Background
John Cowane’s House is a category A listed building, and one of the last remaining significant historic structures within Stirling Old Town for which no ‘new’ life and purpose has yet been identified.
Fondly known and referred to by locals in Stirling as ‘Queen Mary’s Palace’, the building is of significant historic and architectural interest and offers great potential. Situated on an important route between Stirling Castle and Stirling Old Bridge, it is a building which ought to be an asset to Stirling’s heritage, but which has been locked up and unused for many decades. The building is an A listed site which is classified as ‘at risk’.
The building represents an opportunity to interpret the story of Stirling’s history of trade, the merchant’s classes, and their way of life. Its restoration as a ruin, with effective interpretation and development of the garden as a feature, would add a new dimension to the visitor offering in Stirling by providing an attraction managed and guided by community volunteers.
Patrons of Cowane’s Hospital Trust commissioned a survey and condition report of John Cowane’s House in 2023, along with a Conservation Plan. It was then felt that the project required a steering group. The Cowane’s Heritage Committee was formally set up in March 2023. A design team was appointed, early concept drawings were created to address structural, and repair works to stabilise the ruin, allowing improved and safe access within the building.
The design team has proposed the insertion of an elevated multi-purpose mezzanine level which will allow the creation of two new ‘spaces’ within the building and facilitate improved access. The garden at the rear will function as a community garden and local volunteers will be trained to act as guides to visitors. A programme of garden maintenance and well-being opportunities will be facilitated by local volunteers.
The project will develop as a community led heritage regeneration project focused on the house and its garden. Creative lighting of the building’s interior elevations using projection lighting and audio will recreate the historic character of a sixteenth century merchant’s house.
Our Aim:
To restore, create and reinvigorate John Cowane’s House: protect and breathe new life into this much-loved historic ruin situated on St Mary’s Wynd below Stirling Castle, whilst creating an inspiring and engaging historic experience for the local community and visitors.
Through our project journey we will conserve and enhance the fabric of the building to ensure that our Grade A listing building is protected and preserved. Provide opportunities and develop resources to bring to life the stories and historic importance of John Cowane’s House and its residents. The project will set out to:
- stabilise the wall structures to ensure longevity and provide safe access of the ruin to the public. This phase will provide the foundation to creating interpretation boards with lighting and deliver an immersive open air historic visitor experience.
Through collaboration and partnership, we will provide skill-based experiences through apprenticeships to maximise the learning opportunities of traditional masonry skills whilst supporting both training and education.
- focus on the garden by introducingboth a community grow and wellbeing sections as well as includinga network of accessible paths, planting of soft landscaping and the reintroduction of historic plants and hedgerows.
By developing a volunteer program, we will create volunteer opportunities to engage our local community groups and schools to grow vegetables and plants whilst also maintaining the garden landscape, with our aim to create a safe space for all to enjoy by partnering with horticultural therapy programs who use plant- based activities to help promote mental and physical well-being.
- create and install a unique wire mesh walkway connecting the visitors with the historic fabric of the ruin, complemented by a lift which will provide a unique experience accessible to all visitors to enjoy. We believe that the walkway will be the first of its kind, in Scotland, offering access for everyone within a historic ruin setting.
Through our exciting and ambitious volunteering opportunities – the Queen Mary’s Palace Project will re-engage our previous volunteers to develop their knowledge, skills, and abilities through volunteering in a different way than has been possible before. We will widen the range of volunteering opportunities on offer at John Cowane’s House to attract new volunteers to join our community and ensure as many people as possible will benefit from the unique heritage experience being offered.
Our core value of fairness and equality is at the heart of what we do at Cowane’s Trust and is one of the foundational pillars underpinning our project which will enable us to continue to proactively support those in need through partnership working whilst educating the local and wider community on the history and work of the Trust. This project embodies our Trusts vision of being an active part of a caring society and meeting the future needs of local living, history, and heritage.