bed breakfast edinburgh
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On the corner between Parliament Square and the High Street is the City Chambers, beneath which lies the curious tourist attraction Mary Kings Close. This is one of Edinburgh's most famous closes, notable for a gruesome event which occurred here in the 17th century. In 1645 the closes' residents fell victim to the plague and so, in an effort to contain the disease, city officials bricked up the entranceway to the alley leaving the residents inside to slowly perish. The close wasn't re-opened and was eventually built over. However it is now accessible again and has become a surprisingly popular tourist attraction with guided tours to take you round.
After the Lawnmarket the road then becomes the High Street. On this part of the Royal Mile you can visit the Edinburgh Old Town Renewal Trust to find out more about the Old Town, and there is a popular Brass Rubbing Centre nearby. Other tourist attractions on this section of the Royal Mile include Tron Kirk, the Museum of Childhood and John Knox's House.
The High Street then makes way for the final section of the Royal Mile, Canongate. This part of the road takes its name from the Canon's who used to live at Holyrood Abbey at this end of the Royal Mile. Much of the Canongate part of the Royal Mile was allowed to go into decline and at one time it had a dubious reputation, however the last 50 years have seen extensive restoration work so that today it is one of the most interesting parts of the Old Town. The main attractions in this part of the Royal Mile are Canongate Tolbooth, Canongate Kirk and the Huntly House Museum. And of course at the very end of the Royal Mile there is the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the surrounding Holyrood Park and the famous Queen Mary's Bath-house.
Stay with us and visit Holyroodhouse Founded as a monastery in 1128, the Palace of Holyroodhouse is The Queen's official residence in Scotland. Situated at the end of the Royal Mile, the Palace of Holyroodhouse is closely associated with Scotland's turbulent past, including Mary, Queen of Scots, who lived here between 1561 and 1567. Successive kings and queens have made the Palace of Holyroodhouse the premier royal residence in Scotland. Today, the Palace is the setting for State ceremonies and official entertaining. According to legend, David I founded the Palace as an Augustinian monastery in 1128. It is said that the king had a vision in which a cross, or 'rood', belonging to his mother St Margaret appeared between the antlers of an attacking stag. Hence the Abbey's symbol - a stag's head, with its horns framing a cross.
The Abbey prospered. With it now recognised as Scotland's capital, her kings chose to live in Holyroodhouse, surrounded by parkland, rather than in the bleak Castle, high on a rock overlooking the town and exposed to the elements. In 1501 James IV (1488-1513) cleared the ground close to the Abbey and built a Palace for himself and his bride, Margaret Tudor (sister of Henry VIII). Only a fragment of the gatehouse survives today. His successor James V (1513-42) added a massive Tower between 1528 and 1532, and a new west front south of the Tower between 1535 and 1536.