This print shows Stirling Castle, which provided a home for Scottish Kings and Queens from the days of Alexander I until the Union of the Crowns under King James VI in 1603. The castle was of strategic importance, as it guarded the lowest crossing point on the River Forth, and was well defended on three sides by the rock on which it stands. The natural approach to the Castle is from the south, by the esplanade shown in the foreground of Cameron’s etching. King James IV was responsible for building the magnificent defences known as the Forework, seen in the centre of the print. To the right Cameron included part of the towers of the Gatehouse built between 1501 and 1506. These would have been originally twice the height shown here and topped with conical roofs.