Stirling Castle

Stirling Castle is one of Scotland’s most important historic castles, standing on Castle Hill above the city of Stirling. Its position on a volcanic rock made it a major strategic stronghold between the Lowlands and the Highlands, and it was one of the principal royal residences of the Scottish monarchs. The castle complex includes the Outer Close, Inner Close, Great Hall, Royal Palace, Chapel Royal, Forework, defensive walls, courtyards and views across the surrounding landscape. Because of its size, royal architecture and enclosed stone spaces, Stirling Castle has often been used on screen as a stand-in for other castles, including Edinburgh Castle and Colditz Castle.

Stirling Castle has appeared in Tunes of Glory (1960), Kidnapped (1971), Colditz (1972–1974), The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby (2005), The 39 Steps (2008), Burke and Hare (2010), Good Omens (2023) and Mary & George (2024). The castle is especially useful for period productions, where its courtyards, gateways, chapel, palace buildings and military atmosphere can represent different historical settings.

In Tunes of Glory (1960), Stirling Castle appears as the exterior setting of the Highland regiment’s headquarters. The main drama between Major Jock Sinclair and Lieutenant Colonel Basil Barrow takes place around the military world of the regiment, while the castle exterior gives the story its Scottish regimental identity. The castle is used in the opening and closing material, including the final moments when Sinclair is taken from the castle.

In Kidnapped (1971), Stirling Castle appears during the Scottish location work for the Robert Louis Stevenson adaptation. The film uses parts of the castle, including the Prince’s Tower, walls and Forework area, as part of the historical world surrounding David Balfour and the political danger he becomes caught up in. The castle gives these scenes a formal seat-of-power setting, separate from the wilder Highland and coastal locations used elsewhere in the film.

In Colditz (1972–1974), Stirling Castle stands in for Colditz Castle in Saxony, Germany. The BBC series follows Allied prisoners of war held at the supposedly escape-proof German castle during the Second World War. Stirling Castle was used for exterior shots and the title sequence, giving the series a real fortress setting even though the story takes place in Germany. The castle’s high walls, gates and enclosed courtyards make it a convincing substitute for the prison-castle atmosphere of Colditz.

In The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby (2005), Stirling Castle is used as a stand-in for Edinburgh Castle and other parts of old Edinburgh. The film uses areas including the Inner Close, Outer Close, Inner Gate, Forework, Palace and Chapel Royal as part of the city setting around Bobby’s story. Although the real Greyfriars Bobby story belongs to Edinburgh, the production combines genuine Edinburgh locations with Stirling locations to create its nineteenth-century version of the city.

In The 39 Steps (2008), Stirling Castle appears as part of the BBC adaptation’s Scottish castle material. The film follows Richard Hannay through a spy story involving hidden information, political danger and movement across Scotland. Stirling Castle is used as one of the fortified historical settings in the later part of the story, adding military and official weight to the film’s Edwardian thriller atmosphere.

In Burke and Hare (2010), Stirling Castle appears in scenes standing in for Edinburgh. The comedy follows William Burke and William Hare and the body-snatching murders connected to Edinburgh’s medical world in the early nineteenth century. The film uses the Inner Close at Stirling Castle and other castle areas as part of its Edinburgh street and institutional setting, allowing the production to create a period version of the city using both real Edinburgh locations and Stirling’s historic architecture.

In Good Omens (2023), Stirling Castle appears in season 2 during the nineteenth-century Edinburgh material. The episode “I Know Where I’m Going” includes the body-snatching storyline involving Aziraphale and Crowley, with Stirling Castle, Broad Street and Stirling Old Town Cemetery used to create the period Edinburgh setting. The castle contributes to the darker historical atmosphere of the episode, while the nearby cemetery is used for the graveyard scenes.

In Mary & George (2024), Stirling Castle doubles for Edinburgh Castle. The series uses the castle for scenes connected to King James VI and I, including a great banquet and exterior material representing Edinburgh’s streets and royal spaces. The setting is historically fitting because James VI spent part of his early life at Stirling Castle, and the production uses the castle’s courtyards, gateways and royal architecture to represent the Scottish royal world around him.

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