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Royal Mile

For other uses, seeRoyal Mile (disambiguation).

55°57′02″N3°11′08″W/ 55.95056°N 3.18556°W/55.95056; -3.18556

View looking east down the Royal Mile past the oldTron Kirk

TheRoyal Mile(Scottish Gaelic:Am Mìle Rìoghail;Scots:Ryal Mile)[1]is a succession of streets forming the main thoroughfare of theOld Townof the city ofEdinburghinScotland.The term was first used descriptively in W. M. Gilbert'sEdinburgh in the Nineteenth Century(1901), describing the city "with its Castle and Palace and the royal mile between", and was further popularised as the title of a guidebook by R. T. Skinner published in 1920, "The Royal Mile (Edinburgh) Castle to Holyrood(house)".[2]

The Royal Mile runs between two significant locations in the royalhistory of Scotland:Edinburgh Castleand thePalace of Holyroodhouse.The name derives from it being the traditional processional route of monarchs,[3]with a total length of approximately one mile.[4]The streets which make up the Royal Mile are (west to east) Castlehill, the Lawnmarket, the High Street, the Canongate and Abbey Strand. The Royal Mile is the busiesttouriststreet in the Old Town, rivalled only byPrinces Streetin theNew Town.

The Royal Mile contains a variety of shops, restaurants, public houses, and visitor attractions. During the annualEdinburgh Fringe,the High Street becomes crowded with tourists, entertainers, andbuskers.Parliament Square is at the heart of Scotland's legal system, being the home of both the High Court of Justiciary and the Court of Session.[5]

Geography

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Video of the Royal Mile, Edinburgh

Retreating ice sheets, many millennia ago, deposited theirglacial debrisbehind the hardvolcanic plugof the castle rock on which Edinburgh Castle stands, resulting in a distinctivecrag and tailformation. Running eastwards from the crag on which the castle sits, the Royal Mile sits upon the ridge of the tail which slopes gently down to Holyrood Palace. Steepcloses(or alleyways) run between the many talllands(ortenementbuildings) off the main thoroughfare. The route runs from an elevation of 138 feet (42 m) above sea level at the palace to 358 feet (109 m) at the castle, giving an averagegradientof 4.1%.

Castle Esplanade

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The Castle Esplanade was laid out as a parade ground, in 1753, using spoil from the building of the Royal Exchange (now theCity Chambers). It was formalised in 1816 when it was widened and provided with decorative railings and walls. The Esplanade with its several monuments has been A-listed byHistoric Scotland.[6]It is the venue of the annualEdinburgh Military Tattooat which time specially designed temporarygrandstandsare erected.

Castlehill

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Castlehill forming part of the Royal Mile. The former Victorian church houses The Hub, an information service for theEdinburgh International Festival.On the right is The Scotch Whisky Experience and on the left the Camera Obscura tower and shops.

From the Castle Esplanade, the first building on the right isCannonball Housewhich has a cannonball lodged in the wall facing the Esplanade, often said to have been accidentally fired from the Castle but which actually marks the elevation of Comiston Springs, three miles to the south of the Castle, which fed acisternon Castlehill, one of the first piped water supplies in Scotland.[7]

Castlehill is dominated by the former Tolbooth-Highland-St John's Church (on the south side at the foot of this section), now the headquarters of theEdinburgh International Festivalsociety –The Hub,and on the north side by theOutlook Tower and Camera Obscura.TheAssembly Hallof theChurch of ScotlandandNew Collegeare further down on the same side. TheScottish Parliamentmet in the Assembly Hall between 1999 and 2004.

Lawnmarket

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The Lawnmarket is a separately named part of the High Street. Addresses are a continuation of the High Street numbers. It runs from the West Bow to St Giles Street.

A charter of 1477 designated this part of the High Street as the market-place for what was called "inland merchandise" – items such as yarn, stockings, coarse cloth and other similar articles. In later years, linen was the main product sold. As a result, it became known as the Land Market[8]which was later corrupted to Lawn Market.[9][10]Located in a close on the south side, Riddle's Court is the well-preserved 16th-century house of a merchantJohn MacMorran,who was shot by rioting schoolboys in 1595.[11]

Today, the majority of shops in the street are aimed at tourists. On the north side is the preserved 17th century merchant's townhouseGladstone's Landowned by theNational Trust for Scotland.The lower end of the Lawnmarket is intersected byGeorge IV Bridgeon the right (south) and Bank Street on the left (north), leading toThe Moundand the New Town. The view down Bank Street is closed by thebaroqueheadquarters of theBank of Scotland.

