Extracts from Handbook for Scotland: Edinburgh

Author(s): Anonymous

Route 15. — Edinburgh: Excursions. 127

The city gradually increased
in wealth and importance till
1544, when it was totally destroyed
by the English under the Earl of
Hertford.
2
Public buildings there are none, and no
older date than that of James V. is
claimed for any part of Holyrood
Palace, and that only for 2 of the
a few towers. There are only houses
upon which may be seen a date prior
to the accession of James VI. to the
English throne. This event, gave an impulse to building
all over the country. at the Union of 1707,
its population, including that Leith, was only 35,000. From
that time it rose rapidly. In 1801
it was 81,816; and in 1861 it had
reached 201,628.
—
[Stet]
5

Steamers (from Leith) to , Hull, London, Newcastle; and
foreign to Christiansand, Copenhagen,
Dunkirk, Hamburgh, and Stettin;
(from Granton) to Bordeaux, Stirling,
Aberdeen, Kirkwall, London, Lerwick,
and Thurso.
Coaches. — To Corstorphine, Lasswade,
Daalkeith, , Roslin,
Pathhead, Portobello, ,
, and Musselburgh; all starting
from 4, Princes-st.

7 Excursions from CastleEdinburgh:-Palace & Gardens Wed [¿] Sat
a. Craigmillar, Dalkeith, Lasswade
(Rte. 16).
b. Roslin, Hawthornden, (Rte. 16).
?
c Leith, Newhaven, Granton,
Burntisland.
d Cramond, Dalmeny, Queensferry
(Rte. 18).
e Corstorphine, Linlithgow, (Rte.
20).
f, Pentland Hills
(Rte. 5).
g. Habbie's How, Glencorse (Rte.
17)
h Borthwick and Crichton Castles
(Rte. 1).
One of the finest drives, commanding
the most extensive and
varied views, may be taken by starting
from Princes-street, by the Lothian-road,
to Morningside, around
the Braid Hills to Liberton, and back
by Newington. 8




2 This wanton destruction, followed by a
century of civil & religious discord
many well account for the poverty of its
ancient architecture & the absence of
buildings of any great age
Theatres. 1. Theatre Royal
2 Queens Opera Leith Walk
7 Ascent of Arthur's Seat: Drive round the Queens
Park [¿][page]
8 Braidhill & Blackford Hill rocky heights [2nd]
of Edinburgh, the view from each is so admirably
described in Marmion. Here the Army of James IV
encamped before
marching to Flodden.
page 127
9 RoslinChapel& Hawthornden may be reached
a. by the high road direct to Roslin 7m.
through Libberton (fine views of Edinburgh)
Omnibus daily [¿] 3 or 4 hours
at Roslin. b. By carriage via Lass
-wade to Hawthornden 11m. walking
thence to Roslin & sending round
the carriage. c. By Peebles Railway
to Roslin Stat (L[¿] Rte 1[6].)
Roslin & Hawthornden placed at oppos
ite ends of a romantic glen of the North
Esk. Traversed by a footpath 2m long.
The only entrance to Hawthornden is by the
Lodge Gate (admittance [2/-]) consequently
they must be first [visited] then a charm
ing walk of 1½ m thence through
the Glen to Roslin Chapel. There is
a public footpath from Lasswade to
Roslin, passing outside the bound
of Hawthornden. These places are deca[¿]
Route 16/ English Service on Sunday at
the Chapel 12½ & 4½

Route 16. — Roslin Chapel. by the founders 131

of his betrothed dying on the day
before that fixed for the marriage.
He was a great friend of Ben Jonson,
who walked all the way from London
to pay him a visit here.

“Where Jonson sat in Drummond's socialclassic
shade.”

1 terminates
with a fine view of Roslin Castle and
Chapel, as the visitor emerges from
the glen.
A little to the N. of Roslin is the
Moor, where in 1303 the Scotch
army, under the Regent Comyn,
fought 3 battles against 3 divisions
of the English. It was victorious
over 2, and took some prisoners, but
was defeated by the 3rd under Sir
Robert Neville.
3 Roslin Chapel. It is a common
error to speak of this building as
merely a chapel. From the first it
was designed as a collegiate church,
dedicated to St. Matthew, with a
provost, 6 prebendaries, and 2 choristers.
It was
founded 1446, by William St.
Clair, Earl of Roslin. & Orkney
7 but was unfinished on the
death of William Earl of Caithness,
1484, and was carried on by his son
and successor.
4
6
This Chapel
want of proportion to each other.”
— Rickman. The workmen employed
on it were foreigners; and
from a comparison of this work
with others on the Continent, it is
probable that the artificers were
brought from the N. of Spain. Still 5
there is in parts a considerable clumsiness
and scamping, both in the
carving and construction, that would
lead us to believe that the foreign
artificers left a good deal to incapable
pupils. The chapel owes its
beauty entirely to the profuseness of
its decorations, for the original plan
and proportions are far from pleasing.
“It has little pretensions to
symmetry, and its squat, stumpy
outline is a great contrast to the
slender grace of Melrose.
All the beauties of Roslin
are superinduced on the design in
the shape of mouldings and incrustations,
“Billings The
length of the chapel internally is
only 68 ft., and its breadth 35. The
central aisle is 15 ft. wide, and has 40 ft high
the southern peculiarity of a barrel
vault, with only transverse ribs, just
as may be seen in the S. of France.
8

