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Culross

The House with the Evil Eyes

Parleyhill House in Culross, dated 1724, whose two oval attic windows stare down like a pair of eyes.

Welcome

The House with the Evil Eyes is Parleyhill House, an old house in Culross.

High in its curved gable, two horizontal oval attic windows stare out over the street like a pair of narrowed eyes, giving the whole house a watchful, faintly sinister look.

The house is dated 1724 on a carved stone at its gable, with a lower wing that may be older still, and its curving Dutch-style gables and carved doorway are a reminder of how much Culross, a trading port on the Forth, borrowed from the Low Countries across the North Sea. It is a private home and a listed building, so admire it from the lane. It is easy to take in on a walk round the old burgh, between the Mercat Cross and the abbey on the hill.

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Before you go

A private house, seen from the lane; any time.

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From the lane.
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A private home.

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Where it is

Parleyhill, Culross.

Close byIn Culross.
  1. Haggs Wynd climbing past the palace wall.Haggs Wynd CulrossA steep cobbled lane of steps beside the walls of Culross Palace, leading up to the palace garden.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. Ruined stone walls and arches beside a church tower with a Saltire flagCulross AbbeyThe ruins of a Cistercian monastery of the 1200s on the hill above Culross, open all year, with its abbey church still used as the parish kirk.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. Cochrane's bust with the Scottish and Chilean flags behind.Admiral Thomas Cochrane Statue CulrossA bronze bust of Admiral Thomas Cochrane by Culross Palace, the sea captain who grew up here and helped Chile win its freedom.Under a mile 1 min by road
  4. The alabaster monument to Sir George Bruce with his children kneeling before it, Culross Abbey.The Bruce Vault, Culross AbbeyThe Bruce Vault of 1642 in Culross Abbey church, where Sir George Bruce lies in alabaster with his eight children kneeling before him.Under a mile 1 min by road
  5. Pink, white and ochre cottages line a narrow cobbled street in the rainTanhouse BraeA steep cobbled street of colourful houses in Culross, once the burgh's shoemaking quarter.Under a mile 1 min by road
  6. The Mercat Cross and its unicorn finial among white houses.Culross Mercat CrossThe market cross of Culross, crowned with a unicorn, in the little square where the cobbled streets meet.Under a mile 1 min by road
Directions
The Lockit Well set into a stone wall in Culross.AttractionsThe Lockit Well0.2 miles
CafeThe Mercat, Culross0.3 miles
The Culross Town House, a grey stone tolbooth with a tower, facing the Forth.AttractionsCulross Tolbooth0.3 miles
Ochre gabled houses overlook a walled garden with clipped topiary and gravel pathsAttractionsThe Hanging Gardens Culross0.3 miles
The Cat's Close street sign on an old stone wall.AttractionsCats Close0.3 miles
The Gallery at Culross on its street in the old burgh.ShoppingThe Gallery at Culross0.3 miles
Ochre crow-stepped gabled houses line a cobbled street beside a stone wallAttractionsCulross Palace0.4 miles
The Red Lion's whitewashed front and door on the cobbles of Culross.RestaurantsThe Red Lion, Culross0.4 miles
The grave of Lilias Adie, a flat sandstone slab on the sands of Torryburn Bay at low tide.AttractionsGrave of Lilias Adie2.7 miles

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the house, and when each is next free.

A grand stone mansion with multiple gables and chimneys stands behind a lawn set with wicker chairs, seen through overhanging leaves.Cromlix
  • To stay
  • In Kinbuck
  • 18 miles from Parleyhill House
Check datesWest End Muse
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Culross
  • 18 miles from Parleyhill House
Check datesA hotel studio room with a beige fitted kitchen unit and stainless sink beside a bed dressed in white and teal cushions, a wall of black-framed pictures above a patterned headboard.Old Town Chambers
  • To stay
  • In Edinburgh
  • 18 miles from Parleyhill House
Check datesA round table and chairs stand before tall curtained windows looking onto stone buildings, a sofa and mounted television to the right.Moment George IV Bridge
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Edinburgh
  • 19 miles from Parleyhill House
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in CulrossAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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