Falkland Palace And Gardens

The Chapel Royal at Falkland Palace dates to 1538, during the reign of James V. During the 17th century, when Protestantism became the main religion in Scotland, many Catholic religious spaces were re-designed or destroyed, making the survival of this Chapel unusual. The present Keeper‚Äôs grandfather, Lord Ninian, re-consecrated the Chapel for worship in 1905 and it is still used as a Roman Catholic chapel today. ūüĎĎ‚õ™

The Falkland Bed, as it’s known today, is the central piece of the Keeper’s Bedroom and one of the first things visitors get to see when visiting the palace.
The bed was originally made by Aberdeen craftsmen in 1618, supposedly for King James VI, and has been elaborately embellished over the years with panelling and sculptural work. However, James is unlikely to have had the pleasure of seeing, let alone sleeping in, this wonderful bed as he made only one visit back to Scotland, in 1617. ūüėīūüõĆ

‚ÄėThe course of true love never did run smooth‚Äô, but the sparring antics of Shakespeare‚Äôs erstwhile lovers, Beatrice and Benedick, provide great hilarity for the other members of the household who plot to reunite them. Against this background, another romance is almost derailed by the machinations of a jealous Duke until the local constabulary bumble upon his plans.
The brilliant Festival Players Theatre Company brings its unique take on this hilarious, colourful and fast-paced comedy to Falkland Palace on 21st of July.
Don‚Äôt miss this summer treat ‚Äď it promises to be fun for all the family!

#didyouknow Mary, Queen of Scots adopted the marigold as her own flower emblem.
Her motto "Sa Virtue m‚ÄôAtire" (‚ÄėIts virtue draws me‚Äô) is thought to be in reference to the way marigolds always turn to the sun. It is also a near anagram of 'MARIE STVART'.

The Royal Burgh of Falkland was Scotland's first conservation village. Falkland Palace was used as a hunting lodge by eight Stewart Monarchs. In those days the Forest of Falkland had stags and wild boar and falconry was a popular sport.
King James IV completed the main structure and King James V added to the buildings, transforming it into a sophisticated Renaissance Palace. He was also responsible for adding the massive gatehouse, through which visitors enter the Palace today and the Royal Tennis Courts, which are reputedly the oldest in the world. His daughter, Mary Queen of Scots was a frequent visitor.

Join us on Wednesday 24 July for a hilarious outdoor adaptation of David Walliams' children's comedy Gangsta Granny.
Bring your chairs, blankets, picnics (and perhaps a brolly) and be prepared to be daring. Who knows where the night may lead?ūüé≠ūüíį
Follow the link below for tickets and more information!

#DidYouKnow Mary, Queen of Scots visited Falkland Palace eight times between 1561 and 1568!

The tennis court here at Falkland Palace was built in 1539 by King James V making it the one of the oldest Real Tennis courts in the world. The court is still regularly played on by members of the Falkland Palace Royal Tennis Club. ūüéĺ

ūüźĚūüźĚūüźĚ Happy #WorldBeeDay! Falkland has a special, historical connection with beekeeping as one of the first man-made, re-useable hives was developed in the 17th century by John Gedde of Falkland. He wrote and published ‚ÄėThe Engish Apiary or The Compleat Bee Master, Unfolding the Whole Art and Mystery of the Management of Bees‚Äô in 1675.
Prior to this, bees were generally kept in woven straw skeps which had to be broken up at the end of the season in order to harvest the honey. ...Gedde saw this as wasteful, stating that it was ‚Äėan ill reward of the industry of such good Servants, and a great loss to the Owners of them.‚Äô
It is disputed as to whether the Gedde Hive was the first invented form of the modern bee hive. There are records of several similar designs emerging around this time, however, John Gedde patented his design and did a great deal to promote his method and approach to beekeeping through his writing, playing an important part in the development of modern beekeeping. ūüźĚūüźĚūüźĚ
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Our wonderful Swallows have returned to Falkland Palace to nest, be sure to keep an eye out for them if you're in the grounds! This is a photo of some of our guests from a few years ago. ūüź¶ūüź¶

On this day in 1402, Robert, duke of Albany, and Archibald, 4th earl of Douglas, were absolved of any and all wrongdoing in the death of David, duke of Rothesay at Falkland Castle. Read more about this turbulent period of history via the link below!ūüó°ūüĎĎūüŹį

We certainly must have some of the nicest office windows in the world!ūüĎĎūüėć They represent James IV of Scotland and his wife Margaret Tudor and James V of Scotland and his wife Marie de Guise.

One of the main features that dominates the glasshouse at Falkland Palace & Garden are the climbing Pelargonium which are trained against the main wall. Pelargonium ‚ÄėMrs Morris‚Äô was planted by Head gardener, W. Jenkin in 1948. They were cut down in 2006 to allow the wall to be painted and have since climbed back to their full height.ūüėćūüŹĶūüĆļ

Did you know the Falkland Islands are named in honour of Anthony Cary, 5th Viscount of Falkland. The Viscounts of Falkland in turn take their title from the Scottish monarchs' residence Falkland Palace with the first being named in 1620 by James VI. ūüáęūüáįūüĎĎÔłŹūüŹīů†Āßů†ĀĘů†Ā≥ů†Ā£ů†Āīů† ĀŅ

We love that the palace almost looks like a different building depending on which side you're looking from! ūüėćūüŹį

#DidYouKnow The royal family would have had a medical team who travelled with the court to residences like Falkland. We know from documents that James V and his wife Marie de Guise had Doctors, Mediciners and Apothecaries on their pay roll.
We have recently fitted out an apothecary room in the cellars of Falkland Palace. This fully interactive space adds more to the story of life ‚Äėbelow stairs‚Äô in the Stuart court.

In our gardens we have an array of wildlife. Our Orchard, thanks to the old trees and wildflower meadow, plays an important role in conservation. We have more than 40 different moths, rare butterflies and even some fly species which are unique in Scotland. Come and see which of our smallest visitors you can spot.ūü¶čūüźĚ

WE NEED YOUR OLD GARDEN POTS!
If you have any clean garden pots, over 1l in size, that you'd like to donate to Falkland Palace & Gardens we'd love to reuse them! You can bring them along to the Falkland Palace and Garden Pop Up Plant Sale this weekend.
Saturday 11 May, 11am to 4pm and Sunday 12 May, 12noon to 4pm, outside the main Palace entrance. ūüĆŅūüĆĪ