Stirling - The Setting for A Fighting Chance

Once, many years ago when I was studying creative writing, I wrote a poem about Mary Queen of Scots. It was subsequently set to music and used at a ceremony celebrating the refurbishment of part of Stirling Castle and sung by a choir. It was all very exciting. The woman who wrote the music promised to send it to me, but she never did. The choirmaster promised to send me a recording of the performance, but that never happened either. However, I still have the poem which was included in the anthology Festival of Poetry published by United Press Ltd.

Murder in the Morning

The morning sky was grey and dark.

The queen would die today.

The maids set out her dress - then hark,

The pipes began to play.

The tunes, laments and songs grew loud.

The footprints in the snow.

The queen in redstood tall and proud.

This morn her life would go.

The queen in silent prayer had knelt

Before a cross of wood,

Her followers watched the cur Paulet

Prepare to spill her blood.

Two rosaries around her waist

Swayed as the charge he read.

She laid her head upon the rest,

Three strokes cut off her head.

Queen Mary, forty-four that day,

Her life brought to an end.

Her murder there at Fotheringay

By Elizabeth her cousin and friend.

by Val Penny

With all of this in mind and with the only women's prison at the time the novel is set being in Stirling, I decided to set the story there. Certainly, Stirling is a most interesting city and as it is centrally located Stirling is easily reached from either Edinburgh or Glasgow.

The most famous building in Stirling is Stirling Castle which is referenced in A Fighting Chance. This powerful fortress dominates the skyline and historically guards the lowest point of the River Forth. It is a symbol of Scottish independence and national pride and the castle sits on a volcanic outcrop, overlooking the historic central belt and River Forth. For centuries, Stirling was vital in uniting the Scottish Highlands and Lowlands, acting as a historical "clasping" point in the narrowest area of the country. 

Much Scottish history can be explored in and around Stirling as the Battle of Bannockburn was fought nearby on 23-24 July 1314. This is when Robert the Bruce defeated Edward II and won independence for Scotland. You may remember the Battle of Bannockburn was depicted in the 1995 film Braveheart starring Mel Gibson. The film shows Robert the Bruce leading the Scots to victory and invoking the memory of the hero William Wallace to do so.

More recently, Stirling Castle has also been a filming location for productions like the Game of Thrones and the Outlander series. 

The National Monument to William Wallace, who lived between 1270 - 1305, is on the outskirts of Stirling. This famous landmark features in A Fighting Chance. It stands on Abbey Craig above the fields where Wallace led the Scottish troops to victory at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297. The monument opened in 1869 and if you decide to climb to the top, you will need to climb the 246 steep narrow steps inside the monument. The views from the top, across the Scottish central belt are spectacular.

Another important part of life in the city is the University of Stirling. The University is integral to the story in A Fighting Chance. Of course, although the institiution is real and Polwarth House halls of residence are real, all the characters and their actions are entirely fictional.

The University of Stirling was founded by a royal charter in 1967. It is located in the Central Belt of Scotland, built within the walled Airthrey Castle estate. The institiution is a campus university located in the foothills fo the Ochil Hills.

The setting is stunning and there are a wide variety of unique courses. Stirling has international degree programme partnerships in China, Oman and with Hebei Normal University and the Singapore Institute of Management, both in Singapore. Interestingly, the university also offers a MSc in Human Rights & Diplomacy and this is the only Human Rights and Diplomacy programme in the world taught in partnership with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research.

Stirling is a small city but it is exciting and diverse. It is the perfect setting for the latest Jane Renwick Thriller, A Fighting Chance.