Ruined but nevertheless impressive, the façade is all that is left of a palace started but never completed in 1570 for John Erskine (1510-1572), the Regent and 1st Earl of Mar who, as Hereditary Keeper of the castle and guardian of Prince James, needed a private residence in the area. The stones came from Cambuskenneth Abbey. The façade giving onto the street has a decorative sculpture and heraldic panels.