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Stirling Castle

castle in Stirling, Scotland, UK

Key facts

Owner: Historic Environment Scotland , Ministry of Defence
Open to the public: Yes
Grid reference: grid reference NS789940
Built: Castle dates from at least early 12th century, present buildings mostly built between 1490 and 1600
Built by: Significant works by James IV , James V , and James VI
In use: Still in use today
Battles wars: Sieges and occupations during the Wars of Scottish Independence (1296–1357); sieges in 1651, 1746
Current commander: James Erskine, 14th Earl of Mar
Past commanders: Hereditary office of the Earls of Mar

via Wikipedia infobox

Article

Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. The castle sits atop an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological formation. It is surrounded on three sides by steep cliffs, giving it a strong defensive position. Its strategic location, guarding what was, until the 1890s, the farthest downstream crossing of the River Forth, has made it an important fortification in the region from the earliest times.

Most of the principal buildings of the castle date from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. A few structures remain from the fourteenth century, while the outer defences fronting the town date from the early eighteenth century.