Holyrood Palace, Picturesque Scotland: Its Romantic Scenes & Historical Associations Described in Lay and Legend, Song and Story, p. 40, "Holyrood." 11.4 cm high by 15.2 cm wide, or 4 &12; inches by 6 inches, framed.
Text Illustrated: "The Hampton Court of the North"
Holyrood, once the scene of many a merry gathering, knows nothing of its old grandeur, scarcely recognising it even in the sows and levees of the "Lord High Commissioner" during the sittings of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland: and the squalid courts of the Canongate and the grimy loses of the High Street tell only by carved doorways here, and chiselled coats-of-arms there, of the days that have been. [10]
ALAS! how much must be left undone in our talks about Edinburgh; but, whatever is left, Holyrood cannot, must not, be. Who that has ever looked upon it, as it stands there, at the foot of the grimy Canongate, as it were aside from all other buildings, and clad in an ancient glory which time has only enhanced, can ever forget it? Even the castle itself wakes up fewer memories far than this. As we look upon it, we hear once more the sounds of merry men and women as they come and go; we think of banquets and of feasts; we hear, perhaps, now and then, by way of deadly contrast, the serpentine whisper of conspirators, and the murmur of intrigue; but, most of all, it speaks of Scottish life in its gayest form, when kings and queens held court in Edinburgh, and when lords and ladies came from Highland and from Lowland to sun themselves in royal favour. "The tender grace of a day that is dead" is that which seems, most of all, to encircle it.
The following interesting description of Holyrood, as it stood in the last century, as compared with the Holyrood of early times, is given by Arnot: —
"This building has undergone various changes. None of what now remains can lay claim to antiquity, the ruins of the chapel excepted. The north-west towers were built for a royal residence, by James V., whose name is to be seen at the bottom of a niche, in the northwest tower of the palace. It was burned by the English in the minority of Mary Queen of Scots, but was speedily repaired. It then became a larger building than the present, and consisted of five courts. The westmost, which was the outermost court, was larger than all the rest. It was bounded on the east by the front of the palace, which occupied the same space with its present front, and also extended further south. The three remaining sides of the outer court were bounded by walls, and at the north-west corner there was a strong gate, with Gothic pillars, arches, and towers, part of which has been pulled down within these last thirty years. The next court occupied the same as the present central court of the royal palace, and was surrounded with buildings. On the south there -were two smaller courts, also surrounded with buildings; and there was another court on the east, which was bounded on the north by the Chapel Royal, on the west by a line of buildings covering the same space as the present east front of the palace, on the south, by a row of buildings which are now demolished, and on the north by a wall which divided it from St. Ann's yards. Great part of this palace was burned by Cromwell's soldiers. It was ordered to be repaired at the Restoration. Accordingly, the present magnificent fabric was designed by Sir William Bruce, a celebrated architect in the reign of Charles II., and executed by Robert Mylne, mason.
The Palace of Holyrood bears a resemblance to that of Hampton Court. It is of a quadrangular form, with a court in the centre, surrounded with piazzas. The front is two stories high, and flat in the roof; but at each end • where the front projects, and is ornamented with circular towers at the angles, the building is much higher; the rest of the palace is three stones high." ["Holyrood," 41]
Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham. [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned the image, and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]
Bibliography
Watt, Francis M., and Andrew Carter. "Holyrood." Picturesque Scotland: Its Romantic Scenes & Historical Associations Described in Lay and Legend, Song and Story. London: John M. Murdoch [1887?], pp. 40-45.
Created 7 June 2025