Description

The monument comprises the late 16th-century Renaissance facade of an unfinished building constructed for the Earl of Mar and known as Mar's Wark. It is already scheduled, but the extent of the protected area is unclear. This proposal clarifies the issue.

Mars Wark was designed to provide a town residence for John, Earl of Mar, hereditory Governor of Stirling Castle and Regent of Scotland, who died in 1572 when the project was still in its infancy. The extant remains comprise an elaborate two-storeyed facade focused on a great arched pend flanked on either side by octagonal turrets. The importance of the first floor is signified by the presence of a string-course, above which appear most of the carvings, armorial panels and gargoyles. The principal archway on the ground floor is flanked by the remains of columns capped by a pediment. The overall plan for the building is unclear but it may have been designed to extend around four sides of a central courtyard.

The area to be scheduled is irregular in shape with maximum dimensions of 32m N-S by 15m E-W to include the upstanding remains and an area of ground extending 2m out from the outer walls, as marked in red on the accompanying map extract.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

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Historic Environment Scotland Properties
Mar's Wark
https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/mars-wark
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Source: Historic Environment Scotland