 |
Falkland
Palace Factsheet
|
|
|
-
Falkland
Palace in Fife was a retreat from the more formal
business of court for the Stewarts. A royal hunting
lodge, built in the latest style of a French Chateau,
it was here that the Stewarts relaxed, indulging in
their favourite pursuits of hunting and falconry,
as well as sports such as football and golf. Falkland
still has one of the few ‘real tennis’ courts
left in Britain.
- Inside the palace the royal chapel is about as
close to a pre-Reformation chapel as exists now
in Scotland, although it was restored in the 19th
century.
- The outer face of Falkland Palace is in a style
described as 'Ecclesiastical Gothic', whereas
the inner face (facing the courtyard) is in a
Renaissance style. However, this architectural
contrast was apparently part of James V's plan,
and not the result of work from different periods.
Pictured below is one of the Renaissance-stylised
roundels from the courtyard.
- In 1528, King James V was held as a prisoner at
Falkland by Archibald, 6th Earl of Douglas, until
he escaped disguised as a groom.
- On the 14th of December 1542, James V died at
Falkland after the Scots defeat at the hands of
the English in Battle of Solway Moss. James retired
to his bedchamber, and is said to have died out
of an apparent lack of a will to live. On his
death the one week old Mary, Queen of Scots, was
left as his sole heir.
- The palace was partially burnt down after Cromwell
stayed there during his conquest of Scotland.
Both Holyrood and Linlithgow Palaces suffered
similar fates.
 |
|
|
The
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ is not responsible for the content
of external Web sites.
|
|
|
