During the war Forthbank was destroyed by the Luftwaffe.The ground was victim to the only German bomb strike on the town during the conflict. 1/4 mile West of town centre. She nursed her paramour, Henry, Lord Darnley, through illness here, in 1565. Constantly besieged and occupied by both sides during those long and bitter conflicts, Stirling Castle became the strategic ‘Key to Scotland’, dividing Highland and Lowland. The club was established in 1875 in the King's Park area of Stirling, although they did not stay long in this locality. Athletic, scholarly and good-natured the boy’s death from Typhoid Fever, in 1612, was lamented as a tragedy on both sides of the border. [2] It was the only track in Scotland that also attempted Cheetah racing. The oldest surviving sections of the fortress, the foundations of the North and South Gates, were the work of Bruce’s grandson, Robert II. Two years after the settlement of the Swan River Colony in 1829, most of the area now designated as Kings Park and Botanic Garden was set aside for 'public purposes' by Lieutenant Governor James Stirling and Surveyor General John Septimus Roe. The King's Knot | Cup and Saucer. With the 1707 Union of Parliaments, the privileges of the Royal Burgh were lost. By the baptism of their heir, James, the following year – celebrated by Scotland’s first firework display, in what is now the Valley Cemetery – Mary had sought comfort in the arms of the notorious James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell. until the beginning of World War II. Around 1630, it was planted with box trees and ornamental hedges and formed part of a magnificent formal gardens. The Tale Of King's Park Football Club. James V continued his father’s work: the centrepiece of the modern Castle, his Palace, completed by his widow, Mary de Guise, after his death at Solway Moss, in 1542. Forthbank Park was a sports venue in Stirling, Scotland until 1940. until the beginning of World War II. It was at Stirling Castle that Joan Beaufort sought shelter for her son, the seven year-old James II, in 1424, when his father, James I, was assassinated; and here that that intemperate young monarch – whose birthmark and infamous fury earned him the appellation ‘James o’ the Fiery Face ‘ – would himself murder his treacherous rival, William, 8th Earl of Douglas, in 1452 – throwing his corpse from a palace window, into the garden which now bears his name. History buffs and lovers all things macabre will not be disappointed! The park has a great little play area for young kids and a skate park … The King's Knot is better known locally, as the Cup and Saucer. Roam the royal pleasure ground below Stirling Castle, where monarchs once pursued their leisure interests.. Who needs money when there’s so much to see, do and enjoy in Stirling for free? The bomb fell on Forthbank partially destroying the stadium. Scotland’s first Protestant Prince, already deprived of both parents, would soon lose his grandfather, too, as the Regent Lennox was shot during a raid on Stirling by Catholic rebels, in September 1571. With plenty of open space to run around with the back drop of the castle no visit to Stirling would be complete without a stoll around King's Park. 2020–21 South of Scotland Football League, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Forthbank_Park&oldid=924777775, Defunct greyhound racing venues in the United Kingdom, Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 5 November 2019, at 21:54. The famous victories of Stirling Bridge and Bannockburn were fought within sight of its defences – destroyed, or ‘slighted’, by Robert Bruce, only to be raised again by his heirs, the House of Stewart, following the marriage of his daughter Marjorie to Walter, the Steward of Stirling Castle. Crowd trouble at a home match against St Johnstone in October 1921 led to King's Park playing a home match against Vale of Leven at Dunblane's Duckburn Park. Coordinates: 56°06′50″N 3°55′44″W / 56.114°N 3.929°W / 56.114; -3.929. During his reign William I created a recreational hunting ground, the King’s Park, in the woodlands south east of the Castle – extended in the 1260s by … Its appearance has probably been altered by restoration in the 19th century. They first entered the Scottish Cup in the 1879–80 season. History. Wed soon after, they were quickly estranged. Meet the locals and join one of many guided tours around Stirling. Forthbank park was home to King's Park F.C. King's Park made temporary repairs to the stadium and played two more games at the ground before the club was closed down. James IV began construction of the Great Hall and the Forework. This was not the end to football in Stirling as local business man Thomas Ferguson started up Stirling Albion F.C. The ground was victim to the only German bomb strike on the town during the conflict. His heir, David I, advanced its political prominence and economic standing, making Stirling a Royal Burgh in 1130. On the land below Stirling Castle, you will see an octagonal stepped, grassy mound which is the King's Knot. Some tennis courts and a coffee shop round of the facilities. FRIENDS OF KINGS PARK, STIRLING LIMITED - Free company information from Companies House including registered office address, filing history, accounts, annual … Kings park has a great play area for young kids and a skate