Palace of Holyrood - old castle and the official residence of the British kings, located in the capital of Scotland, Edinburgh.

Palace of Holyrood

Holyrood Castle originates from the hotel of the Abbey of the Holy Cross (Holyrood), founded in the XII century. At the end of the 15th century, James IV built a Renaissance palace on the site of the hotel, which became a royal residence several decades later during the reign of Mary Stuart. After the unification of England and Scotland under one crown, Holyrood became the seat of the English monarchs in Scotland. In the second half of the 17th century, the palace was rebuilt in the Baroque style by the architect William Bruce and has survived to this day in this form. Now Holyrood Castle in Edinburgh is the official residence of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, used for various ceremonies, such as the appointment of the First Minister of Scotland and the knighting of the Order of the Thistle, Scotland's oldest order.

Holyrood was the home of prominent figures of its time. The castle carefully preserved the chambers of the frantic Mary Stuart, who during her life managed to be the queen of France and Scotland and was a contender for the English throne. In the 19th century, Holyrood became the place where the last French Bourbon king, Charles X, was in exile.

The palace is located in the center of Edinburgh on main street city, which is called the Royal Mile. Distance from railway station Edinburgh is 1 km away, so a leisurely walk to the palace will take no more than 15 minutes. From other areas of Edinburgh, Holyrood can be reached by buses 35 and 36.

Most tourists in the castle are attracted by the chambers of Queen Mary Stuart, which have been protected from any changes since the 19th century by order of King George IV. The chambers are decorated with a variety of tapestries, antiques and paintings.

Other halls of the palace of great interest to visitors:

• A large gallery, the walls of which are decorated with portraits of 110 Scottish kings, including the legendary ones.
• The Throne Room, where meetings of members of the Order of the Thistle and knightings take place.
• Exposition dedicated to the history of the order and its members.
• Royal apartments where Elizabeth II stays.
• Royal Dining Room.

All the halls of the palace are richly decorated, the main staircase of the 17th century and the walls decorated with paintings in the style of the Italian Renaissance stand out.

Holyrood Park and Abbey

The royal residence is surrounded by the park of the same name, covering an area of ​​260 hectares. The natural attractions of the park are represented by basalt rocks, small lakes and extinct volcano called Arthur's Throne. At the top of the volcano at an altitude of 250 meters above sea level is located highest point Scottish capital. On the spurs of Arthur's Seat are the basalt pillars of Samson's Rib and Salisbury's Rib, about 50 meters high, used by rock climbers for a long time.

Tourists can also visit the abbey, from which the glorious history of Holyrood began. Now only picturesque ruins remain of the once prominent building, which have remained in this form for more than 250 years after the collapse of the roof during a hurricane. Also aside from the main complex is the modest building of the Baths of Queen Mary, built in the 16th century.

Schedule and prices

Opening hours of the Palace Museum:

• 09:30 - 18:00 (April - October);
• 09:30 - 16:30 (November - March).

Holyrood Castle is closed on Christmas Day and during visits to the castle of the Queen of Great Britain. According to tradition, the head of the kingdom must spend at least one week a year here (late June - early July).

Visit cost:

• 12.50 GBP for an adult ticket;
• 11.40 GBP for students and senior citizens;
• 7.50 GBP is a ticket for schoolchildren and the disabled, for children under 5 years old admission is free.

During the summer period, for the same price, a full tour with an audio guide around the palace complex, the park and Holyrood Abbey is available to tourists, during which the guide acquaints visitors with the stories of the famous castle and its inhabitants.

Address: Canongate, Edinburgh EH8 8DX, United Kingdom
Phone: +44 131 556 5100

We started our next walk around Edinburgh from the nearest Royal Mile street to the Palace of Holyrood called Canongate.

Canongate appeared when Holyrood Abbey was founded in Edinburgh, and the surrounding territories were given away for the settlement of canonical monks. From the 12th century, Canongate was a free city, bordering on Edinburgh, and only in the middle of the 19th century did they unite. Before that, there were huge gates on the border through which one could get into Edinburgh. In the last century, Canongate was greatly modernized, old houses were renovated.

