48 Accessible Edinburgh: A Festival Guide Sights 49
connected by a secret stairway to her husband’s bedroom, and
ends with the ruins of Holyrood Abbey.
The Palace is largely accessible; for full details, visit https://
http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/palaceofholyroodhouse/plan-
your-visit/access/. The Palace has a lift for wheelchair users to get
to the upper floor; staff will assist as this is not on the public route.
Queen’s Gallery
http://www.royalcollection.org.uk; Horse Wynd; adult/child £6.70/3.40,
combined admission to gallery & Holyroodhouse £16.90/9.50;
9.30am-6pm Apr-Oct, to 4.30pm Nov-Mar; buses 35, 36
This stunning modern gallery, which occupies the shell of a for-
mer church and school, is a showcase for exhibitions of art from
the Royal Collections. The exhibitions change every six months
or so; for details of the latest, check the website.
The Queen’s Gallery is fully accessible; for full details, visit
https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/visit/queensgalleryedin-
burgh/plan-your-visit/access/. There’s a limit to the number of
wheelchairs permitted at any one time, so you may have to wait.
Scottish Parliament Building
0131-348 5200; http://www.scottish.parliament.uk; Horse Wynd; 9am-
6.30pm Tue-Thu & 10am-5pm Mon, Fri & Sat in session, 10am-
5pm Mon-Sat in recess; buses 35, 36
The Scottish parliament building, on the site of a former brew-
ery, was officially opened by HM the Queen in October 2005.
Designed by Catalan architect Enric Miralles (1955–2000), the
ground plan of the parliament complex represents a ‘flower of
democracy rooted in Scottish soil’ (best seen looking down from
Salisbury Crags). Free, one-hour guided tours (advance bookings
recommended) include a visit to the Debating Chamber, a com-
mittee room, the Garden Lobby and an MSP’s (Member of the
Scottish Parliament) office.
Miralles believed that a building could be a work of art. How-
ever, this weird concrete confection at the foot of Salisbury
Crags has left the good people of Edinburgh staring and scratch-
ing their heads in confusion. What does it all mean? The strange
forms of the exterior are all symbolic in some way, from the
oddly shaped windows on the west wall (inspired by the silhou-
ette of the Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston
Loch, one of Scotland’s most famous paintings) to the asym-
metric panels on the main facade (representing a curtain being
drawn aside – a symbol of open government).
The Main Hall, inside the public entrance, has a low, triple-
arched ceiling of polished concrete, like a cave, or cellar, or castle
vault. It is a dimly lit space, the starting point for a metaphorical
journey from this relative darkness up to the Debating Cham-
ber (sitting directly above the Main Hall), which is, in contrast, a
palace of light – the light of democracy. This magnificent cham-
ber is the centrepiece of the parliament, designed not to glorify
but to humble the politicians who sit within it. The windows face
Calton Hill, allowing MSPs to look up to its monuments (remind-
ers of the Scottish Enlightenment), while the massive, pointed
oak beams of the roof are suspended by steel threads above the
MSPs’ heads like so many Damoclean swords.
The public areas of the parliament building – the Main Hall,
where there is an exhibition, a shop and cafe, and the public gal-
lery in the Debating Chamber – are open to visitors (free tickets
needed for public gallery; see website for details). If you want to
see the parliament in session, check the website to see when it
will be sitting – business days are normally Tuesday to Thursday
year-round.
For full details regarding accessibility, including introductory
videos, BSL contact details and how to access information in
other formats, including Braille, visit http://www.parliament.scot/vis-
itandlearn/12518.aspx. Access information doesn’t get better
than this and, unsurprisingly, reviewers rave about accessibility.
There’s even a Changing Places toilet here!Scottish Poetry Library
http://www.spl.org.uk; 5 Crichton’s Close, Canongate; 10am-5pm Tue,
Wed & Fri, to 7pm Thu, to 4pm Sat; buses 35, 36A fantastic literary resource housed in award-winning modern
architecture, the poetry library hosts regular exhibitions and is
a source of information on the mysterious Edinburgh Book
Sculptures. The venue ‘aims to be as accessible as possible
for users with sensory deprivation or mobility problems’ and is
wheelchair-accessible.Leith
Leith has been Edinburgh’s seaport since the 14th century, but it
fell into decay following WWII. It is now undergoing a steady re-
vival, with old warehouses turned into luxury flats and a lush crop
of trendy bars and restaurants sprouting up along the waterfront
leading to Ocean Terminal, a huge shopping and leisure complex,
and the former Royal Yacht Britannia.