Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Canongate Kirk
Downhill from Huntly House is the attractive curved gable of the Canongate Kirk, built in
1688. The kirkyard contains the graves of several famous people, including the economist
Adam Smith
, author of
The Wealth of Nations;
Mrs Agnes MacLehose (the 'Clarinda' of
Robert Burns' love poems); and poet
Robert Fergusson
(1750-74; there's a statue of him
on the street outside the church). Fergusson was much admired by Robert Burns, who paid
for the gravestone and penned the epitaph - take a look at the inscription on the back. (An
information board just inside the gate lists famous graves and their locations.)
CHURCH
CASTLE HIT LIST
If you're pushed for time, here are the top things to see at Edinburgh Castle:
»Views from Argyle Battery
»One O'Clock Gun
»Great Hall
»Honours of Scotland
»Prisons of War
HOLYROOD
Palace of Holyroodhouse
(
www.royalcollection.org.uk
;
adult/child £10.75/6.50; 9.30am-6pm Apr-Oct, to 4.30pm
Nov-Mar)
This palace is the royal family's official residence in Scotland, but is more fam-
ous as the 16th-century home of the ill-fated Mary, Queen of Scots. The palace developed
from a guest house, attached to Holyrood Abbey, which was extended by King James IV
in 1501. The oldest surviving part of the building, the northwestern tower, was built in
1529 as a royal apartment for James V and his wife, Mary of Guise. Mary, Queen of Scots
spent six turbulent years here, during which time she debated with John Knox, married
both her first and second husbands, and witnessed the murder of her secretary David
Rizzio. The palace is closed to the public when the royal family is visiting and during
PALACE
