THE Palace of Holyroodhouse impressively punctuates the end of the Royal Mile. Tall wrought-iron gates of elegant design lead into a spacious forecourt, in the middle of which stands an ornamental fountain of ancient design: it is a copy of a famous one at Linlithgow Palace.
Holyrood, a royal residence which has been the scene of so many dramatic episodes in Scotland's story, was founded by James IV in 1498. However, much of the building that we see today is the result of a reconstruction in 1671 to the orders of Charles II. The palace had been knocked about a bit by the Earl of Hertford in 1544 during his notorious sack of Edinburgh, and then in 1650 some carelessness by Oliver Cromwell's troopers resulted in fire damage.
Adjacent to the palace stands the ruin of Holyrood Abbey, whose history spans 800 years. A Monastery of Holy Rood was founded here in 1128 by David I, in gratitude for his miraculous escape from an enraged stag while hunting in the Drumshelch Forest. This dense woodland at that time covered a very large area to the south and west of Edinburgh. The incident probably accounts for the fact that the coat-of-arms of the former burgh of Canongate bears a stag's head with a holy cross between the antlers.
Within little more than a decade the monastery had been elevated to an Augustinian abbey. In time the abbey came to play a prominent role in the religious life of a succession of Scottish monarchs. James II, for example, was born there, married there and buried there. He was killed in his thirtieth year when a cannon burst near him during a siege of Roxburgh Castle in 1460. James III and James IV were both married in Holyrood Abbey. James V was crowned there (1524) and buried in the abbey (1542). Within its walls in 1565, Mary, Queen of Scots and Henry Darnley were married. Charles I was crowned in the abbey in 1633.
Like other religious houses of the Roman Catholic Church, the abbey was seriously damaged when the spiritual whirlwind of the Reformation swept Scotland. It was subsequently restored, however, and given a new roof in 1758. Alas, the architects had misjudged the stability of the stone roof, which collapsed ten years later. The venerable thirteenth-century nave was once more a ruin and open to heaven.
Holyrood is the official residence of Her Majesty the Queen in Edinburgh, and is so used when the Queen or other members of the royal family visit the Scottish capital. For that reason the palace may be closed to the public for a number of weeks in summer, but otherwise Holyrood is usually open to visitors.
The very stones of the palace are imbued with the shade of the beautiful, doomed Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-87), who reigned in Scotland for a mere six years but who has left an indelible memory.
What a story! Married at 15 to the Dauphin of France; widowed at 19; returns to her native Scotland and ascends the Scottish throne on a great wave of popularity; marries her weak cousin, Lord Darnley. Her Italian secretary, David Rizzio, is dragged from her presence and stabbed to death. Darnley is murdered in a mysterious explosion and the Queen is suspected of being implicated. Within weeks she marries the Earl of Bothwell. Mary, a devout Roman Catholic, finds her throne assailed by the hurricane of the Protestant Reformation, which has the formidable John Knox at its head. She is humiliated by the mob in the streets of Edinburgh, is imprisoned, persuaded to abdicate, escapes in disguise, is defeated in battle, and flees to England. There she throws herself on the mercy of the English Queen, Elizabeth; is under house arrest for the next 19 years; is then accused of plotting against the English throne, and is beheaded. She was still only 44.
The historian Professor J.M.D. Meiklejohn has described Mary in her youth thus:
She was already celebrated as the most beautiful woman of her time; and a certain native sweetness and graciousness, heightened by the polish of manner she had gained in the French court, a warmth of affection, gaiety, grace, and generosity combined with her loveliness to form a charm which almost everyone who approached her felt to be irresistible.
It is said that at her death her face retained its exquisite form, but her hair was as white as snow.
It was within the walls of Holyrood that many of the most dramatic events of Mary's life were played out. Visitors may see the historical apartments, including the spot on which the hapless Rizzio was despatched by a group of ambitious nobles with, it is said, 57 dagger thrusts.
The tour for visitors also includes the more modern apartments of the palace, which have happier associations. These include the long picture gallery, in which royal investitures are regularly held.
The sojourn of Prince Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) at the palace in 1745 was, by all accounts, one of the most glittering events of Edinburgh society in the eighteenth century. After entering Edinburgh at the head of his Highland chiefs, he held court within the old walls, brought the place to brilliant life, and charmed all the ladies in sight, before the candles were extinguished once more. The old palace lapsed back into a long slumber, until George IV made his celebrated visit to Edinburgh in 1822, at the instigation of that universally popular and enthusiastic citizen Sir Walter Scott, who organised the whole programme. George IV, who left an indelible impression on everyone by adopting Highland dress of startling hues, held court in the palace. He was the first monarch to do so at Holyrood for about 170 years.
The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the supreme court of the Kirk, is held in Edinburgh in May each year. The Queen does not normally attend in person, instead appointing a Lord High Commissioner to represent her. During the period of the assembly, normally about one week, the Lord High Commissioner resides at the palace and entertains guests there. Afterwards he gives the monarch an account of the debates and decisions taken by the ministers and elders.
Before leaving the palace precincts, have a look at the strange little building known as 'Queen Mary's Bath'. It is thought to be sixteenth century, and its sheer oddity seems to have ensured its survival in an area that was otherwise cleared long ago of other structures. A royal bathhouse seems very unlikely. A remnant of the Holyrood Abbey boundary wall, perhaps. Or a royal garden shed? One intriguing story is that during its restoration a dagger was found concealed in the roof: could it have been hurriedly thrust there by one of the fleeing assassins of David Rizzio?
The palace is set against the incomparable backdrop of Holyrood Park, which extends to 650 acres and is one of Edinburgh's great blessings. This Royal Park is freely accessible to the public. The walker climbs intriguing hill paths and finds solitude within the space of a few minutes. The highest point in Holyrood Park is Arthur's Seat (822 ft), thought to be a corruption of Archer's Seat. The ascent is not as difficult as it looks. The peak is most easily tackled by way of Dunsapie Loch, and there is a glorious view from the top, with the whole city, the Forth estuary and the country beyond spread out at one's feet.
A less strenuous and very worthwhile walk within Holyrood Park is to traverse the Radical Road, which runs along the base of Salisbury Crags between the palace and the site of Jeanie Deans's Cottage. The views of the Old Town, with the castle massed high on its rock and hedged about by the city's church spires, are particularly fine. This path was a favourite with the present Queen's father, George VI, who enjoyed walking there in the early morning.
Another beauty spot in the park is Duddingston Loch, a reed-fringed bird sanctuary overlooked by Duddingston Kirk. Immediately adjacent is the village of Duddingston, where it is the easiest thing in the world to forget that one is still in a great city, so strong is the rural atmosphere. The village pub, the Sheep Heid Inn, is one of the oldest in Edinburgh and has an interesting interior. At the other end of the village street, named the Causeway, is a house in which Bonnie Prince Charlie held a council of war immediately prior to the Battle of Prestonpans (1745), when his star was still in the ascendant.
At the gate of Duddingston Kirk is a 'loupin' on stane' (to assist riders to mount their steeds) and a pair of 'jougs' (a set of irons employed at one time for the detention in public of transgressors - for non-attendance at church, perhaps, or for the discouragement of scolding women).
Holyrood
Palace
Heraldry,
Abbey Strand
Fringe
Sunday
Dunsapie
Loch
Holyrood
Palace and Park