Historic Places in City of Edinburgh

Liberton Tower is a four-storey, square-plan tower house located in the Edinburgh suburb of Liberton, on the east side of the Braid Hills. Originally owned by the Dalmahoy family, it dates back to 1453, and was later sold to William Little, who was Provost of Edinburgh in 1586 and 1591. The tower was abandoned as a residence in 1610 and used for agricultural storage until the 1990s. It is well-preserved and used for holiday lets today. The tower is rectangular in plan, measuring 34 feet 9 inches along the east-west axis and 25 feet 9 inches along the north-south axis. It features distinctive yellow harling and has been described as "grim and ponderous." The tower's interior includes two large barrel vaulted sections and a ground floor level that was originally accessed through a hatch in the floor of the chamber above. The tower is a good example of a typical noble residence of its period, one of the relatively few that were not substantially altered in later centuries.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse stands at the foot of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, nestled beneath the dramatic crags of Arthur's Seat, and serves as the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. It is a place of genuine historical depth and royal significance, the setting for some of the most dramatic episodes in Scottish history, and one of the most rewarding royal palaces in Britain to visit. The palace has its origins in an Augustinian abbey founded by King David I of Scotland in 1128. The abbey ruins that stand beside the palace today are all that remain of that original foundation after centuries of conflict and reformation. The royal lodgings associated with the abbey gradually developed into a proper palace from the fifteenth century onwards under successive Scottish monarchs of the House of Stuart, who found the location outside the confines of Edinburgh Castle more suited to courtly life. The most dramatic chapter in the palace's history belongs to Mary, Queen of Scots, who lived here during her brief reign in Scotland in the 1560s. It was in these rooms that her Italian secretary David Rizzio was stabbed repeatedly by a group of Protestant nobles in the presence of the pregnant queen in 1566, one of the most violent acts of court intrigue in Scottish history. The supper room where the murder took place is one of the most visited spaces in the palace, and a brass plaque in the floor marks the spot where Rizzio fell. Mary's private apartments are remarkably well preserved and provide an intimate connection to this turbulent period. The palace was significantly rebuilt and enlarged by King Charles II after the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, and the State Apartments created during this period reflect the grand Baroque decorative style fashionable at the time. The Great Gallery, the longest room in the palace, contains 110 portraits of Scottish monarchs by the Dutch artist Jacob de Wet, commissioned to demonstrate the ancient lineage of the Stuart dynasty. The paintings are remarkable for their sheer ambition even if historical accuracy was clearly not always the primary concern. Today the palace is used by the monarch during the annual Royal Week in Scotland each June or July, when a programme of garden parties and investitures takes place. When the royal family is not in residence the State Apartments and Mary Queen of Scots' Tower are open to visitors. The ruined nave of Holyrood Abbey, which adjoins the palace, can also be explored and adds a powerful sense of medieval history to the site. The palace gardens include the dramatic volcanic landscape of Arthur's Seat and Holyrood Park, which provide extraordinary walking and views across Edinburgh.