St Mary's College (1537) was founded by Archbishop James Beaton. In 1579, this institution became a theology college. The building situated on the western side of the ceremonial courtyard date back to the 16C. Two flights of stairs up, you can see the original student rooms with their cupboard beds.

The colonnade façade of Sheriff Court (1820) is typical of Robert Smirke's Grecian-style design. On the left is a plaque commemorating the magnificent Gowrie House (1520), the site of the mysterious Gowrie Conspiracy (5 Aug 1600), where the descendants of the 1st Earl of Gowrie were murdered. Was it an attempt on the life of King James VI or, on the contrary, vengeance on his part? We will probably never know.

This partly restored fortress dominates the valley of the Leven. Although its 14C keep is the most impressive part, its exuberant English owner, with his love for all things Scottish, gives it its charm: dark rooms, smoky halls, foxhounds lying on the sofas... everything reminds us of the eccentric Colonel Hector Campbell, as described by Evelyn Waugh in Officers and Gentlemen.

With its distinctive dome and portico, the museum has interesting displays of the local glass, silver and clock-making industries in addition to the natural history section. In the art gallery hang works by Scottish artists (H. McCullough, Glasgow School) and by John Millais (Chill October), whose wife was from Perth. There is also a section devoted to foreign artists which includes a St Andrew by Ribera.