Tybler family is 3m distant


131
1 Visitors having traversed Hawthornden Grounds, cross
the Esk by a bridge & exeunt through a gate which open
only from within & thence they pursue the path[¿] along
the bottom of the fine Glen to Roslin 1½ m: a very prett
walk though the Esk is polluted by Pennycuik Paper Mill

3 Roslin Stat. is about 1½ m. distant from the Chap
el, & the same from the village (Inn Royal Hotel
where the Edinburgh coach stops) prettily situated on
a height above the deep flowing N. Esk.

slip 125 4 It is merely the Choir of a cruci
form Church of which the Transept was begun but
never [finished. It is well worth while to walk round
the outside to inspect the carvings, flying buttresses, per[¿]

5 Fergusson (Architecture Vol II) shows that it resembles
parts of Burgos, while it has the greatest affinity
to the Chapel at Belem in Portugal.

7 Grand Master of the Masons in Scotland

6 The Ch. consists of a choir of 5 bays with aisles, &
behind the altar so as to form a low Lady Chapel like that
of Glasgow. 2 of These arches support the E window.
The roof of this retro-choir is vaulted & groined in 4 bays
& from the ribscentralde[scen]d great carved pendants, giving a
very rich effect.

8 Upon this stone vault the roofing slabs are laid to follow
its curves without inter[¿]ing timber.
the aisles are roofed with cross vaults rising fo[¿]
straight stone transoms, supported by the piers &
outer walls & covered with elaborate bas reli[ef]
of Scripture subjects rudely carved


On one of the transoms
across the aisle
on a line with the clerestory
132 Route 16. — Roslin Castle — Pennicuik. which

compartment is different in pattern,
till the variety becomes perfectly bewildering.
The niches were occupied
by statues of the 12 Apostles and the
Virgin. are represented
the 7 Deadly Sins, and on the
opposite side are the Cardinal Virtues.
1 The mouldings include
an angel performing on the bagpipes,
the Martyrdom of St. Sebastian,
2 &c. The 'Prentice pillar ornamented
with a spiral festoon re3
received its name from a story (not uncommon)
that the 'prentice executed
it while the master had gone to Rome
for a pattern, and was killed on the return
of the latter in a fit of jealousy.
[The story of the foundation of the
[chapel is that Sir William St. Clair
[made a rash bet of his life against the
[Roslin property, that his dogs Help
[and Hold would run down a stag be?
[fore it passed a certain brook. The
[stag was already in the water when
[the latter, excited by the desperate
[cries of its master, made a tremen[
spring, and pulled it down
[before it could mount the opposite
[bank. William St. Clair and his dog
[are represented together on the
5 [tombstone. the
[lords of Roslin were buried in full
[armour, and on the night preceding
the death of any of the family, the chapel appeared on fire,
an illusion which is supposed to arise
from the peculiar position of the
chapel admitting the rays of the sun
point blank through the windows of
both sides.

“Blazed battlement and turret high,
Blazed every rose-carved buttress fair;
So blaze they still when fate is nigh
The lordly line of high St. Clair.”
W. Scotts Ballad of Rosabelle.

Projecting beyond the E. end of the
chapel is a chamber,
which the altar and piscina prove
to have been used as a chapel, while
the fireplace and other secular conveniences
show it to have been fitted
up for a vestry
Since 1862 the
Chapel of Roslin was fitted up for
the service of the Scottish Episcopal
Church. is performed here on Sun
-days at 12½ & 4½ p m.
The Castle of Roslin ( 7

the extreme edge of the precipice 6
overhanging the Esk. There are 2
storeys left of gloomy arched rooms,
affording very little clue as to the
date of its erection. The
upper portion was entirely destroyed
by the Earl of Hertford.
are slight remain
The Valley of the Esk, between
Roslin and Pennicuik is extremely
picturesque. Near the village of
Auchendinny the old castle of
Woodhouselee, once the property
of Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh. Its
being taken from him, and his wife's
sudden expulsion in the middle of
the night, by which she was rendered [¿]
a maniac, led to the murder of the
Regent Moray, at Linlithgow, by
the hands of Hamilton.
Auchendinny House is the seat of
John Inglis, Esq.

