Castle of St John

{{Short description|16th-century tower house in Scotland}} {{About|the tower house in Scotland|the fort in the Canary Islands|Castle of St John the Baptist}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} thumb|Castle of St John The '''Castle of St John''', also known as '''Stranraer Castle''',<ref name="Canmore" /> is an early 16th-century L-plan tower house in the centre of Stranraer, in Dumfries and Galloway, southwest Scotland. It was built by the Adairs of Kilhilt (who originally came from Ireland) {{circa|1510}}. It has been used as a home, a court, a police station and as a military garrison during the "Killing Times" of Covenanter persecution in the 1680s.<ref name="Canmore">{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=PLA |num=60751 |num2=NX06SE 11 |desc=Stranraer, George Street, Castle Of Saint John |access-date=19 June 2025}}</ref> During the Victorian era, the castle was modified to serve as a prison, and it was used as an ARP base during the Second World War.<ref name="Booklet">{{cite news|title= The Castle of St John, Stranraer|publisher=Dumfries & Galloway Council|accessdate=17 March 2018|url= http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/media/17782/Booklet-Castle-of-St-John/pdf/castle_of_st_john_leaflet.pdf}}</ref> The castle was refurbished in the late 1980s and is now a museum.

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20100417092023/http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=2333&contactid=3618 Castle of St John] - official site

{{Castles in Dumfries and Galloway}} {{coord|54|54|16|N|5|01|34|W|type:landmark_region:GB|display=title}}

St. John Category:Castles in Wigtownshire Category:Category A listed buildings in Dumfries and Galloway Category:Listed castles in Scotland Category:Listed prison buildings in Scotland Category:Museums in Dumfries and Galloway Category:History museums in Scotland Category:Prison museums in the United Kingdom Category:Defunct prisons in Scotland Category:Military and war museums in England Category:Stranraer Category:Tower houses in Scotland