Overview
Imagine the life of an earl at this remarkable Renaissance mansion on the road to Stirling Castle.
John Erskine, Earl of Mar, was the keeper of Stirling Castle when he began construction of his magnificent townhouse Mar’s Wark in the 1560s or 1570s. King James VI stayed here, and the house was repaired for use as a barracks during the 1715 Jacobite Rising.
The façade is all that survives today of this courtyard townhouse, but it remains an impressive example of Renaissance architecture. Probably inspired by James V’s palace at the castle up the hill, it has liberal embellishments, including heraldic panels, decorative gargoyles and statuettes.