15 m. Pennicuik Stat. is nearly a
mile from the village (Inn, Queen's
Arms), prettily situated on the l. bank
of the North Esk. 1 m. on rt. is
Pennicuik House (Sir G. Clerk, Bart.),
where is kept the buff coat that
Claverhouse wore at the battle of
Killiecrankie. The Baron of Pennicuik
was bound by his tenure, when
the king came to Edinburgh to
receive him at the Hare stone with 3
blasts of his horn. So Scott says:-

“Come, Clerk, and give your bugle breath,
Carle, now the king's come.”

a handsome Grecian e




1 on the arch-lintels, behind the altar, pourtraying
the Angelic choir playing on various instruments including
2 At the E end of the S. aisle is
3 of flowers & foliage more elaborately carved than the rest
It
5 There is a legend not founded in fact() that
4 on a lower level
7 on an insulated mound below the Chapel & near
6 is reduced to a mere fragment, & a modern house
occupies the enclosure
8 It belonged to the St Clairs & is probably of the same
age as the chapel. A bridge & solid wall of mason
-ry f[¿] remaining over a gully formed the approach
to it & was guarded by a feudal gateway
of such a fragment remains
Here are the largest Paper Mills in Scotland
(Mess. Cowan's)

10 New Woodhouselee residence of the
Tybler family is 3 m distant


mention corner
[H[¿]lan]
Sect I
Route 1. — Carlisle to Edinburgh.



ROUTE A.

FROM LONDON TO EDINBURGH
(LEITH), BY SEA.

Swift and comfortable steamers
sail twice a week from the Irongate
Wharf, London, according to the state
of the weather, arriving in Leith in 37
to 40 hrs. Fares: 1st cabin 15s., 2nd
cabin 12s. The traveller by this route
(and if the sea is tolerably calm no
route is pleasanter) will obtain a good
view of the eastern coast of England.
The steamer gives the flat shores of
Essex a tolerably wide berth, but
approaches land more closely when
off Suffolk and Norfolk. In succession
the following distant views present
themselves:-
Yarmouth town.
Cromer Cliffs.
Flamborough Head.
Filey Bay.
Scarborough and its Castle.
Robin Hood's Bay.
Whitby.
Coquet Island.
Bamborough Castle.
Ferne Island and Grace Darling's
Lighthouse.
Holy Island (Lindisfarne).
St Abb's Head (Rte.4).
Tantallon Castle and Bass Rock.
North Berwick Law. Rte 4
Isle of May and Inchkeith (on rt.).
Leith.
by rail to Edinburgh.
4
ROUTE 1.

[¿] CARLISLE TO EDINBURGH, BY
through LIDDESDALE, HAWICK (DRYBURGH),
-ou[t] MELROSE, ABBOTSFORD, AND GALASHIELS.


This line of rly. is usually known
as the Waverley Route, from its passbelonging
to the
N. British Compy
ing through the district associated
with Sir Walter Scott and his writings.
The portion of the rly.
between Carlisle and Hawick is essentially
a border line, and was made
in 1854

Quitting the Citadel Stat. at Carlisle
(Hotel, County, very comfortable),
we pass in succession (on rt.)
the Cathedral, Castle, and the river
Eden, then, crossing at a high level
the Caledonian Rly., stretch over the
plain between the Esk and Eden,
and pass Harker and Lineside
stations to

10 m. LONGTOWN JUNCT. with the
Gretna and Annan branch (Rte. 9).
From the nature of the alluvial
flats that bound the Solway Firth and
its tributaries, a fine distant view is
obtained of the hills in the neighbourhood
of Langholm and Eskdale.
Longtown is an ancient border town
in Cumberland, placed on the l. bank
of the Esk, which is now a considerable
stream. A market has been held
here since Henry III.'s time, and it
is somewhat celebrated for its supply
of cranberries, which are sent to London
during the season in large quantities.
There is not much to be seen
except the old parish ch. of Arthuret
of the early part of the 17th centy,
which is outside the town.
12 m. Scotch Dyke Stat. On the
opposite side of the Esk are the woods
and mansion of Netherby, the seat of
Sir F. U. Graham, Bart. The scenery
improves rapidly and becomes very
picturesque at [¿]

14 m. RIDDINGS JUNCT.,Stat where a
branch line is given off to Langholm
and Eskdale. The view of the village




4 The Distance from London to Edinburgh m.
is performed by Train — Lond & N. Western
or Great Northern Lines, in 10½ hour
leaving London 10 a.m. reaching Edin
burgh at 8 — 25m Glasgow at 8.30

Extracts from Handbook for Scotland: Edinburgh

Document Information

Document ID	237
Title	Extracts from Handbook for Scotland: Edinburgh
Year group	1850-1900
Genre	Personal writing
Year of publication	1868
Wordcount	2370

Author information: Anonymous

Author ID	497
Surname	Anonymous