Holyrood (; ,
) is an area in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, the capital of
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, lying east of the city centre, at the foot of the
Royal Mile
The Royal Mile () is the nickname of a series of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. The term originated in the early 20th century and has since entered popular usage.
The Royal ...
.
The area takes its name from
Holyrood Abbey, which was the Church of the Holy Rude (Scots for 'Holy Cross').
Holyrood includes the following sites:
* The modern
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...
Building
A building or edifice is an enclosed Structure#Load-bearing, structure with a roof, walls and window, windows, usually standing permanently in one place, such as a house or factory. Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and functions, a ...
.
For this reason "Holyrood" is often used in contemporary media as a
metonym
Metonymy () is a figure of speech in which a concept is referred to by the name of something associated with that thing or concept. For example, the word "wikt:suit, suit" may refer to a person from groups commonly wearing business attire, such ...
for the Scottish Government.
* The
Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the
monarch
A monarch () is a head of stateWebster's II New College Dictionary. "Monarch". Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest ...
in Scotland.
* The ruins of
Holyrood Abbey
*
Holyrood Park, an expansive royal park to the south and east of the palace.
* The
Queen's Gallery, part of the Holyroodhouse complex formerly a church and now an art gallery.
*
Dynamic Earth, visitor attraction and science centre which is Scotland's largest interactive museum.
* A number of residential, light commercial, and government properties.
References
External links
Google Maps (showing Holyrood)
{{Areas of Edinburgh
Areas of Edinburgh
Royal Mile