History on our doorstep

 
 
For a change of scenery I had a wander around Stirling’s Old Town this afternoon.
 Usually it’s packed with tourists. Today it was eerie silent, thanks to the pandemic, so there was plenty of opportunity to look at buildings which in the past I walked straight past as we headed for the castle, usually with visitors in tow.
Stirling youth hostel must be one of the grandest in Scotland; certainly it occupies a prominent spot in Stirling’s Old Town.
Originally it was the Erskine Marykirk - the first church to secede from the authority of the Church of Scotland after the Reformation.
And the tomb of its founder, Ebeneezer Erskine - almost as big as the hostel, itself, stands proudly before it,
At £16 a night I reckon it’s going to be very popular with tourists planning a staycation this year.
 
Walking up Spittal St I was intrigued to see a plaque high up on one house (see extra).
Written in Old Scots I had to get M to translate it for me:
 
“This house is founded for support of the poor by Robert Spittal tailor to King James 4 in the year 1530.”
 
The lockdown has made us all look again at our local neigbourhoods, and discovering unexpected pleasures on our doorstep.