Castles or Bust! The Palace of Holyroodhouse

Amy, your historical fiction hussy, is proud to present Passages to the Pasts' newest feature: Castles or Bust! I am completely and utterly fascinated with castles and one fine day I plan on taking a trip to visit all the historic places I read about.

First on my list is my favorite, The Palace of Holyroodhouse, which is located in Edinburgh, Scotland and neighbor to Edinburgh Castle.

Holyroodhouse began as a abbey, built by King David I after having a religious vision. James IV added on to the abbey cloister and from then on was the official residence of Scottish Kings and Queens. His son, James V, also had a hand in the expansion during his reign.


Oh, to be a fly! Holyroodhouse has had it's fair share of famous people, historic events and dramas that have taken place within it's walls.
  • Mary Stuart's mother, Mary of Guise, was crowned as Queen constort in the Abbey in 1540.
  • Mary Stuart was married to Lord Darnley in 1565.
Mary, Queen of Scots
  • In the north-west tower built by her father, Mary Stuart's secretary, David Rizzio, was murdered by Lord Darnley and his buddies.
The Murder of David Rizzio
  • Oliver Cromwell and his troops were housed in the Palace during the Civil War.
  • Louis XVI's brother, Comte d'Artois and his family, was given sanctuary here during the French Revolution.
Comte d'Artois
  • In 1842 Queen Victoria re-established Holyroodhouse as the official royal residence.
  • Modernization of the Palace, including electricity and plumbing, was taken on by George V and Queen Mary in the 1920s.


Holyroodhouse ended it's reign as the royal residence when James VI of Scotland became James I of England in 1603. Holyroodhouse was entrusted to the care of the 1st Duke of Hamilton by Charles I and is still owned by the family to this day.

When the royal family is not in residence the Palace is open to the public. Click here for info.

The Royal Dining Room
The Great Stair
The Throne Room

The Evening Drawing Room

Mary, Queen of Scots' bedchamber

All I wanna know is....who's comin' with me?


11 comments:

  1. I want to visit so many of these castles I've read about! I'm looking forward to your posts about them!

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  2. What a wonderful new feature, I love castles! Fabulous post- the pictures are like a fairytale...perfect for dreamers like me. Can't wait for your next post!

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  3. Great post. Thanks. I'm planning a Scotland trip for 2010 with a girlfriend (leaving the men at home!). I'm sending the link to this post to my friend right now!

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  4. Me oh me, I wanna come with!!!! Take ME! :)

    I love this new feature....I swear, I could spend a whole year doing nothing but visiting castles around the world.

    This one is wonderful!

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  5. Can you imagine actually living in a place like that? I'd get lost! :-)

    Lezlie

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  6. What a great idea for a feature! I'm looking forward to learning about all the castles you profile, and seeing what I already knew about them (like the Mary, Queen of Scots information about Holyroodhouse).

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  7. I'm so glad you like the Castles post! This first one was a lot of fun to put together, so I'm looking forward to more too!

    Beth F: how wonderful! Make sure to take some pretty pictures for all of us.

    Michele: of course you're going...who do you think is flying us there? Hahaha

    Lezlie: oh, yes I can sooo see myself getting lost in there and loving every second of it. Just leave me some bread and water and lock the doors for a few weeks...I'll be in heaven!

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  8. The pictures are so beautiful! Thanks for sharing!

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  9. I'm coming with! ;) I loved visiting a few castles when I went to Spain in 2002. I just wanted to go on my own and explore! Knowing the history, like you do, will make it even more special when you are there!

    On a side note, I watched The Duchess the other day and thought of you. I ended up really liking the movie, so of course, thought I should read the book. Have you read it? :)

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  10. I love your castle posts. Ahh...someday!

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