| The Royal Palace of Falkland is in the county of Fife. It is run by the |
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| The Royal Palace of Falkland is in the county of Fife. It is run by the |
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| The Royal Palace of Falkland was the country residence of the Stewart kings and queens when they hunted deer and wild boar in the Fife forest. It was more of a home than a place of State. The Stewart kings and queens came here to relax. As well as hunting, they spent their leisure time in archery, tennis and hawking. A medieval castle had been on this spot since the 12th century. Additions were made to the ancient stronghold in the 15th century and James IV and James V extended and transformed it into a Renaissance palace in the 16th century. |
Our visit to Falkland Palace When we got there, we were allowed to dress up. The boys wore a cloak, a hat and a ruff. The girls wore a skirt and a hat. In the King's room there was a toilet BUT it was only a hole in the ground! The kitchen was stinking of fish.The Chapel was beautiful. Eileen and Paul had to sit in the Royal Box there and pretend to be the King and Queen. We were told the story of the White Lady - she has been seen crying in the chapel, waiting forever for her husband to return from the battle. We enjoyed the Long Hall with the magic goat - its eyes followed you around the room. |
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| We walked through the lovely gardens. They had the most wonderful pond with unusually big fish and huge lily pads. We had the chance to play a game of draughts on a large outside board. |
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| We saw the Royal Tennis Court. It was built in 1539 and is the oldest in Britain. It is small compared with the lawn tennis courts we know.The game is called Royal or Real Tennis and has different rules.When the ball is served, it has to bounce on the side penthouse roof before dropping within a red lined service area. |
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