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Day 16—Royal Mile and Arthur's Seat
Day 16—Royal Mile and Arthur's Seat
In 2010, my dad went on a trip around the UK and said his favorite part, by far, was Edinburgh. Well, cue me going to Edinburgh 12 years later! I was torn between Dublin and Edinburgh, but given that Edinburgh is only a four hour train ride away, Edinburgh won.
Edinburgh is a beautiful, historic city, and Old Town is mostly unchanged from its original construction hundreds of years ago. We didn't get a chance to go to New Town Edinburgh, but our hostel was across the street from the train station, just off of Royal Mile.
All tickets for Edinburgh Castle were sold out for today, so we chose to explore Royal Mile, see all the museums, and hike Arthur's Seat! It was a long, tiring day, but it was well worth it.
Royal Mile
Royal Mile
A street performer playing the bagpipes.
In the foreground is a statue of Scottish economist Adam Smith, who, strangely, has a traffic cone on his head.
St. Giles's Cathedral. It was founded in 1124 and the current building was built between the 14th and 16th centuries.
A statue of philosopher David Hume. I had to read some of his texts for my English class. I must admit, I was rather bored by them, but apparently he's beloved in Scotland!
A view of Edinburgh castle from the street down below. I don’t know whose idea it was to build a modern stadium beside it, of all things, and frankly, I’m appalled at their decision. But it’s a beautiful castle, and I’ll be going there tomorrow!
This is a view down Royal Mile.
This pub inspired J.K. Rowling; she stood across from this every day to pick up her kid from school, and she saw the name McGonagall. The rest is history!
Disclaimer: though I'm a huge Harry Potter fan, I did not actually go in the pub.
The side of St. Giles's Cathedral is in the background.
This old church, with beautiful stained glass windows around the perimeter, now functions as a maker’s market with a variety of cool sculptures, paintings, woven fabrics, and more!
This is our group that went to Edinburgh. I'm second from left and Hayley is on the far right.
This is the National Library of Scotland, our next stop!
National Library of Scotland
National Library of Scotland
Right now, the National Library has a book-binding exhibition. These are some of the tools that would've been used for bookbinding long ago.
The interactive exhibit on book cover design was probably meant for children, but everyone's a kid at heart, right? It was raining outside, so we decided to kill time and make covers. The one on the far left was a 5-minute sketch I made for my actual novel (I'm not an artist with crayons, let's be real; I'll hire an actual cover designer for the book.) I signed it, so if my book ever becomes as famous as J.K. Rowling's, whoever has this paper can get very rich!
Original copies of the Gutenberg Bible are very rare, but there's one housed here!
This is the publisher's copy of Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory.
National Museum of Scotland
National Museum of Scotland
This is a painted ceiling from the Scottish Renaissance, probably painted in 1617 at Rossend Castle for a visit by James VI—the only visit he would make to Scotland after becoming King of England.
This was made soon after Robert the Bruce defeated the English in 1314. Robert the Bruce is represented in this bowl by the lion in the center, surrounded by the coats of arms of his most loyal supporters.
These are original coins minted during the reigns of each of the Scottish monarchs pictured here.
This is a banner showing the royal coat of arms of Great Britain as it was depicted in Scotland. This was likely made during his one and only visit to Scotland after he left for England.
This cradle and rocking chair were thought to have been used by James VI.
These are items that survive from James VI's reign.
This beheading machine, designed for public executions and used for 145 years, was called the Maiden.
This is a cast, or copy, of the tomb of Mary, Queen of Scots. The original tomb is at Westminster Abbey, in London. James VI commissioned this ornate tomb, possibly to compensate for his guilt at avoiding her during her lifetime—after he was taken from her at 13 months old, he never saw her again.
These are Renaissance style sculptures, but that's not why I took a picture of them—they inspired a worldbuilding idea for my book! One of my characters comes from a (fictional) place called Oakwood, and after seeing this, I decided that the legacies of important people in the story are commemorated with wooden carvings etched in trees in the royal forest. I guess inspiration really is everywhere!