Now it houses many educational institutions, the Edinburgh Museum, government buildings.

We see an unusual building with a clock tower - this is Tolbus. It was built at the end of the 16th century and housed all city services: city council, tax office and prison. Witches and sorcerers have always been believed in Edinburgh, and special attention was paid to protection from witchcraft and the evil eye. In some courtyards, mountain ash was specially planted, which was considered a tree that protects from evil spirits.

On Tolbus, on the one hand, we see shells on the walls. They were also considered a talisman against witches. The townspeople believed that witches were afraid of water, and shells were just a symbol of the water element. Currently, the Tolbus building houses a museum of folk life, where you can see how the inhabitants of Canongate lived, worked and rested since the 18th century.

Just behind Tolbus, among the flowering trees, we see the Canongate Church.

At the very end of the street is the modern building of the Scottish Parliament. It is known that after the unification of England and Scotland, the British Parliament began to rule the kingdom. However, all these years the Scots have been actively advocating to create their own representative body. And in the late 90s. last century, they were finally allowed to do so. Then they began to choose a place for a new government building.

As a result, it appeared on a site near the Old City and Holyrood Palace. The complex of modern buildings organically fit into the old buildings. The author of the project was a Catalan architect; it is not for nothing that the smooth lines resemble the creations of Gaudí in Barcelona. However, colors and materials were used more calm, as a result, the complex of buildings is similar in outline to a ship. A cozy square with benches for rest was laid out in front of the parliament. Later we found out that any visitor can visit the building for free, and at certain times there are guided tours for groups.

Opposite the modern Houses of Parliament is the Palace of Holyrood, which is the residence of the Queen in Scotland. In the summer, she always stops here for at least a week and arranges various receptions.

According to legend, King David I of Scotland met an angry deer while hunting, who tried to attack him. Then, as if by magic, a luminous cross appeared between the horns and the animal evaporated. King in honor of his miraculous salvation founded in the local forests Holyrood Abbey, dedicated to the Holy Cross. A small hotel was built for monarchs coming to religious services. In the 16th century, instead of guest house they begin to build a full-fledged palace, in which the royal family moves from Edinburgh Castle.

The left tower of the palace is one of the oldest. It was in it that the chambers of the famous Scottish Queen Mary Stuart were located.

After listening to the story of the audio guide, we learned about the tragic turns in the fate of the queen. Mary Stuart was the only legitimate surviving child of the Scottish King James V and the noble French aristocrat Mary of Guise. Her father died when Mary was still an infant, and the girl was soon crowned Queen of Scotland. At the age of five, she was engaged to the heir to the French throne and sent to France. There, at the age of 17, Mary Stuart became the French queen, but at the same time she was considered a possible contender for the English throne.

Her husband died shortly after the wedding, and Mary Stuart returned to Scotland. At this time, the nobility in the country was divided into those who wanted rapprochement with England, and those who supported the queen, who was friends with France and other Catholic countries.

Mary Stuart settled in Holyrood Palace and organized a kind of secular life at court here.

Balls and masquerades were held in the palace, the Louvre orders were transferred to Holyrood. Soon, a very young queen married her cousin Henry Stuart. However, her feelings for her husband cooled very quickly, which could not but cause her husband's displeasure. One evening, Henry and his friends broke into the chambers of his pregnant wife, where she was having dinner with her secretary, David Riccio. Men in front of Mary Stuart brutally killed an Italian.

During the tour, we saw the very rooms in which this crime took place. Relations between the spouses were completely upset, and even the birth of an heir did not help cement such a fragile marriage. Maria fell in love with another lord and even began to think about a divorce. Once upon a time, the corpse of Henry Stuart was found on an estate near Edinburgh. Immediately there were rumors about the involvement in the murder of Mary Stuart, who wanted to marry a new lover. The lords revolted, and the queen had to flee to England and ask for protection from her eternal rival Elizabeth I. Mary's mistake was that she did not want to give up her claims to the English throne.

