As Scotland has mirrored upon the top of an period with the demise of Her Majesty The Queen, and the start of a brand new with accession of King Charles III, individuals have puzzled what modifications this might convey. A number of people have contemplated what this may imply in Holyrood Park – a dramatic and much-loved panorama within the coronary heart of Edinburgh with deep royal hyperlinks.
On this weblog, we reply a few of your questions on park names and mirror on Holyrood Park’s royal historical past.
Will Queen’s Drive change into King’s Drive?
One query we’ve been requested in current weeks is: “Will Queen’s Drive change into King’s Drive?”. The reply to that is “No”. The Queen’s Drive was named in honour of Queen Victoria and so the identify will stay the identical.
Nonetheless, a few of chances are you’ll know that Holyrood Park has an alter ego! It’s also referred to as the Queen’s Park or King’s Park and historically this identify has modified with the gender of the monarch. Though we all the time discuss with it as Holyrood Park, those that prefer to name it by its different identify could now be speaking in regards to the King’s Park.
David and the Stag
In 1128, an act of thanksgiving, by the pious King David I, led to the muse of Holyrood Abbey. This was the primary main occasion in Holyrood’s medieval historical past.
In response to legend, King David was out searching when he was charged by a stag, which gored him within the thigh. As David held up his fingers to defend himself, he discovered he was holding a crucifix. When it touched the stag’s antlers, the animal disappeared. The crucifix was mentioned to include fragment of the true cross – the precise cross on which Jesus died.
The wounded king was carried again to Edinburgh Fort, and that evening was commanded in a dream to discovered a ‘home of canons dedicated to the cross’. He based Holyrood Abbey, the ruins of that are within the grounds of Holyrood Palace.
The cloister precinct of Holyrood Abbey was later changed into a contemporary Renaissance palace – Holyroodhouse – and have become the royal household’s major residence in Scotland.
Working the land
The Park has sensible hyperlinks to the royals in addition to legendary ones. As Holyrood Palace turned a well-liked residence for Kings and Queens, some great benefits of the park weren’t ignored.
James V was the primary to surround park in 1541. It was also known as a searching park. Nonetheless, it’s most certainly the park was enclosed for farming sheep and cows which have been used to provision the royal family at Holyrood Palace.
Illustration of of life in Holyrood Park throughout the medieval interval.
Get together and Pageantry
Mary Queen of Scots is believed to have had the world flooded in 1562 to create a man-made loch. The loch is claimed to have been used for a re-enactment of the Siege of Leith (1560) as a part of wedding ceremony celebrations for her lady-in-waiting Elizabeth Ross. The miniature navel pageant was full with duplicate boats.
Albert’s Plan
It was Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who doubtless had the largest influence on the park. His imaginative and prescient turned it into the area we’re conversant in immediately.
When the couple first visited in 1842, the park was largely a wilderness. The frequent sewers emptied into it. It smelt horrible and was marshy! By 1956, Albert has put is concepts into motion and the park began to tackle the shape we see immediately.
The street, the Queen’s Drive – named after Queen Victoria – was constructed across the park. Each Dunsapie Loch and St Margaret’s Loch have been created. There are 5 lodges within the park that have been constructed with the Prince’s help and are nonetheless in use.
Holyrood Lodge is one in all 5 lodges in Holyrood Park. This one is Class B listed.
Prince Albert needed to take his transformation plans even additional and had plans drawn up for a thatched restaurant at Dunsapie. The plans didn’t go down effectively and obtained robust opposition and have been fortunately dropped.
The Park’s royal associations proceed immediately. Time will inform if it turns into identified domestically because the King’s Park, with Charles III now on the throne.
Discover out extra
When you’d prefer to discover extra of Holyrood Park, you possibly can obtain our audio information, accessible free of charge by the Geotourist app. Obtain the app upfront, convey headphones and a few sturdy strolling sneakers.
Learn extra blogs marking the lifetime of Her Majesty The Queen.
