Erskine of Gogar’s House

Quick facts

Date

Late 16th to early 17th century; renovated 1957–1958

Architect / designer

Not known

Type

Four-storey, three-bay L-plan tenemental townhouse

Designation

Listed building, Category A (LB41239)

OS grid reference

NS 79385 93684

Architecture

The listed building comprises part of number 16 and number 18 Bow Street. Its four-storey, three-bay main block and rear wing form an L-plan entered through a broad pend at the right of the street front. Squared rubble and ashlar give the Bow Street elevation a more formal finish; the rear is partly rubble and partly harled.

Above the ground-floor openings, the regular window pattern is enlivened by enlarged first-floor windows and three dormerheads: two gabled and one semicircular. Crowstepped gables, a steep grey-slate roof and chimney stacks reinforce the tall silhouette on the approach to Stirling Castle. An armorial panel sits below the pend arch, while a separate nineteenth-century panel between the first and second floors records traditions about royal occupants.

Its story

The building belongs to the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century, when substantial townhouses clustered along the route to the castle. Historic Environment Scotland considers an association with the Erskines of Gogar more probable than the popular identification with Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley.

The same caution applies to the nineteenth-century panel claiming that the house served as a nursery for James VI and his son Prince Henry: the designation states that neither this tradition nor the Darnley story is well supported. The building was renovated in 1957–1958, preserving its early form while accommodating later use.

Why it matters

Erskine of Gogar’s House is a strong survival of elite domestic architecture within Stirling’s dense old town. Its pend, rear wing, differentiated masonry and roofline show how status, access and service space were arranged on a constrained urban plot. It is also an instructive example of how a memorable traditional name can outlast the evidence behind it.

What to notice

• The round-headed pend leading from Bow Street into the close.
• The contrast between the dressed street front and rougher rear masonry.
• Two gabled dormerheads and the single semicircular dormerhead.
• Crowsteps, steep roof and chimney stacks shaping the upper skyline.
• The nineteenth-century inscription panel: evidence of the legend’s popularity, not proof that it is true.

Access and present use

Darnley Coffee House currently gives the public access to a ground-floor commercial part of number 18 during its advertised opening. The operator profile lists daytime service, and recent 2026 visitor evidence confirms continued operation, but the café can close earlier when quiet; check directly before making a special journey. Access does not extend automatically to upper floors, the rear wing, the adjoining part of number 16 or other separately occupied spaces.

Timeline

1. Late 16th to early 17th century The L-plan townhouse was built on Bow Street below Stirling Castle.
2. 19th century A panel was inserted recording royal nursery and Darnley traditions that are not securely supported by evidence.
3. 1957–1958 The building was renovated.
4. 1965 It was listed at Category A.
5. 2026 A public café continues to operate in the ground-floor commercial part.

What remains uncertain

The original designer is not recorded here, and the surviving sources do not establish the Darnley or royal-nursery traditions. The statutory address also matters: the listing is for number 18 and only part of number 16, not every building reached through the close.

Sources & further reading

• Historic Environment Scotland: Erskine of Gogar’s House, LB41239 — Category A designation, official extent, late-16th- to early-17th-century date, architectural description, 1957–58 renovation and caution over royal traditions.
• Trove: 14–18 Bow Street — Mapped identity, historical record and supporting architectural context.
• Darnley Coffee House: current profile — Operator profile identifying the café at 18 Bow Street and advertising current public opening.
• Darnley Coffee House: 2026 visitor evidence — Recent June 2026 visitor evidence that the café remains in operation, with a warning that closing times can vary.