On the south-west corner of this intersection, with its entrance on George IV Bridge, is the Hotel Missoni, replacing the former Lothian Regional Council offices. This building is of controversial design, winning aScottish Civic Trustaward and a 2010RIBAaward,[12]but also being nominated for (but not winning) theCarbuncle Cupin 2009.[13]

Between Bank Street and St Giles Street, marking the end of the Lawnmarket, theHigh Court of Justiciary,Scotland'ssupremecriminal court, is housed in theJusticiary Building.[14]

High Street

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Looking down the High Street towards theTron Kirk,the section rebuilt in 1828 following theGreat Fire of Edinburgh (1824)

On the south side, about one-third of the way down from the Castle toward the Palace isParliament Square,named after the oldParliament Housewhich housed both the law courts and the oldParliament of Scotlandbetween the 1630s and 1707 (when its existence was ended by theAct of Union). Parliament House now houses theCourt of Session,Scotland's supreme civil court.St Giles' Cathedral,the High Kirk of Edinburgh, also stands in Parliament Square.

By the West Door of St Giles' is theHeart of Midlothian,a heart-shaped pattern built into the "setted" road, marking the site of theOld Tolbooth,formerly the centre of administration, taxation and justice in theburgh.The prison was described bySir Walter Scottas the "Heart of Midlothian", and soon after demolition the city fathers marked the site with a heart mosaic. Locals have traditionally spat upon the heart's centre as a sign of contempt for the prison. On the north side, opposite St Giles', standEdinburgh City Chambers,where theCity of Edinburgh Councilmeets. On the south side, just past the High Kirk, is theMercat Crossfrom which royal proclamations are read and the summoning of Parliament announced.

TheHeart of Midlothian

The whole south side of buildings from St Giles to theTron Kirkhad to be rebuilt or refaced in the 1820s following theGreat Edinburgh Fireof 1824. This was done in a Georgian style, stepping down the hill.

The central focus of the Royal Mile is a major intersection with the Bridges.North Bridgeruns north overWaverley stationto the New Town's Princes Street.South Bridge(which appears at street level to be simply a road with shops on either side—only one arch is visible from below) spans theCowgateto the south, a street in a hollow below, and continues as Nicolson Street past theOld Collegebuilding of theUniversity of Edinburgh.

Tablet marking the site of the Netherbow Port

AtJohn Knox's Housethe High Street narrows to a section of the street formerly known as the Netherbow, which, at its crossroads with Jeffrey Street (north) and St Mary's Street (south), marked the former city boundary. At this point stood theNetherbow Port,afortified gatewaybetween Edinburgh andthe Canongate(until 1856 a separate burgh), which was removed in 1764 to improve traffic flow. TheScottish Storytelling Centreis a modern extension to John Knox House, owned by the Church of Scotland. It opened in 2006, replacing the former Netherbow Arts Centre, which itself replaced the Moray-Knox Church in the 1960s. Following the English victory over the Scots at theBattle of Floddenin 1513, a city wall was built around Edinburgh known as theFlodden Wall,some parts of which survive. The Netherbow Port was a gateway in this wall andbrassstuds in the road mark its former position. On the corner of St Mary's Street is the World's End Pub which takes its name from the adjacent World's End Close, whimsically so named because this was in former times the last close in Edinburgh before entering the Canongate.[15][16]

Entertainment for the wedding of Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1558

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There was a triumph or show at the Salt Tron and other locations on the Royal Mile to celebrate the marriage ofMary, Queen of Scots,andFrancis II of France,on 3 July 1558. Thewedding itself took place in Parison 24 April 1558.[17]The Edinburgh entertainment was written and produced byWilliam Lauderand William Adamson.[18]Walter Binningpainted the "play cart" for actors portraying the signs of the seven planets and Cupid. Artificial "summer trees" decorated with fruit made from tennis balls covered with gold foil or leaf were placed on four stages.[19]The seven planets had been portrayed in a show in Paris after the wedding.[20]

Other 16th-century royal entertainments at the Tron and on the Royal Mile include theEntry of Mary, Queen of Scots(1561), theEntry of James VI(1579), and theEntry of Anne of Denmark(1590).[21]In July 1598, scholars fromEdinburgh High Schoolput on a satirical play at the Tolbooth. Costumes were made for the characters of a Pope, two Cardinals, and several friars. After the performance the costumes were donated to the poor.[22]

Murders of Note

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Several infamous murders have taken place on the central section of the Royal Mile:

Canongate

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Anchor Close at twilight looking towards Cockburn Street from the Royal Mile.
Canongate Tollbooth Clock
Main article:The Canongate

Beyond the crossroads, the Royal Mile continues down the Canongate, meaning literally "the canons' way" when it was used in former times by theAugustiniancanons ofHolyrood Abbey.[23]The street continues downhill pastMoray House(now the main academic offices ofMoray House School of Educationof the University of Edinburgh), theCanongate Tolbooth(now a museum of social history calledThe People's Story), theKirk of the Canongate(the Canongate's parish church and a thriving congregation of the Church of Scotland) and the newScottish Parliament Buildingto Holyrood Palace and the ruined abbey. Until 1856 the Canongate was not merely a street, but the name of the surrounding burgh, separate from Edinburgh and outside the Flodden Wall.