These stones survive from a doorway at Jedburgh Abbey in the 12th or 13th century.
These are the Lewis chessmen, probably from 12th century Scandinavia.
Old coinage from the reigns of various Scottish monarchs.
Leather items created prior to 1000 AD, as early as 7500 BC.
Viking items.
These are some various items associated with Roman supply and coinage.
This diorama illustrates the history of the Scottish forest, back when it was a tundra.
This is a map of Scotland illustrating where various surnames came from. The northern and western names are mostly Gaelic, whereas the southern names are rooted in Norman-French culture.
Museum of Edinburgh
Museum of Edinburgh
The Hike—Arthur's Seat
The Hike—Arthur's Seat
Arthur's Seat, named for the fictional King Arthur, sits high on a hill overlooking all of Edinburgh. There's no actual seat, per se, but we didn't find that out until we reached the top. There is a pillar (featured below) that imitates a seat. But the views made it worth it!
Situated on a hill in Holyrood Park on the way up to Arthur's Seat, this is part of the ruins of St. Anthony's Chapel, built prior to 1426. Its last recorded chaplain lived in 1581.
These are thistles, the Scottish national flowers.
Day 17—Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace
Day 17—Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle
My time in the UK, summed up in three words? "Castles, castles, castles."
Seeing old castles was really what I wanted out of this trip, since so much of the history I'm so fascinated by took place in these old castles. Admittedly, walking into Edinburgh Castle, I wasn't sure what to expect. I'm not well acquainted with Scottish royal history (or Scottish history in general), other than their involvement on the fringes of the English anarchy (Empress Matilda and her rival Stephen's wife were both granddaughters of the Scottish king Malcolm III), some general knowledge of Mary, Queen of Scots, and a brief overview of her descendants that would go on to rule England.
But not only were all three of those periods touched on, I learned more about other Scottish kings, some later battles between the rival Stuart kings of England, and even a horrific murder that inspired George R.R. Martin's Red Wedding scene in Game of Thrones—the Black Dinner, which happened in David's Tower (seen in the third row of images, far right).
Here's a brief overview on Mary, Queen of Scots, since we just covered her in my monarchy class and she's important here:
She became the first reigning Queen of Scotland at 6 days old, after the death of her father, James V.
She spent much of her childhood in France, where she married the French king Francis II. Both were teenagers. She wrote romantic poetry, possibly for him, where she claimed “If I could be anything in the world I would want to be a teardrop because I would be born in your eyes, live on your cheeks, and die on your lips.”
Sadly, her stint as Queen of France came to a quick end when Francis II died just two years into the marriage.
She needed to marry to produce an heir for Scotland, so she married her cousin, a Scottish nobleman named Lord Darnley. (Allegedly, he was handsome, but personally, I don't see it.) He was the father of her son, James VI and I. While she was pregnant, his men butchered her friend David Rizzio in front of her. (Darnley was a piece of work.)
Her next husband was Lord Bothwell, who was rumored to have killed Darnley. This marriage made her unpopular, but it's unclear whether it was her choice to marry him or if he abducted her and forcibly married her.
She was forced to abdicate in favor of her only son, James VI and I, when he was only thirteen months old. He was taken away from her, and she never saw him again.
Eventually, Catholic plots in England to replace Queen Elizabeth I with Queen Mary led to the imprisonment and eventual execution of Mary, Queen of Scots. Though Elizabeth executed Mary, her son James VI became James VI and I as Elizabeth's heir to the English throne. (I wonder how that conversation went down... "hey, I beheaded your mother, but here's a throne...?")
Edinburgh Castle.
This is a statue of Haig, a general in WWI. He was seen as a hero in WWI, but he went under scrutiny in the 1920s due to his heartless tactics and high casualty rates among his soldiers.
