Old Stirling

St. John Street

2 St. John Street

Fine three-storeyed house with harled walls and three crowstepped gables. The building is of considerable architectural interest and admirably adapted to its corner site, where it forms a feature of no fewer than three street views. The remainder of the north side of St. John Street, although now in poor condition, groups well with this building and could still be made into serviceable and attractive dwellings.

39-41 St. John Street

Three-storeyed house of exposed rubble with turnpike tower projecting towards the street. The east gable has large gableted crowsteps which suggest that the building is of sixteenth century date. At this period it belonged to the family of Bruce of Auchenbowie. The ground floor is vaulted, and the entry to the turnpike is pleasantly moulded. The building groups admirably with the great apse of Holy Rude, to which it forms an introduction sympathetic alike in scale and character. The adjoining houses at Nos. 33 and 35-37 St. John Street have plain three-storeyed frontages of eighteenth century design. The old Manse of Stirling, a remarkable turreted building dating from the late sixteenth century, stood in the centre of the street here until 1824 .

19-27 St. John Street

Highly picturesque group of buildings, part of which formed the old Fleshers’ Tavern, a famous Stirling “howff,” owing its existence to the fact that the burgh Flesh Market was held in the adjoining part of the street. The most striking feature is the turnpike which enters from the street by an elaborately moulded doorway, now battered almost out of recognition. The interior of this part of the building has been planned on very spacious lines and lends support to the view that it may have been the town ludging of a family of considerable importance, like the old Earls of Linlithgow who had a house in this neighbourhood.

5-7 St. John Street (In Close)

Long row of two-storeyed houses roofed with red pantiles and forming one of the few remaining closes in Old Stirling still to be seen in something like its original form. The date 1654 is carved on one of the windows, and there is also a good turnpike giving access to the upper part of the front building.