Type
    Scheduled Monument
    Status
    Designated

About the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

The inventory is a list of Scotland's most important gardens and designed landscapes. We maintain the inventory under the terms of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We add sites of national importance to the inventory using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

The information in the inventory record gives an indication of the national importance of the site(s). It is not a definitive account or a complete description of the site(s). The format of records has changed over time. Earlier records may be brief and some information will not have been recorded.

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Find out more about the inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.

Images

KINGS KNOT
KINGS KNOT

Printed: 28/03/2024 17:28