Edinburgh: Canongate and its Kirk

Canongate

You can walk the fairly steep mile-long hill (sometimes styled "the Royal Mile") running westwards from Holyrood House to Edinburgh Castle by taking three consecutive streets: Canongate, High Street and Lawnmarket.  The best tourist tip is that you should allow yourself plenty of time to investigate the many dozens of little old streets, wyndes and courts taking you straight into the centuries old residential parts of the Old Town.

Canongate is about a third of a mile - or 500 metres - long.  Its name derives from the canons of the (now ruined) Holyrood Abbey, at the bottom of the hill, and the name also applies to the abbey's parish.  Canongate means "the road (or way) of the canons".  Until 1856 it was a separate burgh, adjacent to the burgh of Edinburgh.

The parish of Canongate includes the Palace of Holyrood House, the Scottish Houses of Parliament, the Canongate Tolbooth and Canongate Kirk; in addition, Edinburgh Castle comprises part of the parish, even though it is over half a mile away.

Canongate Church is patronised by the Queen and other members of the royal family when they are resident in Edinburgh.  Her granddaughter Zara Phillips was married there.


Canongate Kirk

If the Kirk's rear view is unprepossessing, its facade and interior are delightful.

The Kirk was founded by royal decree in 1688.  Its facade was built with an impressive gable in Dutch style.  Its interior was substantially remodelled in the 19th century, and, as is to be expected of a building patronised by the monarchy, its decoration is a study in perfection. To enter it is to be seduced by its charm.


This blip was added in May 2015