Sketches of Stirling: Two
At the gates to the King’s Knot stands a lone wolf. Cast in black iron, he guards his territory as he once did many hundreds of years ago, defending the settlement of Stirling against Viking invaders. Back then his bleak howl reached across the fields and forests, warning local inhabitants of an impending attack. Now he is celebrated as the Stirling Wolf in a series of images dotted around the city.
He stands on a craggy rock, surrounded by a silhouette of foliage also depicted in black iron work, affixed to one of the gates, its bars rising skyward in a row of staunch, spear-like thistles. The outline of the distant Trossachs peeps through, pale grey against a light blue sky, faintly mixed with a hint of cloud. Ridges of conifer line the mountains’ base while in the foreground the grassy rim of the ‘Cup and Saucer’ shape of the King’s Knot provides a lookout point for sightseers and dog walkers.
I leave this scene behind in the company of my fellow walkers and proceed along Dumbarton Road, avenued by trees of blossom bordering the front gardens of the smart Victorian townhouses on either side. Behind us the castle fortress sits atop a steep bank of trees, early spring green leaves unfolding slowly under an azure sky. This snatched, extra warm day is perfect for us to continue our trail of discovery.
Next stop is the Smith Gallery and museum, once the Smith Institute. A portico surmounting the pillared entrance bears three coats of arms carved in stone. At the top centre an unknown heraldic arrangement is thought to be attributed to Thomas Stuart Smith, the founder. To the lower right is that of Stirling Castle while on the lower left lies the erstwhile wolf. He has also become a symbol for the Stirling Bowling Club, further down Dumbarton Road, proudly displayed on a sign attached to the fence. Further down still, at the side of the Albert Halls, where concerts and exhibitions are held, there are yet more heraldic symbols: the Stirling Burgh seal depicting Stirling Bridge, another of the castle and, as expected, yet another of the wolf.
We climb a pathway called the Back Walk which veers left to run parallel with the way we have come. Here, near to the Corn Exchange, lies the jewel in the crown, a sculpture of the wolf, carved from a tree trunk. Head held high and open-mouthed, we can almost hear the mournful howl calling out across the citadel. Beside him, nailed to a tree stump, is an information board explaining the wolf’s association with the city. A painted Stirling coat of arms beneath portrays a rampant wolf and a hawk supporting a crowned saltire shield on either side, a red rampant lion at its centre.
Further up the hill we arrive at the library. On its wall is a stone carved disc in the manner of a coin or royal seal, depicting the wolf lying on the same craggy rocks, looked down upon by a pair of winged dragons. So many special lurking creatures we would otherwise not have noticed.
Inside the library are further tributes to the wolf. Imaged on a poster, he stands proud upon the opened pages of a tome, still howling, this time proclaiming Stirling’s literary history as part of the city’s nine hundred year anniversary. His legacy is further celebrated in photographic images of the various landmarks where he can be viewed. Our mission, however, is to continue to see these already researched places for ourselves, outdoors.
Retracing our steps to Dumbarton Road we head towards the junction with Port Street. On the right hand corner stands the Wolfcraig building opposite the site of what was once the Burgh Gate, an important entry point to the old town where customs duties were paid. The building currently houses a restaurant and offices. Raising our eyes we see the wolf in stone carved relief, semicircled by a border of matching stonework, and read: ‘Here in the auld days the wolf roam’d in a hole in the rock, in ambush lay.’
After turning left along Port Street we enter King Street and walk uphill past cafes and shops. The wolf figures here in a more commercial setting but not before we have spotted an enchanting poster inviting children to follow the Fairytale Trail, a sponsored walk organised by Tinkerbell’s Emporium in Friar Street. The poster is decorated with a cat, a witch, a fairy — of course! — and a butterfly. It’s a reminder and a sign that we ourselves have undertaken something similar.
We come upon a coffee shop with a street sign displaying a wolf’s head. He is watched by a golden lion, a statue glinting in the sunshine while guarding the entrance of the hotel of the same name from a porch roof, next door. Not to be outdone, a cafe further uphill is named the Wee Wolf Bistro while across the road a banner, picturing the howling wolf against the Stirling skyline, hangs down over the pavement, a further celebration of the city’s nine hundredth anniversary.
King Street branches into two: Spittal Street and Baker Street, both leading upwards to the castle and running parallel to Dumbarton Road and part of the Back Walk which winds around the city walls. One particular building in Baker Street takes my eye: a tall red brick affair with a half-timbered gable, typically English in its architectural style. The old Stirling coat of arms in regal red, blue and gold lies between two first floor windows. The Stirling Wolf sits proudly above it, looking down at us.
Continuing uphill into Bow Street we follow in hoof steps — yes — those of a unicorn, Scotland’s national animal, leading us onwards. Horseshoe shapes are highlighted in scarlet paint with images of a unicorn rampant in white with a scarlet mane amid sparkly stars of the same colour. Magic is everywhere, especially within the castle walls for Unicorn Day, where a white pony has been transformed!
Our next stop, the Tolbooth, has a less uplifting background for public hangings once took place here. Nowadays live entertainment, inside the Tolbooth, is much more upbeat. We enter the porchway and lift our eyes to the ceiling where the wolf is celebrated yet again, sitting on his rocky outcrop, this time encircled by a twisted buckled red belt bearing the words ‘Stirling Oppidum’ — the settlement of Stirling.
Further on we encounter a stone unicorn on top of the Mercat Cross, previously a marketplace and business centre. Immediately below him is the encircled Stirling wolf. From here we cross the cobbles into Darnley Street. Watched by a vigilant tortoiseshell cat, maybe a stray, we come to a viewpoint at this high part of the city, just above Barnton Street. Over the grey slate rooftops a part of the meandering River Forth leads the eye north eastwards towards fields and copses and pale grey distant hills in the direction of Fife. Nearer to us the Wallace Monument pokes up above a mound of trees, over gabled roofs. The Abbey Craig, northwest of the hamlet of Cambuskenneth, presents a wall of craggy rocks, once home to the Stirling wolf. He looks out upon this scene, perched on top of a turreted roof, in the guise of a weathervane, against a backdrop of intense blue sky. The perfect place to keep watch as visitors come and go from the train station. Not Vikings, but people from the world over who come to see the city sights.
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