For this, Elizabeth, who was afraid of her, settled Mary Stuart in Sheffield Castle, where the Scottish queen was actually under arrest. Later, letters from Mary Stuart were intercepted, where she allegedly incited supporters of Catholicism to kill Elizabeth. For this she was tried and later executed. In general, the fate of the Scottish queen turned out to be very sad: living in luxury from an early age, already at the age of twenty-five she was imprisoned, which lasted almost twenty years, after which she was executed. The Queen's personal items and even a lock of her blond hair have been preserved in the Palace of Holyrood. In the 17th century, for symmetry, the right tower of the palace was built and the royal chambers were completed.

In the following century, the roof of Holyrood Abbey collapsed and was never rebuilt.

The very picturesque ruins of the temple, where many Scottish monarchs were crowned, married and buried, have survived to this day.

In Holyrood Palace we also visited the portrait gallery with the faces of all Scottish kings, saw weapons and antique furniture.

The palace seemed very elegant and cozy to us. There are not many tourists inside.

This was especially pleasing at the end of the tour, when we went out into the wonderful park surrounding the palace. In April, numerous plants bloomed here, birds sang, and Holyrood seemed to us an unusually beautiful and secluded place.

The park offers stunning views of the hills and Arthur's Seat.

Holyrood Palace is not only a unique historical site, but also one of the the most beautiful places in Edinburgh, a must visit.

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Hotels in Edinburgh: booking and reviews

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Royal Palace of Holyrood in Edinburgh

Everyone has it big city there is a main street that defines its individuality, including architectural originality. In Edinburgh, this is the famous Royal Mile, connecting two remarkable monuments of medieval Scotland - Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Palace of Holyrood. They remind of the historical past of the country, giving tourists the pleasure of walking the entire Royal Mile from the castle down to the palace.

Having made this journey, the traveler stops in front of a gate with a magnificent forged lattice and figures of heraldic lions under crowns, raised on high support pillars. Here you can see one of the most famous palace buildings in the British Isles - the summer residence of the Queen. A mighty building with towers stands in the depths of a huge, spacious courtyard - a whole square - thanks to which it is not only clearly visible, but also perceived along with the surrounding landscape. In this regard, the same forged lattice plays an important role. On the north and south sides, it is cut through by the same gates as those that open the main entrance.

The silhouette of these gates - monumental and at the same time exceptionally elegant - is whimsical and unusually beautiful. Particularly impressive are the southern ones, which stand out against the background of the sky and the yellowish-brown grassy slopes of the mountain, known under the romantic name of Arthur's Throne. The lattice decorates the space in front of the palace, giving completeness to the whole ensemble. Its transparent lace sets off the severity of the building, further emphasizing the scale of its volumes.

The first impression of the palace is a feeling of strength and power, and at the same time solemnity and splendor. Forces - because to the right and left of the central facade, heavy towers of complex design with a massive battlement parapet and round pointed roof tops are brought forward. The left tower, in fact, is the old palace of Holyrood, built at the beginning of the 16th century. It contains the historical rooms of the palace. The one on the right, although it is a twin of the first tower, was erected two centuries later.

The towers are connected by a two-story screen building, with a portico in the center. Between the columns of the portico, above the entrance is a huge coat of arms of Scotland carved in stone. Behind this building is the main palace building, which occupies three sides of a courtyard covered with green lawn.

The palace owes its origin and name to a medieval abbey, of which only ruins now remain. The abbey had chambers in which Scottish monarchs often stayed. At the beginning of the 16th century, when Edinburgh became the capital under James IV, a palace began to be built next to the abbey. It was not at all like the building that exists today. It was high stone tower, reinforced by four round towers at the corners. Tower-type castles are generally characteristic of medieval Europe, therefore, the appearance of such a architectural structures and in constantly at war Scotland. Other palace buildings adjoined the Holyrood Tower.

In 1554, the old palace - along with the abbey - was almost completely destroyed by the British. However, the tower escaped the fire, and when Mary Stuart returned from France to Scotland in 1561, she lived in it. One hundred years later, during the civil war, the palace burned down again, almost to the ground, set on fire by Cromwell's troops. But left wing the palace, the basis of which was the tower, was again, by a lucky chance, preserved. In 1671, during the reign of Charles II, the inspector of royal buildings, the architect William Bruce, was commissioned to restore and renovate the palace. In the form of the end of the XVII century. he has come down to our days.

