Castle of St John

{{Short description|16th-century tower house in Scotland}}

{{About|the tower house in Scotland|the fort in the Canary Islands|Castle of St John the Baptist}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

Image:Stranraer Castle.jpg

The Castle of St John, also known as Stranraer Castle, is an early 16th-century L-plan tower house in the centre of Stranraer, in Dumfries and Galloway, southwest Scotland. It was built by the Adairs of Kilhilt (who originally came from Ireland) {{circa|1510}}. It has been used as a home, a court, a police station and as a military garrison during the "Killing Times" of Covenanter persecution in the 1680s.{{cite news|title= Stranraer, George Street, Castle Of Saint John|publisher=Canmore|accessdate=17 March 2018|url= https://canmore.org.uk/site/60751/stranraer-george-street-castle-of-saint-john}} During the Victorian era, the castle was modified to serve as a prison, and it was used as an ARP base during the Second World War.{{cite news|title= The Castle of St John, Stranraer|publisher=Dumfries & Galloway Council|accessdate=17 March 2018|url= http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/media/17782/Booklet-Castle-of-St-John/pdf/castle_of_st_john_leaflet.pdf}} The castle was refurbished in the late 1980s and is now a museum.