The Stirling Heads are a precious national artistic treasure. Thirty four of these large oak medallions, which once decorated the ceilings of some of the royal apartments, have been handed down to us. They are carved with the faces of Scottish kings and queens, European royalty, Roman emperors and Classical heroes.

A special gallery has been created on the upper floor of the palace where they are on permanent public display. The gallery also has exhibits and displays about the fine stone statues on the outside walls of the palace. A replica set of the heads has also been hand-carved and used decorate the ceiling of one of King’s Inner Hall, intended as the room where subjects would meet their monarch