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Parliament House

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Kate06
Kate06
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Old Parliament Building

  • November 16, 2007
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Drever from Ayr
Old Parliament Building

Partially hidden by the bulk of St. Giles Cathedral lies Parliament Hall, an important part of Scotland’s history. It was the seat of Scottish government from 1639 until 1707 when the governments of Scotland and England were united. The centre of power then moved to Westminster in London - 104 years after the union of the two crowns.

The 123 feet long hall is decorated with a beautiful Neo-gothic hammer beam roof and a series of Raeburn portraits. A striking feature is the Great Window in the south wall celebrates the founding of the Court of Session in 1532. It contains 8,000 pieces of painted and stained glass covering 390 square feet.

Imagine the scene when Parliament opened here on 31 August 1639. Burgesses, followed by the commissioners of the shires and nobility, led the ‘riding’ of Parliament from the Palace of Holyrood at the foot of the High Street. Next came the regalia of Scotland followed by trumpeters, heralds, the Kings Commissioner and his entourage. At Parliament the Earl Marischal escorted the Commissioner to the throne.

Given Scotland's stormy history it is no surprise that parliament was often at odds with the monarchy. In a time when Scottish Kings and Queens had a far more antagonistic relationship with their nobles than those in England - resulting in several royal murders - it is little surprise that parliament was often reluctant to approve taxation or sanction war.

For 300 years from 1707 Scotland was governed from Westminster in London by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Scotland though retained its educational and legal system, which left the door open for the process to be reversed. It is a matter of debate why such an ancient institution should vote itself out of existence, but it seems certain that economic problems coupled with increasing divisions in the parliament and underhanded misdeeds such as bribery all meant that the end of the legislative body was a formality by the time Scotland’s parliament came to accept the union with England. For many Scots the whole matter was summed up in Robert Burns' famous poem ‘A Parcel of Rogues in a Nation’.

Parliament Hall and the adjoining rooms are now used by Scotland's highest court. The Seal Library is also situated here and its Upper Library designed by William Stark is regarded as an architectural masterpiece. One of the statues in the room represents Sir Walter Scott who was the senior court official from 1806 to 1830.

A rise in nationalism in Scotland during the late 1960s fuelled demands for home rule. The discovery of oil off Scotland’s coast led to arguments that more of the oil revenues should come to Scotland and the move to devolution strengthened. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, demands for a Scottish Parliament grew. Finally on 1 July 1999 elements of power were transferred from Westminster to a devolved new Parliament now housed in a purpose built building at the foot of the Royal Mile.

From journal Exploring Edinburgh’s Royal Mile

Scottish Parliament

  • January 1, 2006
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Kate06 from Union, New Jersey
Scottish Parliament

Scottish Parliament offers guided tours of the new Parliament building. Our tour started in the lobby with 5 people. The guide took us through the main level, explaining the architect's design process. The building was designed with the impression of a flower and pedals. Each petal represents different areas of the Parliament complex. The most interesting petal is where members' offices are located. The drain pipes are at a slant that makes you wonder where the water goes. Above each drain pipe are sitting pods. The architect expected each member to sit in his pod (deck) and ponder legislation. The building is made of primarily Scottish materials. If you are visiting during working hours, find out if meetings are taking place in Room 2. This room is the largest conference room with the most interesting legislation (i.e. transportation) and the room has the best views of Arthur's Seat. Photographs are not permitted on the tour but during off-hours you can revisit the assembly room and take pictures at your leisure.

From journal December in Scotland

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