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The Canongate

Coordinates: 55°56′59″N 3°10′34″W / 55.94965°N 3.176°W / 55.94965; -3.176
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Not to be confused with the Canongate in Jedburgh.
This article is about the area of Edinburgh. For the publishing house, see Canongate Books

The Canongate is a small district at the heart of Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. The main street running through the area is called Canongate without the definite article, "the". Canongate, the street, forms the lower part of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh's historic Old Town. Until formal incorporation into Edinburgh in 1856, Canongate was a separate burgh. The easterly end of the Canongate is sometimes regarded as being in the Holyrood area of the city, with the rest being in the Old Town, rather than being considered an area in its own right.

Canongate Burgh Cross in the grounds of the Canongate Kirk

The Canongate is named after the canons of Holyrood Abbey and the Scots word gait meaning "road" (echoed in the name of the pub on the street "The Canon's Gait").

As well as the new Scottish Parliament building, which incorporates the historic Queensberry House, the Canongate contains some other notable public buildings, including the Museum of Edinburgh and the People's Story Museum (located in the historic Canongate Tolbooth.) In 1691 the new Canongate Kirk was opened, replacing Holyrood Abbey as the parish church of the Canongate. The church is still used for Sunday services as well as weekday concerts.

Early History

The Canongate owes its existence primarily to the establishment of Holyrood Abbey in 1128. King David I, who established the Abbey, gave the surrounding area to the Augustinian canons then resident at Edinburgh Castle. As part of this process, the Canongate was granted burgh status [1] The area originally covered by the Canongate included parts of Broughton, areas around the Pleasance and part of Leith, which gave the Burgh access to a port. [2]

The royal palace at Holyrood was developed from the 14th Century as successive monarchs made increasing use of the Abbey for political events such as parliaments and royal councils. The royal lodgings were officially converted into a palace by James IV in 1503.[3]

The Canongate Tolbooth, erected in 1561

The burgh of Canongate had a turbulent relationship with its neighbour, Edinburgh. The main result of this was a continual battle over the exact boundaries of the Canongate, until unification in 1856.

The Canongate started to decline after the accession of King James VI of Scotland to the throne of England in 1603. The loss of the royal court from the Palace of Holyroodhouse inevitably had an impact of the surrounding area. This was further compounded by the union of the parliaments in 1707 as Edinburgh was the location of the Parliament of Scotland. The building of Edinburgh's New Town also moved wealth away from the area.

The Canongate was an important district during the Scottish Enlightenment with founding of the Canongate Theatre by Lord Monboddo, David Hume and other intellectuals of that era.[4]

Modern Era

The area has seen various attempts at improvements and slum-clearance, including a notable scheme by Sir Robert Hurd[5] completed by 1969 which included some new tenement blocks integrated into the area.

By the 1970s the once overcrowded and poverty-stricken area was starting to suffer from serious depopulation. From the 1980s onwards the Canongate area became notably less industrial, with many of the breweries closing. In the 1990s and 2000s, flats and offices have been built on the former industrial land, reversing the decline in population. While much of this development has a modern appearance, it has been laid out in the "fishbone" pattern characteristic of the Royal Mile.

As of 2006, the redevelopment of the few remaining pieces of industrial land to the north of the Canongate has aroused controversy partly due to the proposal to demolish some of the 1930s replacement buildings.

Above all, the construction of the new Scottish Parliament building on the site of the old Abbey Brewery has led to a resurgence of the area's vitality. For the first time since 1707 the Canongate has again become the centre of Scottish political life.

Education

The Royal Mile Primary - a typical Victorian school

Royal Mile Primary School is a non-denominational state school that provides primary education for 5-11 year old children. Within the school, there is also a nursery which caters for 3-5 year old children. As the school is so central and historic, its pupils are often involved in illustrious events at the Scottish parliament and Edinburgh Castle. Formerly, the school was known as Milton House Public School and is used as a polling station for the constituents of Edinburgh Central.[6]

The Canongate is also the location of Moray House, the Education department of the University of Edinburgh[7]. It comprises a number of buildings, some of which are historic, whilst others are purpose built. A number of other university buildings including the Pleasance student union building and the Centre for Sport and Exercise are located in the area historically covered by the Canongate.[8]


Trivia

Site of St. John's Cross

Walter Scott named Chronicles of the Canongate (1820s) after the area.

The burgh cross now stands in the south-east corner of Canongate Churchyard to the right hand side of the entrance to Canongate Kirk. This previously stood within the road but was transferred to improve traffic flow.

A second market cross stood further up the Canongate to the west. The site of this is marked by a maltese cross in the road surface near the top of St John's Street. This marks the subsection of the Canongate known as St John's which had separate trading rights.

The parish of Canongate also included Edinburgh Castle, hence a large common grave area for the soldiers at the lower end of the churchyard.

Important Buildings

  • Canongate Kirk 1691.
  • Moray House 1625, extended as Moray College of Education.
  • Lodge Kilwinning 1736, an early masonic lodge, officially "Lodge no.1" attended by Robert Burns.
  • Chessel's Court, 1745
  • Morocco Land, a tenement of 1730 bearing the carved upper torso of a Moor.
  • Shoemaker's Land, a tenement of 1725
  • Bible Land, a tenement of 1677
  • Huntly House, from 1517, now Huntly House Museum
  • Whitefoord House, 1769, now the home of the Scottish Veterans Association.
  • Queensberry House, 1686, now part of the Scottish Parliament.
  • White Horse Close, a picturesque courtyard, originally serving the Edinburgh to London coach route, dating from around 1680, restored in 1964.


Famous Residents

References

  1. ^ Dennison, E. Patrica. Holyrood and Canongate: A Thousand Years of History. Edinburgh (Berlinn) p.4
  2. ^ Dennison, E. Patrica. Holyrood and Canongate: A Thousand Years of History. Edinburgh (Berlinn) p.6
  3. ^ Dennison, E. Patrica. Holyrood and Canongate: A Thousand Years of History. Edinburgh (Berlinn) p.51-2
  4. ^ Cloyd, E.L., James Burnett, Lord Monboddo (1972)
  5. ^ Buildings of Scotland: Edinburgh, by Colin McWilliam
  6. ^ http://www.royalmileprimary.ik.org/ Royal Mile Primary School Official Website
  7. ^ The Moray House School of Education. http://www.education.ed.ac.uk/
  8. ^ University of Edinburgh Campus Map. http://www.ed.ac.uk/maps

55°56′59″N 3°10′34″W / 55.94965°N 3.176°W / 55.94965; -3.176

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