The creation of Bruce, who completed the construction in 1678, seems more like a medieval castle than a front, secular residence. He built the south tower, the configuration repeating the medieval tower of the palace. He decorated the building connecting the two towers with a portico and completed it with a balustrade. The facades of the main building are three-storey. The lower floor is decorated with a loggia. The walls of the two upper ones are almost completely occupied by windows, representing rectangles elongated upwards, divided by a binding into many small squares, almost a whole floor high. Thus, in comparison with the severe towers, the facades of the main building acquired a certain lightness.

Over the centuries, the walls of the palace have darkened, and the contrast of the white window casings and black walls gives the building a somewhat dramatic character, further emphasizing its harsh, medieval features. But perhaps the main thing, in which the echoes of the Middle Ages are felt here, in addition to the configuration of the towers, is their windows, which are rarely located, like loopholes, and in the medieval high roofs, bristling with dormer windows, turrets and clips of chimneys even above the main palace building.

In the XVIII century. Holyrood received little attention. Only in 1745, when the pretender to the throne, Prince Charles Edward Stuart with his army occupied Edinburgh, Holyrood for a short time flashed with lights again. A sumptuous ball was given in the Long Gallery. The only one in many years, this ball was remembered for a long time by Edinburgh and chroniclers.

The palace became the official royal residence again in 1822 under Queen Victoria, after she began to stop there when visiting Scotland on her way to her beloved Balmoral Castle. Since 1922 it has been the official summer residence of British monarchs during their stay in Scotland. Every summer the Queen of England visits Scotland and spends one week at the palace. She and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh host a reception in Holyrood Park, where Scots from all walks of life are invited. When in a nearby cathedral St. Giles, the service of the ancient Scottish knightly order of the Thistle is held, the queen and her husband in the Throne Room of the palace give a reception in honor of the knights of this order and their wives.

The front apartments are located on the second floor and occupy two sides of the courtyard. Along the third stretches a large front hall - over 42 m long - the already mentioned Long Gallery. It is still used for banquets and important meetings, and Scottish peers are also elected to the House of Lords here.

The Long Gallery looks rather modest - the walls are covered with simple dark oak panels; wooden floors; Antique furniture lined the walls. In this gallery one can feel antiquity, and the proportions of the hall, the very simplicity of decoration, give it significance and that severe restraint that is so characteristic of the monuments of Scottish architecture.

The true jewel of the Long Gallery of Holyrood are 111 portraits of Scottish kings from different times, executed between 1684 and 1688. Dutch artist Jacob de Wet. According to the artist, he painted them from originals provided to him by the Scottish government. True, no one has seen these originals, perhaps they did not exist at all. This conclusion can be drawn, since many of the kings in these “one-faced” portraits are simply the same model. But although portraits sin against history, nevertheless, their consideration delivers true pleasure. Strong strong-willed people with big eyes under wide eyebrows, in armor and helmets or with crowns on their heads, look from the darkened canvases. They are undeniably heroic.

The state apartments, located in the central part of the main building of the palace and connected to the Long Gallery, were originally occupied by the king. Now they are more associated with the name of Queen Victoria, who stayed here in the 19th century. In them you can see French and Flemish tapestries, magnificent tiles of stoves, individual pieces of antique furniture.

The right wing of the palace is occupied by the state apartments, which are used as such at the present time. They are opened by the Morning Lounge. The soft carpet that covers the entire floor drowns out the footsteps. An indispensable fireplace, placed between the Corinthian pilasters, is decorated with carved wood garlands. The real decoration of the hall is the rich, heavy molding of the ceiling, as well as tapestries on the plots of the myths about the goddess Diana.

It should be noted that the collection of tapestries is the pride of Holyrood Palace. The most valuable of these are the 18th-century Flemish tapestries, brought to Holyrood from Buckingham Palace and decorating the adjoining Evening Room.

The next one, the Great Throne Hall, is naturally more formal in its design. It is finished with strict panels, in which portraits of members of the royal house from different times are mounted. The main attraction of the hall is one of the largest carpets in Scotland, covering the entire floor.

