Holyrood Palace

Approx. Time: 2 hours
Activity Level: Easiest

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 is seen today is the result of a reconstruction in 1671 to the orders of Charles II. The palace had suffered from the Earl of Hertford in 1544 during his notorious sack of Edinburgh, and then in 1650 by actions by Oliver Cromwell's troopers which 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. 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. 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 dispatched by a group of ambitious nobles with, it is said, 57 dagger thrusts.

Courtesy of the British Tourist Authority

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