The Royal Mile is the popular name for the succession of streets which form the main thoroughfare of Edinburgh's Old Town. The Old Town of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
As the name suggests, the Royal Mile is approximately one Scottish mile long, and runs between two foci of history in Scotland, from Edinburgh Castle at the top of the Castle Rock down to Holyrood Abbey. A Scottish mile was the same length as the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, i The history of Scotland begins around 10000 years ago when Humans first began to inhabit Scotland after the end of the Devensian glaciation, the last Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Edinburgh Castle is an ancient Stronghold which dominates the sky-line of the Edinburgh Castle is an ancient Stronghold which dominates the sky-line of the Holyrood Abbey is a ruined Augustinian Abbey in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is said to be referred to by locals as "High Street", but properly, this is the name of only one stretch. The streets which make up the Royal Mile are (west to east) Castle Esplanade, Castlehill, Lawnmarket, High Street, Canongate and Abbey Strand. The Royal Mile is Edinburgh Old Town's busiest tourist street, rivalled only by Princes Street in the New Town. Scotland is a well-developed tourist destination with Tourism generally being responsible for sustaining 200000 jobs mainly in the service sector with tourist spending Princes Street is one of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh, Scotland, and its main shopping street The New Town, a central area of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is often considered to be a masterpiece of city planning and is a UNESCO
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Geography
Retreating ice sheets, about a millennium ago, deposited their glacial debris behind the hard volcanic plug that is Castle Rock (which Edinburgh Castle sits upon), resulting in a distinctive crag and tail feature. Moraine refers to any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris (soil and rock which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions such as those A volcanic plug, also called a volcanic neck or lava neck, is a volcanic landform created when Lava hardens within a Vent on Edinburgh Castle is an ancient Stronghold which dominates the sky-line of the A crag (sometimes spelled cragg, or in Scotland craig) is a rocky hill or mountain generally isolated from other high ground Extending in an eastwards direction, the Royal Mile sits upon the spine of this crag and tail trailing gently down from the Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The Palace of Holyroodhouse, or informally Holyrood Palace, founded as a monastery by David I of Scotland in 1128, has served as the principal residence Steep closes (or alleyways) run between the many tall lands (or tenement buildings) off the main thoroughfare, many of which give way to the royal mile which is 1 mile long
Castle Esplanade and Castlehill
The Castle Esplanade was laid out in the 19th century primarily as a parade ground for troops. It is the venue of the annual Edinburgh Military Tattoo. The Edinburgh Military Tattoo is an annual Military tattoo given by British Armed Forces, Commonwealth and International Military bands and display Cannonball House is notable for a cannonball lodged in the wall, said to have been accidentally fired from the Castle.
From the Castle Esplanade, the short Castlehill is dominated by the former Tolbooth Highland St John's Church (on the right), now the headquarters of the Edinburgh International Festival society - The Hub. The Edinburgh International Festival is a festival of Performing arts that takes place in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, over three weeks from around The Hub, at the top of Edinburgh 's Royal Mile, is the home of the Edinburgh International Festival, and a central source of information on all the The Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland and New College are on the left - the Scottish Parliament met in the Assembly Hall between 1999 and 2004. The Assembly Hall is located between the Lawnmarket and The Mound in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Church of Scotland (Eaglais na h-Alba known informally by its Scots language name The Kirk, is the National church of Scotland. New College Edinburgh was opened in 1846 as a college of the Free Church of Scotland, later of the United Free Church of Scotland, and from the 1930s has been the The Scottish Parliament ( Scottish Gaelic: Pàrlamaid na h-Alba; Scots: Scottish Pairlament) is the devlolved national unicameral
Lawnmarket
The Lawnmarket, which was the linen market, is dominated by tourist-oriented shops. Linen is a Textile made from the Fibers of the Flax plant Linum usitatissimum. On the left is the preserved 17th century townhouse Gladstone's Land owned by the National Trust for Scotland. Gladstone's Land is a surviving 17th century high- Tenement house situated on the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. The National Trust for Scotland (NTS ( Scottish Gaelic: Urras Nàiseanta na h-Alba) describes itself as the conservation charity that protects and promotes The bottom of the Lawnmarket is marked by a major intersection with George IV Bridge on the right (south) and Bank Street on the left, leading to The Mound and the New Town. The George IV Bridge is an elevated street in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Mound is an artificial Hill in central Edinburgh, Scotland, which connects Edinburgh's New Town and its Old Town. The view down Bank Street is dominated by the baroque headquarters of the Bank of Scotland. Baroque art redirects here Please disambiguate such links to Baroque painting, Baroque sculpture, etc The Bank of Scotland plc is a commercial and Clearing bank based in Edinburgh, Scotland.
