The John Knox House dates back to 1470, making it the oldest original medieval building found on the Royal Mile. The house is associated with one of the most exciting and turbulent times in Scottish history - the Scottish Reformation - which led to the outbreak of the Civil War and the abdication of Mary, Queen of Scots; Although John Knox stayed in this house for a short time before his death in 1572, it was his association with it that saved it from demolition in the 1840s.