The western living room is located on the right, south tower palace. In it, the characteristic heavy molding of the ceiling contrasts with the smooth surface of the oak wall panels. It is curious that the entire decoration of the hall (with the exception of the floor) is made of only one giant oak that grew in East Lothian. From it managed to get 591 cubic meters. foot (60 cubic meters) of usable wood.

Above the fireplace is the main attraction of the Western Drawing Room - a large canvas, executed in a harsh primitive manner, dedicated to the memory of Darnley, the second husband of Mary Stuart, who died under mysterious circumstances. It depicts the interior of a chapel with a sarcophagus and a tombstone in the middle. Darnley's parents and his son, the future King of England and Scotland, are on their knees praying for vengeance. A small picture in a separate frame is inserted into the lower left part of the canvas, depicting the scene of the defeat of the troops of Mary Stuart at the Battle of Carberry Hall.

The last of the state rooms of Holyrood is the dining room, designed for small receptions. It occupies part of the gallery in a building with a coat of arms connecting both towers of the palace. Unlike the previous halls, the decoration of the dining room is solved in light colors. Finely patterned stucco is notable for its refinement and lightness, somewhat running counter to the baroque portraits hung on the walls.

Walking further along the corridor, you can get into the historical halls associated with Queen Mary Stuart, who spent six years in power in Holyrood, and the tragic events of her life that unfolded within the walls of the palace.

The historic rooms of Holyrood are few in number: on the first floor there is Darnley's bedroom, boudoir and reception room. From the latter, a staircase leads to the second floor, to Maria's rooms. This is an audience hall, a bedroom, a chapel and a dining room.

During its existence, all these rooms have undergone a number of changes. Thus, the pilasters and stucco ceiling in Darnley's reception room clearly date back to the 17th century. The old coffered ceiling, whose wooden panels are decorated with the coats of arms of Mary Stuart, her parents, the French Dauphin - her first husband - and his father Henry II, has been preserved in the audience hall of Mary. With rare exceptions, the original decoration of the rooms has not been preserved.

True, the layout, proportions and volumes of the chambers of Mary Stuart have been preserved. Therefore, when you go up a narrow spiral staircase or enter through a low door into a tiny dining room, you involuntarily feel the presence of life in these walls, distant, but really existing, and the rooms themselves, although turned into a museum, come to life and no longer seem like a museum.

If you go around the palace from the north side, then next to it you can see the majestic ruins of Holyrood Abbey, from which the history of the palace began. There are different legends about the origin of the abbey. One of them tells how in 1128, on the day of the church feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, King David I of Scotland, instead of indulging in prayers, went hunting and fell behind his retinue. In a dense forest, a huge deer attacked him and threw him off his saddle. Defending himself, the king grabbed the beast by the horns, but was surprised to find that instead of deer horns he was holding a cross in his hand. The deer immediately disappeared. On the site of his miraculous salvation, David I founded the abbey of Holyrood (Holyrood - translated means "Holy Cross").

The origin of the abbey is also associated with Queen Margaret, whose memory chapel stands in Edinburgh Castle. According to legend, she brought with her to Scotland a golden reliquary box in the shape of a cross. After Margaret's death, her son, David I, presented the box to the abbey he founded, and it became the main sacred relic of Scotland.

From the monastery that flourished in the Middle Ages, nothing remained for a long time, except for the church, and even that has come down to our days in ruins. Partially preserved is one of the mighty towers, which flanked the main, western facade. From individual fragments, one can judge the once rich stone carving that adorned this facade. One of the arcades of the nave has been preserved; its thin columns, framing the Gothic arched openings, stretch to nowhere: there is no roof over the former nave. Against the background of the sky, the stone cellular binding of the large lancet window of the eastern wall looms like black lace.

In a word, today the church of Holyrood Abbey is a classic example of those picturesque medieval ruins that so excited the imagination of the romantics of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

In the courtyard next to the abbey there is an old sundial made for Charles I by the royal mason and his sons. Nearby, behind the palace fence, you can see the clumsy bathhouse of Mary Stuart, which looks like a block of stone that has grown into the ground.

