Day 5: Falkland Palace, Kingdom of Fife

Friday 20 Sept 2024

Today Andrew and Doreen take me to Falkland Palace on the other side of the river from Edinburgh – somewhere they haven’t been before either.

It is a very grey and drizzly day but we set off mid-morning heading back to the Edinburgh bypass and then to where there are three bridges in a row across the river: a rail bridge, the old road bridge and a new road bridge with 3 huge white ‘sails’. Unfortunately it is so miserable that we can’t really get a good view (but we do on the way back).

It is only just over an hour’s drive away but it seems like a long trip. The sat nav system keeps us amused by insisting that we take many of the motorway exits and then come back on again. Thankfully Andrew does know where he is going (except for the very end) so skilfully ignores the bad instructions. We cross into a different county – the Kingdom of Fife.

Falkland is one of Scotland’s finest Renaissance palaces. It was built between 1501 and 1541, commissioned by King James IV and his son, James V, to create a Royal Hunting Lodge. The palace was used and beloved by Mary, Queen of Scots. It fell into disrepair after 1660, but in the 19th century the palace was given a new lease of life by the 3rd Marquess of Bute. His great-grandson, lives on site today as Keeper of the Palace – so not all the rooms are open to the public.

We are not allowed to take photos inside the palace but we do get to admire the Renaissance architecture. There is detailed panelling in the drawing room and interesting painted walls in the library. There is a mock-up of what the King’s Room might have looked like (as that part is still in ruins in truth). The room includes The Falkland Bed, which was reportedly made for King James VI, and a ‘naughty chair’. When James VI was still a very little child, his mother Mary, Queen of Scots was imprisoned. Because he was still a child, James VI still needed to learn how to behave and it was treason to physically discipline a king; so when he misbehaved he was put on the naughty chair – which was weighted so that if he fidgeted it would fall over and hit him on the back of the head.  The Queen’s Room has been arranged as Mary, Queen of Scots might have used it.

We head for a simple lunch of soup, bread and a cake at the delightful Haycroft Lunch Rooms before going back to explore the extensive palace gardens. The gardens are in Arts & Crafts style designed by celebrated artist, horticultural writer and garden designer Percy Cane. After the Second World War, Cane was invited to reinterpret the formal garden surrounding the palace. With little surviving historic evidence to work from, Cane created a 20th-century design that is widely acknowledged as outstanding for both its historic value and as a work of art.

Falkland Palace has the oldest real tennis (also called court tennis or royal tennis) court in Britain. King James V of Scotland ordered it built in late 1538, as one of the final touches to lots of building activity at the palace, as well as at other royal residences such as Linlithgow, Holyrood and Stirling.

James was young and was making a mark to establish himself as a respected European leader. He had married the King of France’s daughter and spent time at the French Court, where he would have played on the tennis court (built in 1530 but now gone). Tennis was originally played by French monks before it became popular with nobility. The original 14th-century game was called ‘paume’ (palm), because the ball was passed back and forth with a bare hand (and later a leather glove). Real tennis rackets were shaped somewhat like a hand. The game was very different from the tennis we know. There are a series of lines, numbers and crowns marked on the floor and walls, which are all used to calculate scores. All four walls and the roof of the spectator’s gallery are used, plus players gain extra points if they get a ball through a hole in the wall!

Many scenes of the Outlander series were filmed in the palace and in the surrounding Falkland Village. We have a walk around the quaint village before heading for home.

It is unfortunately my last day in Scotland so I have to pack my bags for an early start in the morning. We have another lovely dinner and relaxed evening before I decide to have an early night.

 

Scotland Short Break (Day 1)

Day 2: Around Roslin Village

Day 3: Edinburgh Walking Tour

Day 4: Peebles, Scottish Borders

Day 5: Falkland Palace, Kingdom of Fife – this post