The Scottish group hosted an excellent presentation by the TTU, an integrated archaeological metal detecting survey (in the unscheduled fields adjacent) and a conservation management workshop run by Stirling Council Rangers at the terraced garden at the Kings Knott, Stirling on 19 September.
The King’s Park surrounds Stirling Castle in Scotland and dates from the 12th century. It was a royal pleasure ground where the medieval royal court enjoyed jousting, hawking and hunting alongside extensive gardens, orchards and farms. The garden earthworks known as ‘the King’s Knot’ were probably laid out in advance of Charles I’s ‘homecoming’ for his Scottish coronation, which eventually took place in 1633. These elaborate gardens, one of the best examples in Scotland, represent the final major phase of royal investment in Stirling before attention focussed on London.
In 1625 William Watts was despatched from London to be ‘maister gairdiner to his Majestie at the Castell of Stirling’. Watts was soon engaged in ‘platting and contryveing his Majesties new orchard and garden’. The King’s Knot comprises an octagonal, stepped grass-covered mound rising to over 3m in height. It fell into neglect after Charles I’s return to England – until Queen Victoria ordered its restoration following her visit in 1842.
A recent skills-sharing workshop by the Chartered Institute of Archaeologists used the earthwork to demonstrate archaeological measured survey techniques to an audience of students and early-career professionals. This hill shaded terrain model (derived from terrestrial laser scanning by AOC Archaeology) captures the beautiful regular geometry of the site – the first time this important site has been surveyed in such detail.
Read more and see the images on the BBC website
