Perth

Perth stands on the River Tay, where a crossing and access to the sea helped make it one of Scotland's leading medieval burghs. Its merchants traded from the river, while kings and their courts frequented the town near the royal ceremonial centre of Scone just to the north. St John's Kirk stood at the heart of the burgh's religious life.

On 11 May 1559 John Knox preached against idolatry in St John's. The sermon was followed by a riot in which religious houses and images in the town were attacked, an important moment in the Scottish Reformation. In 1652 Cromwell's army built a fortified citadel on the open ground of the South Inch, marking another period when national conflict reshaped the town beside the Tay.