External Reference

Date 14 December 1970

Event ID 935407

Category Documentary Reference

Type External Reference

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/935407

Late 16th century. Curious, diminutive, 2-storey, square-plan garden pavilion with pyramid roof, corbelled-out turret at N angle and Scots Renaissance detailing. Rubble built with roughly squared dressings to W and chamfered margins to E elevations. Corbelling at first floor, N elevation. Doorway at single-storey lean-to section at W elevation; some dentiled timber corbelling to SE. Pedimented dormers to E and W breaking eaves. Ball and spike finials.

Graded Scottish slate. Tall, coursed sandstone stacks (see Notes).

References:

Old and New Edinburgh (1890). E J MacRae, The Royal Mile (1962) p41.

John Gifford et al, Buildings of Scotland - Edinburgh, (1991) p141. Charles

McKean, Edinburgh - An Illustrated Architectural Guide (1992) p25.

References from previous list description: Inv. 87; MacRae - Royal Mile

Report 58. C & D Arch IV p475.

Notes:

The ground beneath the Palace of Holyroodhouse and nearby structures

(including Croft-an-Righ House, the buildings on the N side of Abbey Strand

and the buildings around Mews Court) is scheduled under the Ancient

Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 for its archaeological

importance. The upstanding remains of Holyrood Abbey and Queen Mary's

Bath are also scheduled monuments. Significant upstanding and below-ground archaeological remains may survive as part of and in addition to the structures and features described above.

'Queen Mary's Bath House' is a highly unusual and very rare late 16th century survival. Although the original function of this distinctive building remains uncertain, it was most probably a garden pavilion for the then newly created North privy gardens within the grounds of the palace of Holyroodhouse. Its eye-catching, asymmetric form contributes significantly to the Abbeyhill streetscape. It became isolated following demolition of most of the buildings to the N range of the palace grounds, carried out in subsequent years. It forms part of a larger group of structures that comprise the Holyrood complex (see separate listings) and was once attached to the former privy garden and palace wall. Old & New Edinburgh (1890) describes the building as situated 'north-eastward of the tennis court" and notes that the tradition of it having been a bath house is of 'considerable antiquity'. Following demolition of a neighbouring building in 1852, the Bath House was repaired and to some extent restored with the two stacks added at this time.

Part of A-group comprising: Palace of Holyroodhouse; 28 and 30 Croft-An-

Righ (Croft-An-Righ House); Abbey Strand Eastern Building; Abbey Strand

Western Building; Queen Mary's Bath House; North Garden Sundial; Palace

Forecourt Fountain; Abbey Court House; Gatehouse and Former Guard

Rooms; Palace Coach House; Stables; Queen's Gallery (see separate

listings).

List description revised as part of the Edinburgh Holyrood Ward resurvey

(2007/08). List description updated 2012.

Information from Historic Scotland, 14th December 1970