To coincide with the publication of a new history of the palace, John Goodall offers an overview of the creation, abandonment and rebirth of this working royal residence over the past 900 years
LATE at night on March 26, 1603, an English courtier, Sir Robert Carey, knocked at the gate of Holyrood-house, the principal palace of the Kings of Scotland on the edge of Edinburgh. He was exhausted by a two-day ride from London and bloodied by a bad fall from his horse. Nevertheless, he was ushered immediately into the royal chamber, where James VI had retired to bed. Sir Robert brought the momentous and long-anticipated news that Elizabeth I was dead. According to Sir Robert’s memoir, he knelt before the King and ‘saluted him by his title of England, Scotland, France and Ireland’. In return, the King ‘gave me his hand to kiss and bade me welcome’. Sir Robert then produced ‘a blue ring’—thrown to him by his sister from a window of Richmond Palace—as a token of his reliability.
The succession of James VI to the English throne marked a watershed in the complex history of this remarkable palace, which is now the subject of a magnificently produced volume published this month—The Palace of Holyroodhouse, edited by Deborah Clarke (Royal Collection Trust, £55)—to which this article is indebted.
Denne historien er fra October 16, 2024-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra October 16, 2024-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
