History of Palace of Holyroodhouse
Palace of Holyroodhouse, also known as Holyrood Palace was originally built by James IV of Scotland between 1501 and 1505, as a Gothic palace adjacent to the 12th-century abbey.
The Old Holyroodhouse
The oldest part of the present building is the massive north-west tower, built between 1528 and 1532 by William Aytoun for James V. Two carved panels have been inserted in the tower, relics of earlier panels, one with the arms of Mary of Guise, second consort of James V, and the other with a background of thistles and a unicorn in full relief, the Royal Arms of Scotland.
Except for this tower, the entire 16th-century palace was destroyed by an English army in 1544. Over a century later the building remained semi-derelict, and the decision to re-create a palace on the site was taken by Charles II of England and Scotland (1660-1685).
The contract to rebuild the Palace of Holyroodhouse is dated March 1672. Responsibility for the work was shared by Sir William Bruce, His Majesty’s Surveyor-General in Scotland, and Robert Mylne, His Majesty’s Master Mason in Scotland. Bruce acted as superintendent and overseer, but his connection with the work seems to have ended in 1678.
The original sketch plan seems to have been by Mylne, but several alterations had to be made on the express orders of the King. The proposed ‘low vaulted Chappell’ was converted into a large vaulted cellar, and the number of royal apartments was reduced from three to two.
The King also ordered that a passage be made to connect the old royal chambers in the northwest tower to the new royal chambers in the east wing; this passage became the great gallery. These alterations made the internal arrangements of the palace far more orderly and convenient.
The New Holyroodhouse
The present Holyroodhouse Palace is of a quadrangular form, with an open court in the center, nearly 30 m square. It is built entirely of local stone, some of it reused.
The west front consists of the original castellated tower, four stories in height, its windows enlarged to suit 17th-century taste; a second tower very similar to the first; and the two towers joined by a low screen of two stories, with a platform roof and double balustrade.
Both towers have three circular turrets at their exterior angles, rising from the ground to the battlements and topped with conical roofs; the fourth angle of each tower is concealed by the building that surrounds the inner court. In the middle of the connecting screen is the entrance, ornamented by four Doric columns, which support an octagonal cupola surmounted by an imperial crown.
Beneath the cupola is a clock, its face bearing the date 1680, and over the gateway is the Royal Arms of Scotland. The elevation to the east has 17 bays, with superimposed pilaster orders. The north and south elevations are almost featureless. The inner court is surrounded by a handsome arcade, faced with Doric pilasters. On the entablature of these are cut the ensigns of Scottish royalty: the thistle and the crown, the sword, and the scepter.
Between the windows of the second floor, there is a range of Ionic pilasters, and above these an equal number of the Corinthian. On a pediment on the west-facing façade of the court are the royal arms.
At the southwest angle of the court is the large staircase leading to the royal apartments, and on the north side of the building is the great gallery, 45 m long, 7 m broad, and 6 m in height. At one stage a gate with Gothic pillars, arches, and towers joined the palace to the abbey, but this was destroyed in 1755.
The series of staterooms in the south range contains some fine late 17th-century work. In the Morning Drawing Room and the King’s Bedchamber and Closet there are corniced doorcases with acanthus leaf friezes by Alexander Eizat; elaborate drapery and festoons carved by Jan van Santvoort; and very fine ceilings by John Houlbert and George Dunsterfield, with deeply molded plasterwork, drapery, oak leaves and cherubs. The marble mantelpieces are Italian, and there are several French, Flemish, and Italian tapestries.
Between 1740 and 1741 William Adam redecorated and refurnished the apartments of the Duke of Hamilton in the highest style, but this work was almost completely destroyed in the course of later redecorations. In the northwest tower, there are apartments associated with Mary, Queen of Scots. These contain wooden ceilings, probably of the early 16th century, with some painted decorations and friezes in tempera.
Palace of Holyroodhouse Location
Address: Palace of Holyroodhouse, Canongate, Edinburgh, EH8. Get help with directions using the map provided below: