Mercat Port
Mercat Port
The medieval city of St Andrews was much smaller than the modern settlement. In the late Middle Ages Market Street had housing only as far west as the current road junction with Greyfriars Gardens. An inlaid slab in the pavement nearby marks the site of the old Mercat Port - one of a number of gateways denoting the boundary between the city of St Andrews and the surrounding countryside. We are not sure when the Mercat Port was built. However, it was a well-established landmark by 1515 (when it was referred to in a property transaction). Early drawings of the Mercat Port show a plain stone archway, and it is probable that this gateway was a simpler structure than the surviving West Port on South Street. The Mercat Port was still standing in 1735, but it was demolished shortly afterwards.
Street View
Additional Information
Location: Near the junction between Market Street and Greyfriars Gardens. Date Built: Before 1515 (structure now demolished).
Sixteenth-century legal documents reveal that to the west of the Mercat Port there was a mix of crofts, gardens and waste land.
One of the plots of land near the Mercat Port was called "Burnt House" - a name which may reflect that property's history! House fires were a common problem in the Middle Ages when people relied on naked flames for both heat and light.
"Port" is a traditional Scottish term for a town gateway. The word is related to the French word for a doorway.