Built for King James V and his wife Mary Queen of Scots, the palace dominates much of Stirling Castle. Archaeological evidence suggests that construction began around 1538. A quadrangular building with a central courtyard - the exterior of the palace is heavily carved with statues representing classical gods and goddesses. The palace has been built in a Renaissance architectural style.
Mackay Decorators worked alongside Historic Scotland Architects as part of the 12 million pound refurbishment programme the palace was undertaking. Mackay’s involvement was to redecorate both the Kings and Queens bedchambers and inner and outer halls.
The main features of these grand quarters are the intricate panelled ceilings. Each ceiling has been hand painted, free hand by brush, using shading and lining work, Tromp L’oeil and gilding techniques. Wall friezes and large crests have also been hand painted. Every effort was made to apply paint and decorate the rooms using medieval techniques to stay in keeping with the heritage of the building.
An extreme amount of specialist skill and knowledge has been required on this project to painstakingly hand paint the intricate areas of these rooms. It took 12 specialist decorators a total of eight months to complete the project. In total over 400 litres of Johnstone’s products were used on the project including Undercoat, Flat Matt and Woodworks varnishes.
The finished palace is truly outstanding and a real credit to Mackay Decorators and their specialist team. The level of intricacy and workmanship that has gone into this project is first class. The newly refurbished palace really is fit for a king!