Abbey Strand

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This street is the short approach to the Palace of Holyroodhouse at the foot of the Canongate. One of the buildings On the north side, the building to the east was the house of Lucky Spence, a notorious brothel madam, remembered inAllan Ramsay's poem,Lucky Spence's Last Advice.[24]The building to the west was described as a new "Great Mansion" in 1570.[25][26]Renaissance painted ceilingswere salvaged from the building in 1967. Some of the timbers were felled in the 1560s. During 20th century restorations by theMinistry of Works,other painted beams found atMidhope CastleandCaroline Parkwere inserted into the buildings.[27]

On the south side is theQueen's Gallery,used to exhibit items in the Royal collection, in the shell of the former Holyrood Free Church and Duchess of Gordon's School. There are also the remains of the gatehouse of Holyrood Palace built byWalter MerliounforJames IV,with a carving of the royal coat-of-arms ofJames Vset in the wall.[28]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Gaeilge na hAlban – Duilleag 2".Blog Pàrlamaid na h-Alba.
  2. ^Harris, Stuart (2002).The Place Names of Edinburgh.London: Steve Savage. p. 497.ISBN1-904246-06-0.
  3. ^"The Royal Mile".Edinburgh World Heritage.24 November 2017.Retrieved12 September2022.
  4. ^"The Royal Mile: How long is Edinburgh's High Street?".Edinburgh Evening News.National World. 7 December 2018.Retrieved14 June2024.
  5. ^"The Supreme Courts".Scottish Courts and Tribunals.Retrieved22 September2020.
  6. ^"Edinburgh Castle, Esplanade, Edinburgh".Retrieved22 October2012.
  7. ^"Civil Engineering Heritage..."Retrieved21 May2023.
  8. ^"City and castle of Edinburgh, William Edgar, 1765".Town Plans / Views, 1580-1919.National Library of Scotland.Retrieved11 February2015.
  9. ^"The Derivation of Edinburgh's Street Names".Retrieved20 June2019.
  10. ^"City of Edinburgh, John Ainslie, 1780".Town Plans / Views, 1580-1919.National Library of Scotland.Retrieved11 February2015.
  11. ^Daniel Wilson,Memorials of Edinburgh in the Olden Time,vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1891), pp. 218-219.
  12. ^"Hotel Missoni, Edinburgh".Corran Properties.Retrieved7 December2023.
  13. ^Welch, Adrian (10 June 2009)."Carbuncle Cup 2009 Winners News, UK".e-architect.Retrieved7 December2023.
  14. ^Historic Environment Scotland."High Court (Former Sheriff Court), 413-431 Lawnmarket, Edinburgh (LB27598)".Retrieved26 December2022.
  15. ^"The Derivation of Edinburgh's Street Names".Archived fromthe originalon 8 August 2012.Retrieved10 September2012.
  16. ^"Edinburgh High Street, World's End Close".Retrieved10 September2012.
  17. ^Lucinda H. S. Dean, 'In the Absence of an Adult Monarch',Medieval and Early Modern Representations of Authority in Scotland and the British Isles(Routledge, 2016), pp. 155-158.
  18. ^James David Marwick,Extracts from the records of the Burgh of Edinburgh: 1557-1571(Edinburgh, 1875), p. 26.
  19. ^Robert Adam,Edinburgh Records: The Burgh Accounts,vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1899), pp. 269-271
  20. ^Sarah Carpenter & Graham Runnalls, 'The Marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots',Medieval English Theatre,22 (2000), pp. 145-161.
  21. ^Giovanna Guidicini,Triumphal Entries and Festivals in Early Modern Scotland(Brepols, 2020): Douglas Grey, 'The Royal Entry in Sixteenth-Century Scotland', S. Mapstone & J. Wood,The Rose and the Thistle(Tuckwell, 1998), pp. 10–37: Clare McManus,Women on the Renaissance Stage: Anna of Denmark and Female Masquing in the Stuart Court, 1590–1618(Manchester, 2002), p. 72.
  22. ^T. H. Vail Motter,The school drama in England(Port Washington, 1968), pp. 296–7: Anna S. Mill,Mediaeval Plays in Scotland,pp. 205–206.
  23. ^"The Derivation of Edinburgh's Street Names".Archived fromthe originalon 8 August 2012.Retrieved10 September2012.
  24. ^"Broadside ballad entitled 'Lucky Spence's Last Advice'".Retrieved13 September2012.
  25. ^Dennis B. Gallagher, "Holyrood Abbey: the disappearance of a monastery",PSAS,128 (1998), p. 1095.
  26. ^Inventory of Monuments in Edinburgh(Edinburgh: HMS0, 1951), pp. 156–157.
  27. ^Michael Bath, Anne Crone, Michael Pearce,The Dendrochronology and Art History of 16th and 17th century Painted Ceilings(Historic Environment Scotland, 2017), pp. 7, 13, 16.
  28. ^John G. Dunbar,Scottish Royal Palaces(Tuckwell: East Linton, 1999), pp. 57-9.
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