Great Hall, Stirling Castle

Every time I pass Stirling castle, which I do several times a week, I never cease to wonder at the colour of the Great Hall, which was restored to its original colour.

Known as Kings gold it's a combination of limewash stained with yellow ochre and it can be seen for miles around.

You either love it or hate it.

When the wraps first came off in 1999 we were all astonished and it was the subject of much local controversy.

The result is a hall that looks much as it would have done to James IV in 1504.

While it is historically correct many of us think the colour sits uneasily with the rest of the castle


I fear it gives the Great Hall a Disney like appearance.

The Great Hall was intended to impress and it was the largest ever built in Scotland, measuring 138ft by 47ft: far larger than the hall at Edinburgh Castle,

The space seems huge to 21st Century eyes. It must have been truly awe-inspiring in the 1500s.

Today you can hire it for weddings, banquets or special events and each New Year's Eve it is the focus of Hogmanay celebrations.