High Street
During the annual Edinburgh Festival, the High Street becomes the city's central focus, and is crowded with tourists, entertainers and buskers. Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for several simultaneous arts and cultural Festivals which take place during August each year in Edinburgh, Busking is the practice of performing in Public places for Tips and Gratuities. On the left is the High Court of Justiciary, Scotland's supreme criminal court. The High Court of Justiciary is the supreme criminal court of Scotland. A supreme court, also called a court of last resort or high court, is in some Jurisdictions the highest judicial body within that jurisdiction's On the right, about one-third of the way down from the Castle toward the Palace is Parliament Square, named after the old Parliament House which housed both the law courts and the old Parliament of Scotland between the 1630s and 1707 (when it was adjourned by the Act of Union) Parliament House is now the home of the Court of Session, Scotland's supreme civil court. Parliament House in Edinburgh, Scotland, was home to the pre-1707 Parliament of Scotland, and now houses the Supreme Courts of Scotland. This article is about the pre-1707 parliament The article on the devolved legislative body established in 1999 is at Scottish Parliament. The Acts of Union were a pair of Parliamentary Acts passed during 1706 and 1707 by the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland to put into The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland. It is both a Court of first instance and a court of Appeal and sits exclusively St Giles Cathedral, the High Kirk of Edinburgh, also stands in Parliament Square. A prominent feature of the Edinburgh skyline St Giles' Cathedral or the High Kirk of Edinburgh is a Church of Scotland place of worship decorating the
By the West Door of St Giles is the Heart of Midlothian, a heart-shaped mosaic built into the pavement marking the site of the former Tolbooth (prison). The Heart of Midlothian is a heart-shaped mosaic built into the pavement near the West Door of St Giles Kirk on the Royal Mile (the High Street in this section in The Heart of Midlothian is a heart-shaped mosaic built into the pavement near the West Door of St Giles Kirk on the Royal Mile (the High Street in this section in Tolbooth prisoners used to spit as they entered the prison, and this tradition is maintained by some people, who spit on the Heart for good luck as they walk past. On the left, opposite St Giles', is Edinburgh City Chambers, where the City of Edinburgh Council meets. The politics of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, are evident in the deliberations and decisions of the city council of Edinburgh, in elections to the council On the right, just past the High Kirk, is the Mercat Cross from which royal proclamations are read, and election results announced. A mercat cross is a Market cross found in Scottish cities and towns where trade and commerce was a part of economic life Scotland has elections to several bodies the Scottish Parliament, the United Kingdom Parliament, the European Parliament, local councils and Community
The central focus of the Royal Mile is a major intersection with The Bridges. North Bridge runs left (north) to the New Town's Princes Street across Waverley station. Edinburgh Waverley railway station, commonly referred to as just " Waverley " locally is the main Railway station in the Scottish capital To the right South Bridge (which appears from above to be simply a road with shops on either side: and even from below, only one arch is visible) spans across the Cowgate, a street many storeys below, and continues as Nicolson Street past the Old College building of the University of Edinburgh. The Cowgate is a street in Edinburgh, Scotland, located about 5 minutes' walk from Edinburgh Castle, within the city's World Heritage Site Old College is a building of the University of Edinburgh. It is located on South Bridge and presently houses parts of the University's administration the University The University of Edinburgh (Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann founded in 1582 is a renowned centre for teaching and research in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
Between The Bridges and John Knox House is one of the only remaining buildings on the Royal Mile that is still used for the same purpose for which it was built - Carrubbers Christian Centre. The John Knox House is an historic house in Edinburgh, Scotland, reputed to have been owned and lived in by Protestant Reformer John Carrubbers Christian Centre is a church on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland. Built in 1883 to house the Carrubbers Close Mission, the building at the heart of the Royal Mile is home to a lively church. Carrubbers Christian Centre is a church on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland.
