Short Break in Linlithgow

The structure is round a quadrangle, with towers at each corner containing staircases to higher floors. You need to be fit to complete a detailed tour of Linlithgow Palace! James I built the east range with its impressive entrance and Great Hall; now roofless, this was once one of Scotland’s finest. James II did the west and north ranges with tall towers, while James IV completed the courtyard and linking staircases. This prolific builder was influenced by Renaissance ideas from France and Italy in his royal palaces. James V made an entrance on the south side, while James VI had to rebuild the north range which collapsed in 1607. After he moved south to London, there were no more major additions.

It is hard to imagine that the grey stone rooms were once filled with exuberant, colourful decoration, and the palace’s exterior was harled and painted. In the centre of the courtyard is the richly carved 16th century fountain, recently restored. Some of the figures are newly done, proof once again of the hugely talented craftsmen around today. A gift to his wife from James V, the fountain ran with red wine on special occasions. The Palace has seen momentous incidents in our history. In 1513 Margaret Tudor, waiting in a room high in the roof, heard the appalling news of the death of her husband, James IV together with many of the Scottish nobility, on Flodden Field. The future James V had been born in the Palace the previous year. Mary Queen of Scots was also born there in 1542 while her father lay dying at Falkland. Both inherited the crown as infants.

Close to the palace is one of Scotland’s finest medieval churches. St Michael’s was rebuilt after the great fire of 1424 on the site of an earlier church. Mary Queen of Scots was baptised in the church, and in 1645 it became a temporary university during the plague in Edinburgh. A crown on the tower, similar to St. Giles, was considered unsafe and removed in 1820. In 1964 a controversial metal steeple, representing the Crown of Thorns, was added. The south transept has a magnificent modern stained glass window, representing Pentecost.

When driving through the Central Belt, Linlithgow will offer you an attractive and interesting short break. Walk by the loch, and as you stand in the palace ruins, imagine the hive of activity when the King and his Court were in residence. With their love of music, theatre, feasting and sport the majestic building and its surroundings must have made the perfect setting.