park for older kids. Here are some local hints and tips to make your trip run smoothly. In recent years the Chapel Royal and Great Hall have been refurbished (the latter rededicated by Queen Elizabeth II, in 1999) and the Palace of James V has been vividly refurbished – reflecting the glorious legacy of Royal Stirling. She almost was. During the war Forthbank was destroyed by the Luftwaffe. The King’s Knot is on the grounds of the ancient King’s Park, Crown property from at least the 1100s, where Scotland’s royalty partook in jousting, hawking and hunting. … Kings Park. During his reign William I created a recreational hunting ground, the King’s Park, in the woodlands south east of the Castle – extended in the 1260s by his grandson, Alexander III. Forthbank was the home ground of King's Park F.C. Use Explore Stirling to discover the best of urban and rural Stirlingshire. 5/5/2017 0 Comments Recent work by SLHS member Stephen Digney throws new light on the development of the King's Park. visit stirling. King's Park also hosted other sporting events at the ground, mostly animal racing. Barges were sailed along a canal which surrounded the garden. Stirling Local History Society: Kings Park, Stirling - new understandings. The club was finally given compensation from the War Office in 1953. Only after his mother’s execution, in 1587, would James’s throne be secure. This gorgeous green space is just a short walk from the town centre. Where to stay in Stirling - Stirling hotels, cottages, apartments, bed and breakfast. Their affair and hasty marriage, with Bothwell suspected of complicity in Darnley’s murder at Kirk o’ Field, scandalised Scotland. King’s Park FC were the prominent pre-WW2 football team in Stirling. Greyhound racing started at Forthbank Park on 11 March 1932 and the track was independent (unlicensed). Without a doubt one of my personal favourites out of all the great things to do in Stirling. Forthbank park was home to King's Park F.C. Access from Dumbarton Road / Kings Park Road On the land below Stirling Castle, you will see an octagonal stepped, grassy mound which is the King's Knot. Only in recent decades, under the ministrations of Historic Scotland, would the damage inflicted by three centuries of military usage be undone. Seventeen years more would pass before Charles II’s fleeting visit, in 1650. His heir, David I, advanced its political prominence and economic standing, making Stirling a Royal Burgh in 1130. Forthbank Park was a sports venue in Stirling, Scotland until 1940. The very model of a refined Renaissance Prince, scholars and scientists, historians, poets and artists converged upon his Court, within whose walls the wordsmith William Dunbar scorned the reckless exploits of alchemist John Damian as he sought to swoop from the royal ramparts on chicken-feather wings. Forced to abdicate, Mary fled to England, and to imprisonment by her cousin, Elizabeth I – to whose throne she had foolishly staked a claim. Explore Stirling's gruesome history as we take you on a trip to some of our famous battlefields. Monarchs came and went, but seldom stayed. Her later visits were no less eventful. Three decades of preparation for a Stuart King’s return to Stirling were rewarded by a two-day visit by his surviving male heir, Charles I, in 1633. An SFA inspection team deemed that the greyhound track at Forthbank encroached on to the pitch and as such it was removed, along with the source of income.[3]. Overview. His spectacular baptismal celebrations eclipsing James’s own: the roof of the Great Hall raised to house a replica Spanish Galleon. Just one year old, James VI was crowned at the Church of the Holy Rude, in July 1567. Smuggled safety to France, she would return to her homeland in 1561, and to Stirling the following year, narrowly avoiding death, and the fulfilment of her father’s prophesy that their dynasty would ‘gang wae a lass’, when a blaze swept through her Palace apartment in dead of night. With the 1603 Union of Crowns, James – with requisite irony – inherited the throne of his mother’s jailor, and abandoned his homeland. The Scottish Football Association at the time was keen to put an end to this practice as, although the racing provided a financial lifeline to many smaller clubs including King's Park, they feared that it would lead to football becoming too reliant on gambling just like the races. Keep those children entertained and occupied - it could easily be our motto in and around Stirling, there’s just so much for families to see and do. The majority of the stadium was damaged beyond financial repair by King's Park and was demolished. since the late 19th century until 1940 when the ground was destroyed. in 1945 and shortly after purchased the Annfield estate to construct Annfield. Around 1630, it was planted with box trees and ornamental hedges and formed part of a magnificent formal gardens. Shortly after the war King's Park closed down permanently. The grubby garrison-town briefly besieged by the Jacobite Charles Edward Stuart, in January 1746 – was far removed from the fabled fortress of his ancestors. The crisis of succession which followed that Kings death, in 1286, led to English occupation and the turmoil of the Wars of Independence. Born in 1594, James’s first child, Henry, would be the last Stuart Prince to be raised at Stirling Castle.