Holyrood House
 Abbeys |  Castles |  Royal Britain |
In 1128 King David I founded an Augustinian abbey of the Holy Rood (Cross) on the site of the present Palace of Holyrood. The Abbey grew in importance and splendour throughout the medieval period; in the 17 th century it was converted to the Chapel Royal and later to the Chapel of the Order of the Thistle. It suffered severe damage during the 1688 Revolution and was sadly permitted to decay thereafter, despite feeble attempts at restoration in the 18 th century. Now a ‘romantic' ruin it still houses several Scottish kings, buried in the Royal Vaults beneath the splendid decay above. Included amongst the occupants of the vaults are David II (son of Robert the Bruce), James II, and James V. Most of what remains of the Abbey is fine 13 th century work, and it, together with its pleasant grounds is well worth a visit.
The Palace of Holyrood House is mostly associated with the tragic history of the Stuarts. Holyrood began life as the Abbey guest-house, and only in 1501 did James IV start to develop it as a royal palace; this coincided with Edinburgh becoming Scotland's capital. However, it was his son James V whose reign witnessed the most significant expansion of the Palace between 1528 and 1536. The north-west tower is all that survives that period of building, as much of it was damaged by a fearsome fire in 1543 and again in 1650 after Cromwell had quartered his troops there. Many of the most dramatic events of the reign of James V's successor, Mary, Queen of Scots, took place within the Palace walls. The Royal Apartments in the north-west tower are principally associated with Mary, Queen of Scots and are maintained as closely as possible in the style of the period. Here the Catholic Mary was preached at by the militant Presbyterian John Knox, but much worse, it was the scene of one of the best-documented murders in history. On a night in March 1566, a gang of nobles, led by Mary's husband Lord Darnley, entered the queen's rooms and, in her presence, stabbed to death her trusted private secretary David Rizzio, falsely believing him her lover. The following year Darnley himself was mysteriously murdered The Royal Apartments are open to the public and the murder spot is still marked by a brass plaque.
Most of the present structure of Holyrood House was built by Charles II, and was restyled around a large arcaded quadrangle after the fashion of a contemporary French chateau designed by Sir William Bruce. It is an elegant and nicely proportioned structure set off dramatically by having as its backdrop the magnificently brooding Arthur's Seat. It was Charles II who commissioned many of the interiors, including the extraordinary Royal Portrait Gallery. This contains a series of paintings of 111 real and legendary kings of Scotland, from Fergus I to Charles II, painted by Jacob de Wet the Younger in 1684. Bonnie Prince Charlie held brief court here in 1745, when his Jacobite army captured the city, but failed to take the castle. One surviving relic is a cannon ball lodged below the window of a house in Lawnmarket, fired from the castle it is said, at some of the wilder clansmen below.
The rooms open to the public include the dining room, throne room, drawing rooms, Portrait Gallery, King's Bedchamber and Mary, Queen of Scots' living quarters, the latter being both the culmination and the highlight of the tour. Only in Mary's chambers, where Rizzio was so violently stabbed to death, is the interior indisputably Scottish, thanks to a splendid painted ceiling and mementoes of the doomed queen's needlework. The later State Apartments, which include the Throne Room and the Dining Room, decorated in Adam style, are associated with George IV, Victoria, and Albert. There is also a small exhibition of objects and artefacts such as necklaces, brooches and pendants, in addition to more royal portraiture of the period. The Palace of Holyrood is still the official residence of the sovereign in Edinburgh.
The magnificent iron gates at the entrance to the Palace were erected as a memorial to King Edward VII. Through the gates and into the Palace Yard, before the main entrance, stands a charming ornamental fountain built in 1859; the various figures adorning it are based on the designs of Charles Doyle, father of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.