This is the hospital, converted from a storehouse in 1897. It's located in hospital square, named after the military hospital that stood here during WWI. Only the physically injured and sick were treated here, but those suffering mental trauma from the horrors of the trenches were treated with sympathy here. The firing of the one o’clock gun was suspended out of compassion for those who nerves were frayed from the trenches.
Mason’s yard was behind this fence; the masons, painters, carpenters, etc. worked behind here. Due to the longevity of the castle and the disrepair it went through, craftsmen always had work here. The most significant threat to the castle’s stone work is weathering, so they used lime mortar rather than cement since cement retains moisture but lime mortar lets the moisture flow out. The stone slabs that make up the walkways are made of clay. Nowadays, electricians and plumbers also work here.
This is the governor’s house, a place for soldiers. It has an apartment for the Governor and a mess hall for higher officers. It was built in 1742 and was the site of the final siege by Bonnie Prince Charlie. The house survived unscathed. Later, it became the British army mapmaking team’s base of operations. They sent surveyors out every summer and recorded features to add to a map.
This is Foog’s Gate, possibly named for the fog coming in from the sea. Beyond the wall is the Upper Ward, on Castle Rock, which was lava 350 million ago before being cooled and reformed by ice in the Ice Age. It became a very solid rock.
Since it was built, this castle has been besieged 23 times, but it’s only been taken a few times so it’s seen as impenetrable. It fell the first time to King Edward I in 1296, who used three stone throwing siege machines and threw rocks at the palace. Edward gave the palace officials permission to consult with the Scottish King John Balliol, who said the constable should look to his own safety. The constable surrendered.
The first recorded siege took place in 640 AD, when it was a hill fort home to the Gododdin, who left behind ancient, beautiful poetry and called the top of the hill Edinburgh.
This is a dog graveyard that has been at Edinburgh Castle since the reign of Queen Victoria.
This is Mons Meg. It was named “mons” after the city it was forged in. It weighed at least three car weights! It was built by the Duke of Flanders in the 1400s. Its cannonballs could travel up to 3 km. Mons Meg was a weapon of medieval mass destruction. Transporting it was difficult because even with horses, oxens, and men transporting it, she could still only travel 9 km per day. Mons Meg broke in the 1680s.
Most of this well shaft was dug through hard, volcanic rock more than 700 years ago (at least before 1314). Robert the Bruce ordered the well to be plugged up so the British couldn’t use it. His son David II ordered it repaired, but it was later destroyed again. Without water, the castle was forced to surrender to siege.
Buried beneath the half moon battery are the ruins of David’s Tower, which was built by David II as the royal residence but it wasn’t finished by his death in 1371.
When subsequent monarchs came to stay, it was very busy and a hub of activity from servants. On the upper floors were the king and queen’s living quarters. Below these chambers were storage vaults for salt, meat, etc.
In 1573, when the castle was held by supporters of Mary, Queen of Scots, it came under siege. A blast destroyed the tower and the half-moon battery was built above the remains. It was forgotten about and later discovered.
It’s the site of the Black Dinner, which inspired the Red Wedding in George RR Martin's "Game of Thrones". (At the Black Dinner, the 10-year old king James II dined with two of his young friends, but the keeper of the castle had his soldiers seize the king's young companions and execute them, despite the young king's pleas. Another instance of horrifying history.)
This chapel is dedicated to Scotland’s only saint, St. Margaret. She was a Hungarian-born Saxon princess, daughter of Edward the Exile, who fled to Scotland after the Norman Conquest. She married the Scottish king Malcolm III and died in 1093, shortly after her husband and son died—she said “deliver me” and died. Generations of royals have met here for prayer. Her son King David I probably commissioned this.
This is the inside of the small chapel.
This stained glass depicts St. Margaret. She's the maternal grandmother of Empress Matilda.
The blocked up door on this side was for when the chapel was later used as a gunpowder store room.
