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In the fertile carselands of the Forth, the modern town of Stirling spreads out around the rocky crag on which perches the historic nucleus of castle and old town. Strategically important from time immemorial as focal point for all Scotland, the long and eventful history of the town has been essentially that of its famous stronghold and former royal residence. The medieval town with its steep streets and narrow wynds spills downhill from the castle to the new centre of present-day Stirling. Argyll's Lodging - Castle Wynd This splendid town mansion was built in 1632 by Sir William Alexander, founder of Nova Scotia. On his death the property passed to the Argyll family when alterations and extensions were made. The street side of this courtyard mansion is enclosed by a screen wall pierced by a fine rusticated Renaissance gateway. The courtyard facades are rich with Scottish Renaissance decoration: strapwork on dormer and window heads, and an armorial panel above the entrance porch. Mar's Wark - Top of Broad Street Ruined but nonetheless impressive, this facade is all that remains of a palace started in 1570 but never completed for John Erskine( 1510-72), Regent and 1st Earl of Mar. As Hereditary Keeper of the castle and guardian of Prince James, it was only appropriate that his Grace have a private residence at hand. It is said that Cambuskenneth Abbey was quarried for the stone. Ornamental sculpture and heraldic panels adorn the street front. Church of the Holy Rude This burgh church was built in stages on the site of an earlier church destroyed by fire. The oldest parts, the nave and lower part of the tower, date from the first half of the 15th Century. Of interest in the nave, with its round piers supporting pointed arches, is the original 15C oak timberwork roof. Almost a century older, the choir and pentagonal apse partitioned off from the rest between 1656 and the 1936-40 restoration. The east end is most impressive when seen from St John's Street, looming up massively with sloped intake buttresses between the great windows, characteristic of the Scottish Gothic style. It was here that the infant James VI was crowned in 1567 and John Knox preached the sermon. Stirling Cowane's Hospital Until recently used as the Guildhall, this E-shaped building was founded by John Cowane (c 1570-1633) as an almshouse to accommodate 12 "decayed" brethren. Built between 1633 and 1639 the premises included a refectory with sleeping accommodation above. The donor, a member of the Council of Royal Burghs and Scots Parliament, a man of some substance, stands jauntily above the doorway. Known affectionately as "stany breeks", he is said to come to life at Hogmanay. At no 39 St John Street is Bothwell House a three-storey rubble stonework house with a projecting tower. Nearby stands the Old Town Jail where visitors can experience the harsh treatment meted out as punishment to prisoners. The 19th Century prison reform brought about a strict regime aiming at moral correction. Fine views of Stirling from the roof top. Broad Street Once the centre of burgh life. Broad Street with its mercat cross, marks the site of the market and place of execution. Sir William Bruce designed the elegant tolbooth( 1701-04). shortly after his release from Stirling Castle where he had been held for Jacobite sympathies. The design is unusual in that the stairs climb internally over the cells and up to the panelled rooms. The crowning feature of the six-storey tower is an unusual pavilion with delicate crestings. Across the street at no 16 the narrow gable-ended house has inscribed window pediments. At the bottom of Broad Street is Darnley's House a four-storeyed town house where he is supposed to have stayed while Mary attended to affairs of state at the castle. Further down in St Mary's Wynd is the now roofless John Cowane's House. Smith Art Gallery and Museum is also worth a visit. The main exhibition relates the history of this royal burgh. Stirling makes an excellent touring centre with a wealth of possible day excursions into the surrounding countryside. There is the splendid scenery of the Trossachs. Rob Roy countryside and Lochearnhead. the rolling pastoral Strathearn leading to Perth, the more rugged Ochils and further on. Fife with its East Neuk, and then St Andrews, or down to Edinburgh to mention only a few. |
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