After John Knox's House the High Street reaches the former limits of the city, at its crossroads with St Mary's Street (north) and Jeffrey Street (south). John Knox (c 1510 – 24 November 1572 was a Scottish clergyman and leader of the Protestant Reformation who is considered the founder of the Presbyterian At this point formerly stood the old Netherbow, a fortified gateway to Edinburgh (long since demolished). Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow. The recently rebuilt Netherbow Theatre is owned by the Church of Scotland and houses the Scottish Storytelling Centre. The Church of Scotland (Eaglais na h-Alba known informally by its Scots language name The Kirk, is the National church of Scotland. The Scottish Storytelling Centre was formally opened on 1st June 2006 by Patricia Ferguson MSP Minister for Culture in the Scottish Executive. Following the English victory over the Scots at the Battle of Flodden in 1513, a city wall was built around Edinburgh known as the Flodden Wall, some parts of which still survive. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The Battle of Flodden or Flodden Field was fought in the county of Northumberland, in northern England on September 9, 1513, The Flodden Wall was a defensive structure built around the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, after the disastrous Battle of Flodden (1513 in which King The old Netherbow was a gateway in this wall and brass studs in the road mark where it use to stand. Brass is any Alloy of Copper and Zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties On the corner of St Mary's street is the World's End Pub, so named because this was formerly the boundary of the burgh - beyond was the land controlled by Holyrood Abbey (hence the name of the next section: Canongate. A Burgh (ˈbʌʀə is an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland, usually a Town.
Canongate
Beyond the crossroads, the Royal Mile continues on Canongate, meaning the canon's gait or monk's walk. The Canongate is a small district and former Burgh at the heart of Edinburgh, Scotland 's capital city It continues downhill past Moray House (now the School of Education of the University of Edinburgh), the old Canongate Tolbooth (now a museum of social history called The People's Story), the Kirk of the Canongate (the Canongate's parish church) and the new Scottish Parliament Building to the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the ruined Holyrood Abbey. The Moray House School of Education ("Moray House" is a school within the College of Humanities and Social Science at the University of Edinburgh. The University of Edinburgh (Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann founded in 1582 is a renowned centre for teaching and research in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. The Kirk of the Canongate - or Canongate Kirk - serves the Parish of Canongate in Edinburgh 's Old Town, in Scotland The Scottish Parliament Building (Pàrlamaid na h-Alba is the home of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, within the UNESCO World Heritage Site The Palace of Holyroodhouse, or informally Holyrood Palace, founded as a monastery by David I of Scotland in 1128, has served as the principal residence Holyrood Abbey is a ruined Augustinian Abbey in Edinburgh, Scotland. Until 1856 the Canongate was not merely a street, but the name of the surrounding burgh, separate from Edinburgh and not enclosed by the Flodden Wall. The Canongate is a small district and former Burgh at the heart of Edinburgh, Scotland 's capital city A Burgh (ˈbʌʀə is an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland, usually a Town.
Abbey Strand
The short approach to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The Palace of Holyroodhouse, or informally Holyrood Palace, founded as a monastery by David I of Scotland in 1128, has served as the principal residence
Royal Mile today
Today, the Royal Mile is an eclectic mix of tourist shops and eateries as well as pubs and historical attractions. It also serves as the heart of Scotland's legal system, being the home of both the High Court of Justiciary and the Court of Session.
See also
- List of Closes on the Royal Mile
- Museum of Childhood
- Outlook Tower, Castlehill, containing a camera obscura
External links
The Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland, consisted originally of the Royal Mile, and the small streets and courtyards that led of it to the North and South The Museum of Childhood is a collection of items relating to Children s toys and playthings situated on the Royal Mile, in Edinburgh, Scotland Outlook Tower is a building in Edinburgh, Scotland, purchased and refurbished by Patrick Geddes in 1892 to transform into a "place of outlook and a The camera obscura (Latin dark chamber) is an optical device used for example in drawing or for entertainmentDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic