Gargoyles on Stirling Castles facade
www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/30957/gargoyles...
In architecture, and specifically in Gothic architecture, a gargoyle is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between. Architects often used multiple gargoyles on a building to divide the flow of rainwater off the roof to minimize the potential damage from a rainstorm. A trough is cut in the back of the gargoyle and rainwater typically exits through the open mouth. Gargoyles are usually an elongated fantastical animal because the length of the gargoyle determines how far water is directed from the wall. When Gothic flying buttresses were used, aqueducts were sometimes cut into the buttress to divert water over the aisle walls
About Stirling Castle :
The Palace of Stirling Castle was built by King James V in the mid-sixteenth century. The King had just returned from France and wanted new accommodation to rival what he had seen on the Continent. This etching shows the view along the southern side of the Palace. Cameron concentrated on depicting the ornate façade with its tall grilled windows and grotesque carved figures. These Renaissance sculptures were probably carved by a Frenchman, and would have been an attempt by King James V to replicate the type of work that he has seen at Loches and Blois in France. Today the Palace is considered one of the finest Renaissance buildings in Scotland, and the sculptures are among the best examples of French stone carving in the country.
Gargoyles on Stirling Castles facade
www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/30957/gargoyles...
In architecture, and specifically in Gothic architecture, a gargoyle is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between. Architects often used multiple gargoyles on a building to divide the flow of rainwater off the roof to minimize the potential damage from a rainstorm. A trough is cut in the back of the gargoyle and rainwater typically exits through the open mouth. Gargoyles are usually an elongated fantastical animal because the length of the gargoyle determines how far water is directed from the wall. When Gothic flying buttresses were used, aqueducts were sometimes cut into the buttress to divert water over the aisle walls
About Stirling Castle :
The Palace of Stirling Castle was built by King James V in the mid-sixteenth century. The King had just returned from France and wanted new accommodation to rival what he had seen on the Continent. This etching shows the view along the southern side of the Palace. Cameron concentrated on depicting the ornate façade with its tall grilled windows and grotesque carved figures. These Renaissance sculptures were probably carved by a Frenchman, and would have been an attempt by King James V to replicate the type of work that he has seen at Loches and Blois in France. Today the Palace is considered one of the finest Renaissance buildings in Scotland, and the sculptures are among the best examples of French stone carving in the country.