The Palace of Holyroodhouse: A House of Many Memories

The Palace of Holyroodhouse, located in Edinburgh, is Her Majesty The Queen’s official residence in Scotland. This volume, the first official history of the Palace, traces the history of the building from its origins as a twelfth-century abbey, to its role today as royal residence and museum. Throughout its storied history, the Palace has served many purposes: It has been the unlikely residence of Jacobites, a Russian princess, and even a few lions. The Palace later served as a family home to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert on their way to Balmoral and is now used by The Queen each summer to host garden parties and investitures.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse covers the uncharted early history of the site and sheds light on well-known stories such as the infamous court murder in the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots. James IV’s lost Renaissance palace is reimagined using newly commissioned archaeological plans and reconstruction drawings of the Palace at various stages in its development. These plans, commissioned specifically for this volume, are used to illustrate the function and social history of the building and the surrounding landscape. This is the first official publication to trace the history of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, making this volume an essential authority on the Scottish Palace. This book can be read alongside the Royal Collection’s previous publications, Windsor Castle: A Thousand Years of a Royal Palace and St James’s Palace: From Leper Hospital to Royal Court, to form an unrivaled survey of the Crown’s royal residences.

Deborah Clarke is senior curator at the Palace of Holyroodhouse and has written widely on the history of the Palace. She is the author of Scottish Artists 1750-1900: From Caledonia to the Continent. Richard Fawcett is emeritus professor of art history at the University of St Andrews. Sally Goodsir is curator of decorative arts at Royal Collection Trust. She is the author of Royal Gifts: Arts and Crafts from around the World and a contributing author to George IV: Art & Spectacle. Ailsa Hutton is collections assistant, Paisley Museum and Art Gallery.