To the south of the palace, majestic treeless hills can be seen through the openwork of the palace fence, around which the road winds. This is Holyrood Park, where the highest of the hills is called Arthur's Seat. The people of Edinburgh jokingly claim that those who are too lazy to climb it are not worthy of their porridge. And they are probably right. Holyrood Park is very picturesque, and the view of Edinburgh will reward anyone for the trouble of climbing the mountain.

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Holyrood Palace is the official residence of the British Queen in Scotland, where state ceremonies and official receptions take place. The palace is located in the center of the capital on the main street - the Royal Mile, at the other end of which is located.

Myths and facts

The legend tells how King David was hunting in the forest when he was attacked by a deer. At that moment, a silver cloud appeared in the sky, from which a luminous cross emerged. The deer immediately ran away, and King David, in confirmation of this miracle, founded the monastery of the Holy Cross in 1128.

The monastery prospered and Edinburgh became the capital. The royal family decided to move from the gloomy Edinburgh castle on the rock to the cozy Holyrood, surrounded by a beautiful park. In 1501, James IV built next to Holyrood Priory. Only a fragment of the gatehouse from this building has survived to this day.

Mary spent most of her turbulent life at Holyrood Palace. Here she married two of her husbands, and Rizzio's private secretary was killed by her jealous husband.

Further reconstruction was carried out in 1633 on the occasion of the coronation of the Scottish prince Charles James I. During civil war Oliver Cromwell's troops were quartered in the palace, which caused significant damage and led to a fire.

The new King of Scotland, Charles II, initiated a substantial rebuilding of Holyrood in the 1670s. The palace was completely restored and transformed into a quadrangle by the architect William Bruce. For the symmetry of the façade, the right tower was added and the new Royal Apartments were built with richly decorated rooms. Charles II, who never visited Holyrood Palace, built it as a private residence for his brother James, Duke of York. When the duke came to the throne, he adapted the royal chapels for the rites of the Order of the Thistle, the oldest order of chivalry in Scotland.

After the unification of Scotland and England in 1707, the palace lost its main significance and fell into disrepair.

Only in early XIX century after the visit of George IV, the fifth king of Great Britain, funds were allocated for the restoration of Holyrood. George IV ordered that the rooms of Queen Mary be "protected against any future changes" and also ordered the use of the palace during the meeting of the Assembly (this tradition continues today).

In 1920, Holyrood Palace was declared the official residence of the monarchs in Scotland and became the site of regular royal ceremonies and events. During the absence of the royal family, the palace is open to the public.

What to see

The entrance to the palace is through the 17th-century Baroque Grand Staircase, with exquisite ceiling moldings depicting angels holding Scottish regalia. Italian wall painting from the 16th century illustrates scenes from Ovid's Metamorphoses. Next is the richly decorated Royal Dining Room and Throne Room, where George IV was crowned.

The most impressive are the private chambers of Mary Stuart. It houses many antiques, valuable paintings and tapestries. The rooms are decorated with rich finishes and decorative details.

Portraits of 110 Scottish monarchs hang on the walls in a spacious art gallery. The gallery also contains exhibits of works of art from the private collection of the royal family.

The exposition dedicated to the Order of the Thistle presents a collection of awards that were awarded to Scots who held important public positions or made a special contribution.

Near the palace you can see the ruins of an ancient monastery - the first building in Holyrood. The buildings are surrounded by beautiful gardens.

What else to see in Scotland: the cathedral in Edinburgh, castles in Dundee and.

Holyrood Palace is open daily from 9:30 am to 6:00 pm from April to October and until 4:30 pm from November to March. Closed December 25-26 and on visiting days of the royal family.
Cost: £10.75 (includes audio tour), students £9.80, children under 17 £6.50.
* You can get there by train (station 15 minutes walk), or buses No. 35, 36 (stop next to the palace).
** To ensure safety, a one-way route is provided inside the complex.
*** It is forbidden to take pictures inside the palace and bring drinks and food (drinks can be ordered at the cafe in the courtyard of the stables).
Official site: