Located next to the Church of the Holy Rude, Cowane’s Hospital is a 17th centruy almshouse. It’s named for John Cowane, a businessman who left money for its establishment in 1637. The money he left was to allow for twelve elderly members of the Merchant Guildry of Stirling to live rent free in their old age.
After finishing wandering around the Valley Cemetery rather than head back to the train station the way I had come I decided to follow a different route down that I learned afterwards was called the Back Walk. It was created between 1724 and 1791 and follows the outline of where the old city walls would have been.
There’s been a burial ground around the Church of the Holy Rude since 1129 but many of the members of the city were buried beneath the church floor until the practice was stopped in 1623 – because of the stench of the rotting corpses! The Valley Cemetery was opened in 1857 for the overflow of the church and the town of Stirling as a whole. It was designed to be an attractive place to visit with paths wide enough for carriages. It expanded so much that it spread into what became known as Mars Place Cemetery. This in turn lead to the adjoining cemetery coming to be known as The Old Town Cemetery.
The Church of the Holy Rude is directly next to Stirling Castle – I’d spotted its interestingly designed building on the way up to the castle and made sure to visit on my way back down. One of the church’s main claims to fame is that Mary, Queen of Scots worshipped here and her infant son James was crowned here as James VI of Scots in 1567. This church and Westminster Abbey in London are the only churches in Britain where a coronation has taken place and that is still used regularly for worship.
Known as the Argylls, this regiment was formed in 1881 following the merger of two regiments, the 91st Argyllshire Highlanders and the 93rd Sutherland Highlanders which had each been created in the 1790s. The museum is a light airy space tracing the regiment from their foundation to the present day, including uniforms, weapons and documents. Access to the Museum is included in the admission to Stirling Castle.
Stirling Castle was another one of my day trips from Edinburgh. It was an easy train ride from Waverly Station lasting around 50 minutes and then a 15-20 minute walk from the station to the castle. Do note that the walk is mostly uphill, it’s not particularly challenging but if you have mobility issues you can catch a bus up to the castle. I had pre-booked my ticket which are timed entrance (as a member of English Heritage my ticket was free); generally an adult ticket is £17.50 online, £19.50 if bought when you arrive.
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