This is a room inside the Royal Palace, home of the Stuart kings of Scotland and now home to the Scottish Crown Jewels.
Mary, Queen of Scots, came here when she was six months pregnant. She was faced with troubles at court, plotting nobles, and a failing marriage. She knew her son would have a claim to the English throne and they’d both be at risk, so she came here thinking she would be safe. She gave birth in the room now known as the King’s birthplace, next door to this. She was forced to abdicate in favor of her son thirteen months after he was born. Her son was taken from her, and she never saw him again.
This really neat shop inside the palace sells family crests with a history of the family. I bought one for each of my parents, but I was forgetful, and I lost them. At least I still have a picture of the Moss one!
This hall was originally built by James IV in early 1500s. When Mary, Queen of Scots returned home, her return was celebrated here. Oliver Cromwell celebrated the defeat of Charles I here, then returned a year later, captured the castle, and made the Great Hall a barracks (a cramped three story dormitory) for his soldiers. In the 1790s it became a military hospital. The fireplace, stained glass windows, and tiled floor were added in later restorations trying to make the room look like it used to. The roof is the original medieval roof brought here from Norway between 1509 and 1511.
The crests built into the stained glass windows surrounding the room honor James IV’s marriage to Margaret Tudor, sister of Henry VIII.
This was an allegedly secure exercise yard. On April 12, 1811, a massive escape (49 prisoners) occurred through a hole they hacked in the stairs (which were known as Devil’s Elbow). They climbed down using rope made from sheets. One of them lost his grip and fell to his death, but the other 48 escaped—and were eventually recaptured. At least six other escapes occurred, and though most were apprehended, four made it to France.
This is where the prisoners lived in Edinburgh Castle—enemy French, religious dissenters, etc. Conditions were far from pleasant—prisoners had to pay for their own food and clothes. More than 2/3 had no shirt, trousers, or shoes in the 1750s. When Americans rebelled against British rule, the POWs were brought here and imprisoned. They had harsher conditions and less food on account of being rebels. One of the prisoners captured in the war against the Napoleanic French was a five year old drummer boy. During the World Wars, many more were brought here.
This model table shows what prisoners would do for recreation. Just look at that horrible, green-looking porridge with lumps in it! I'd say the food here was inedible.
These are the cots where prisoners of Edinburgh Castle slept. This helped me envision a setting for one of my later books.
Holyrood Palace
Holyrood Palace
This palace, a more recently built structure than old Edinburgh Castle, is the official residence of the Queen when she comes to Edinburgh. She was here three weeks before we toured it, for an annual week-long visit known as Royal Week.
There's a lot of history here, especially history about Mary, Queen of Scots. I watched a movie about her a few years ago on a plane to Italy, and I remember being struck by the brutality of the murder of her close friend and secretary, David Rizzio, who was butchered in front of her by her husband's men. That murder happened here, in rooms that I got to walk through as part of the tour.
But the castle isn't just the site of a murder—there's hundreds of years of history here! Click on the pictures below to learn more.
The unicorn is the national animal of Scotland, and the gilded designs on these doors commemorate that. The opposite door features a gold lion.
There was an abbey founded here in 1128, when Scottish King David I saw a vision of a stag with a cross between its antlers. It has very comfortable rooms, nicer than Edinburgh Castle. The palace was built in reign of David IV.
This tower, built by James V (the father of Mary, Queen of Scots) is the oldest part of the castle to survive. The rest is a restoration project by their English-Scottish descendant, Charles II.
This is the entrance to Holyrood Palace.
This is the quadrangle, a yard in the center of the palace. The ground floor rooms are offices and kitchens. The second floor consists of grand rooms for palace officials, with attics above.
This quadrangle is the setting for the Queen's official functions during Royal Week, and this also was the location of her granddaughter Zara Phillips's wedding reception.
These are the Great Stairs, which lead up to the royal apartments.
This magnificent ceiling hangs over the Great Stairs.
