King's Old Building, Stirling

"The King's House", now known as the King's Old Building, is the oldest part of the Inner Close, and is located on its west side. It was begun as a new residential range by King James IV, around 1496, and originally comprised an L-shaped building.

The King's Old Building ceased to be the monarch's residence after the completion of the Royal Palace in the 1540s and subsequently saw a variety of uses. It had already become known as the "King's Old Work" by 1687, and in 1719 was used to house a number of the officers in the military garrison here. In the 1790s, floors and windows were inserted to provide accommodation for a larger garrison.

In 1855, the north end of the building burned down, and was rebuilt in a Baronial style by the architect and historian Robert William Billings. The north end is located on the highest part of the castle rock and it is likely that the site had already been built on, probably several times, in the earlier history of Stirling Castle.

At the southwest end of the range is a linking building, once used as kitchens, which is on a different alignment to both the King's Old Building and the adjacent Royal Palace. It has been suggested that this is an earlier 15th-century structure, dating from the reign of James I. Excavations within this building, in 1998, revealed burials, suggesting that this may have been the site of a church or chapel.

Today, the King's Own Building houses the regimental museum of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.