Copy of drawing by J Houston, Ministry of Works architect
SC 426601
Description Copy of drawing by J Houston, Ministry of Works architect
Collection Copies of sketches of buildings in Edinburgh by J Houston
Catalogue Number SC 426601
Category On-line Digital Images
Copy of ED 2630
Scope and Content Lady Stair's House, Lady Stair's Close, Lawnmarket, Edinburgh Lady Stair's House, built in 1622, was formerly called Lady Gray's House after Gidia Smith, widow of the original owner, Sir William Gray. It was bought by their granddaughter the 1st Countess of Stair, a noted beauty and leader of fashion, in 1719. The hexagonal newel-stair tower projects into the Close which was once the main access between the Old Town and the New Town. Above the doorway, the marriage lintel bears the date,1622, and the initials WG and GS. A vision in a mirror is said to have revealed to Lady Eleanor, second Countess of Stair, that her husband -a drunkard and a rogue -was committing bigamy by getting married to another woman. Sir Walter Scott used this story in 'My Aunt Margaret's Mirror'. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/426601
File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap
Attribution: © Courtesy of HES (J Houston sketches)
Licence Type: Educational
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