Dunblane, Kirk Street, Scottish Churches House

Trial excavations, in advance of an extension to Scottish Churches House, located nothing earlier than the 19th-century. Nothing relating to either the cathedral or archdeacon's manse (NN70SE 15.00 and 20).

D Hall 1993.

The houses on Kirk Street, fronting onto the cathedral, consist primarily of stone or harled two-storeyed structures, dating to the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The entire east side of Kirk Street has been built against the steep rise of Holmehill, and has been amalgamated into a series of blocks which together form Scottish Churches House, constructed in the mid eighteenth century. The warden's house block is a two-storey L-shaped plan with a harled and whitewashed surface and one window gable to the street. Incorporated into this block is the former Leighton Manse, constructed slightly later in date, in the domestic Georgian architecture tradition. It now forms the main reception area. Behind this is the chapel which was created from a pre-sixteenth-century cellar, which was thought to have been part of the archdeacon's house figure 6. Partially restored inside, with a new floor, and currently in use as a chapel, it comprises a single vaulted chamber. There are few clues as to the original extent of this building, but the local topography, an extremely narrow ledge or terrace, suggests this may have been an outbuilding of the archdeacon's manse rather than part of a larger complex.

Surrounding the churchyard is a low Victorian wall. Set into it is Riccarton's Stile, which may delineate the frontages or rears of properties that once stood on the cathedral boundary. The churchyard was not used solely as a graveyard. It is known that this area was also used for local fairs and cattle markets. Little is known as to what might lie beneath the kirkyard. There has already been some disturbance here, caused by drainage, gas, water and electricity pipes; and centuries of use as a graveyard will have had a considerable effect on the very earliest archaeological levels. A sizeable workforce would have been needed to build the church. It remains unclear where the earliest settlement in Dunblane was but it is possible that timber buildings to accommodate the workers were ranged around the early church.

Information from ‘Historic Dunblane: The Archaeological Implications of Development’ (1997).

NN 7820 0140 Archaeological monitoring was undertaken in December 2005 while contractors excavated foundation trenches to allow the stone-built entrance arch known as Riccarton's Stile to be reconstructed. Riccarton's Stile is a commemorative stone archway incorporated within the build of the Cathedral's boundary wall at the E side. It is believed this archway is contemporary with the wall and may date to the 18th-19th century. It had become apparent that the foundations of the arch had begun to slump by some 40mm on its northern footing. This had subsequently caused the arch to twist slightly, undermining its structural integrity. No finds or features of archaeological significance were found during these works.

Archive to be deposited in NMRS.

Sponsor: Historic Scotland.

C Shaw 2006