Blackfriars, Perth

The Church of the Friars Preachers of Blessed Virgin and Saint Dominic at Perth, commonly called "Blackfriars", was a mendicant friary of the Dominican Order of the Catholic Church founded in the 13th century at Perth, Scotland. The Dominicans ("Black friars") were said by Walter Bower to have been brought to Scotland in 1230 by King Alexander II of Scotland, while John Spottiswood held that they were brought to Scotland by William de Malveisin, Bishop of St Andrews. Later tradition held that the Perth Dominican friary was founded by King Alexander II. The Pontifical Offices of St Andrews listed the friary as having been dedicated on 13 May 1240. The earliest surviving grant to the church dates to 31 October 1241. Perth was perhaps the most important royal centre in the Kingdom of Scotland until the reign of King James III of Scotland, and the Dominican friary was frequently used for national church councils and as a residence for the King of the Scots. It was at Blackfriars church that King James I of Scotland was murdered on the night of 21 February 1437, by followers of the Earl of Atholl. With the growth of Protestantism in Scotland, friaries were targeted by reformers more than any other church institutions, partly because their vitality posed the biggest threat. A Perth mob attacked the church on 14 May 1543, and on 11 May 1559, it and the other religious houses of the city were attacked, looted and put out of order. King James VI of Scotland granted all the property of the church to the burgh of Perth on 9 August 1569, nine years after the Reformation Parliament of 1560. The monastery's southern wall was found to also be the northern wall of the Fair Maid's House in 2006.

Nearby Places View Menu

St John's Shopping Centre, Perth

St John's Shopping Centre is a shopping mall in Perth, Scotland. Situated between (and with entrances from) South Street (to the south), King Edward Street (to the east), Scott Street (to the west) and the pedestrianised section of the High Street (to the north), it was built between 1985 and 1987. It cost around £20 million. Its main entrance is that facing the Category B listed Perth City Hall on King Edward Street, with Perth mercat cross standing between the two. Its construction meant the ancient St John's Square was demolished, with its residents relocated elsewhere in the city. The Session House also previously stood in the market place, immediately across from the western door of St John's Kirk, on the site of today's City Hall. The shopping centre was opened in March 1988 by Dr Willi Reiland, mayor for thirty years of Perth's twin town, Aschaffenburg, Germany. The centre was once owned by Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster. It was purchased by the Universities Superannuation Scheme from BAE Systems Pension Funds in 2011.

A989 road

The A989 is a road in Perth, Scotland. Also known as the Perth Inner Ring Road, due to its circumnavigation of the city centre, it is 1.93 miles (3.11 km) long. Perth's city centre is around 0.5 miles (0.80 km) long and wide. The road was constructed around 1985.

Perth and Kinross

Perth and Kinross (Scots: Pairth an Kinross; Scottish Gaelic: Peairt agus Ceann Rois) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It is bordered by Highland and Aberdeenshire to the north, Angus, Dundee, and Fife to the east, Clackmannanshire to the south, and Stirling and Argyll and Bute to the west. Geographically the area is split by the Highland Boundary Fault into a more mountainous northern part and a flatter southern part. The northern area is a popular tourist spot, while agriculture makes an important contribution to the southern part of the area. The area is run by Perth and Kinross Council, which is based in Perth.

84 m

Siege of Perth (1339)

The siege of Perth was conducted from June to August 1339 as part of the Second War of Scottish Independence. The siege was conducted by forces loyal to David II of Scotland and commanded by Robert Stewart, the Guardian of Scotland. The defending forces were acting on behalf of Edward Balliol and were commanded by Thomas Ughtred. Balliol had invaded Scotland in 1332 with the support of Edward III of England, taking advantage of the fact that Scotland had no strong leader following the death of Robert Bruce, to press his own claim to the throne. Balliol was crowned at Scone and from 1333 his regime was based in Perth. An English garrison was based in the town from 1335. From 1338 Stewart was Guardian of Scotland and was targeting the areas of Scotland sympathetic to the Balliol cause. Ughtred was forced to surrender on 17 August after 10 weeks of siege, during which the attacking force had deployed a group of barges to the Tay estuary to prevent supplies arriving by water.