This is the dining room. The 'banqueting service' (plates) were made in Edinburgh for King George V. All items have the Scottish royal crest. The full service has over 3000 plates!
It was so strange to see this portrait of the queen in full royal regalia!
The dining room.
This is a throne room now, but it was originally a guard chamber meant to control access to the royal apartments. When the palace started being used again under Queen Victoria, it was first her dining room, then her throne room.
King George V (the current Queen's grandfather) was the one who made Holyrood the official residence of the royalty in Scotland. The GV and M on the chairs are for George and his wife Mary. The pictures on the wall are the Stuarts, who ruled for 150 years before James VI and I united England and Scotland.
This dark burgundy wall, with the dim gray light flooding in through the windows and flickering light from the wall sconces, looks like a scene straight from my book!
This presence chamber was meant to be the waiting room for meetings with the king. Today, the queen uses this room to meet with important visitors.
The Queen uses this room to meet with important dignitaries (the Pope, heads of state, etc.). It has all the mainstays of 17th century architecture—carved oak panels, elaborate ceilings, etc.
The rooms all get more extravagant as they lead towards the king's room.
This is the King’s antechamber. It's meant to be a waiting room for those seeking admittance to the king’s bedchamber. These tapestries are made of gold silk, gold thread, and silver thread. Queen Victoria used this room as her bedchamber; the tapestries have been here since then.
The king’s most important visitors would’ve been invited to his room to watch him go to bed (weird, right?). It’s the most elaborate of all the procession rooms, and the only one with a painting. The bed dates from the time of Charles II, though it was used for a different noble in a different room and moved here later to create an authentic image.
Interestingly, no monarch has actually slept in this room! James, the Duke of York, slept in it in the 1680s. Prince Albert later used this as a dressing room. So I guess no one watched the king go to sleep in here!
This is the King’s closet. It was used by Victoria and Albert as a breakfast room. They were both painters and may have produced their watercolors in here.
This is the Great Gallery, the largest room in the palace. It's home to important events and state dinners. (And it's now the fictional home of a scene in my book—it finally gave me a clear image of what the royal council chamber should look like in my story.)
In 1684, Charles II commissioned 123 portraits of real or fictitious Scottish monarchs; more than 90 of these originals are still hanging. It took 2.5 years for the painter to paint them all; the painter made one per week. He emphasized Charles as the rightful heir to Scotland by giving all previous monarchs Charles’s prominent nose. (An interesting choice, if you ask me, but when you look at all of them together, you do get a sense of that familial resemblance!)
Behind this painting is a hidden door for palace staff to send food up. This solved a plot hole in one of the scenes in my book, and I quickly fell in love with the idea of secret passageways hidden behind paintings.
This is a room associated with the Stuarts. A portrait of James II hangs in the middle and his sons are on either side (Prince Henry on the left and Bonnie Prince Charlie on the right).
This is the room of Mary, Queen of Scots. Her parents’ monograms feature up above.
As I mentioned in my Edinburgh Castle entry, her life was tragic. One of the darkest moments took place in this room. She was up here with her secretary (and supposed lover) David Rizzio when her husband (Lord Darnley’s) men burst in. Rizzio hid behind Mary, who was heavily pregnant, but Darnley’s men dragged him away and brutally murdered him in the room next door.
Karma got Darnley, though—he was killed by Mary's next husband (and supposed abductor/rapist), Lord Bothwell.
This is Queen Mary’s outer chamber, where Rizzio was stabbed 56 times and left to die. This room is where she held meetings with important people and heads of state. She met with John Knox here, a Scottish theologian and writer who didn’t approve of a woman ruling.
This is a portrait of Mary with symbols of her strong Catholic faith. This faith made her a face of hope for repressed English Catholics, who sought to replace the Protestant Queen Elizabeth I with a Catholic ruler. Eventually, these plots were Mary's downfall, regardless of whether or not she was involved.
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