Linlithgow Palace
The ruins of Linlithgow Palace are situated in the town of Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland, 15 miles west of Edinburgh. A royal manor existed on the site in the 12th century.[1] This was replaced by a fortification known as 'the Peel', built in the 14th century by English forces under Edward I. The site of the manor made it an ideal military base for securing the supply routes between Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle.
In 1424, the town of Linlithgow was partially destroyed in a great fire.[2] King James I started the rebuilding of the Palace as a grand residence for Scottish royalty, also beginning the rebuilding of the Church of St Michael immediately to the south of the palace: the earlier church had been used as a storeroom during Edward's occupation.[3] Over the following century the palace developed into a formal courtyard structure, with significant additions by James III and James IV. James V, who was born in the palace in April 1512, added the outer gateway and the elaborate courtyard fountain. Mary, Queen of Scots, was born at the Palace in December 1542[4] and occasionally stayed there during her reign. The daughter of James VI, Elizabeth of Bohemia, lived in the Palace.[5] After the Union of the Crowns in 1603 the Royal Court became largely based in England and Linlithgow was used very little. Although King James VI had the North range rebuilt between 1618 and 1622, the only reigning monarch who stayed in Linlithgow after that date was King Charles I who spent one night there in 1633.
Parts of the Church of St Michael were brought into use as they were completed, and the church was completed in 1540. In 1559, at an early stage of the Scottish Reformation, the Protestant Lords of the Congregation destroyed the statues adorning the exterior and interior of the church as signs of "popishness", and defaced the statue of St Michael which formed part of the structure.[3]
The palace's swansong came in September 1745, when Bonnie Prince Charlie visited Linlithgow on his march south but did not stay overnight. It is said that the fountain was made to flow with wine in his honour.[6] The Duke of Cumberland's army destroyed most of the palace buildings by burning in January 1746.
The crown steeple of the Church of St Michael deteriorated structurally to the point where it was in danger of collapsing, and it was dismantled in 1820. While other repairs were completed and the church was rededicated in 1896, the tower was too weakened for restoration of the original crown steeple. In 1964 a new steeple was added, constructed of lightweight aluminium to minimise the load on the tower and reinterpreting the crown steeple in a modern idiom.[3]
The palace has been actively conserved since the early 19th century and is today managed and maintained by Historic Scotland. The site is open to visitors all year round, usually subject to an entrance fee for non-members, but on occasion the entry fee is waived during the organisation's "Doors open days".[7] In summer the adjacent 15th century parish church of St Michael is open for visitors, allowing a combined visit to two of Scotland's finest surviving medieval buildings.
Historic Scotland is running an experiment with junior tour guides. Using young people (primary 6-7) from the nearby school Linlithgow Primary, schools can arrange tours by these young people. During the summer young people can volunteer to conduct these tours.
A Strathspey for bagpipes was composed in honour of Linlithgow Palace. [8]
References
- ↑ "Linlithgow Palace: Property detail". Historic Scotland.
- ↑ British Castle - Linlithgow Palace History
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "St Michael's Church Feature Page". Undiscovered Scotland. http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/linlithgow/stmichaels/index.html. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
- ↑ "Mary, Queen of Scots (r.1542-1567)". The official website of the British Monarchy.
- ↑ Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, vol 10 (1891), 521.
- ↑ "'Wine' fountain to flow once more". BBC News. 26 June 2007.
- ↑ "Free weekend". Historic Scotland.
- ↑ Archie Cairns - Book 1 Pipe Music 'Linlithgow Palace' Strathspey 1995
External links
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Coordinates: 55°58′42.6″N 3°36′4.0″W / 55.9785°N 3.60111°Wcs:Palác Linlithgow es:Palacio de Linlithgow fr:Palais de Linlithgow it:Palazzo di Linlithgow he:ארמון לינלית'גו hu:Linlithgow-i várpalota nl:Linlithgow Palace no:Linlithgow Palace pl:Pałac Linlithgow pt:Palácio de Linlithgow ru:Дворец Линлитгоу sk:Palác Linlithgow zh:林利思哥宫
- Pages with broken file links
- Historic Scotland properties
- 1420s architecture
- Category A listed buildings
- Listed buildings in West Lothian
- Palaces in Scotland
- Castles in West Lothian
- Royal residences in Scotland
- Ruins in Scotland
- Scheduled Ancient Monuments in Scotland
- William Wallace buildings
- Historic house museums in West Lothian
