Linlithgow Palace

Palace situated on the banks of Linlithgow Loch, Linlithgow, West Lothian, EC Scotland, UK. Garrisoned by the English early in the 14th-c, the palace was used as their main supply base during the seige of Stirling Bridge (1297), returning to Scottish hands after the Battle of Bannockburn (1314). The palace was gutted by fire in 1424 and James I (of Scotland) began re-building work that was finally completed in 1624. Famous as the birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots (1542) and her father, James V (1513), it was James who built the Gothic fountain which stands in the courtyard as a wedding present for her mother, Mary of Guise. The palace has been home to a number of monarchs, and other famous residents include Oliver Cromwell (between 1650–1) and Bonnie Prince Charlie (1745). In 1746 a fire destroyed the roof and left the building as it stands today. It is presently managed by Historic Scotland.

The ruins of Linlithgow Palace are situated in the town of Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland, 15 miles west of Edinburgh. King James I started the rebuilding of the Palace as a grand residence for Scottish Royalty. Over the following century the palace developed into a formal courtyard structure, with significant additions by James III, James IV and James V who was born in the palace in April 1512, added the outer gateway and the elaborate courtyard fountain. Mary Queen of Scots was born here in December 1542 and occasionally stayed at the Palace during her reign. Although King James VI had the North range rebuilt between 1618 and 1622, the only reigning monarch who stayed in Linlithgow after that date was King Charles I who spent one night there in 1633.

The palace's swansong came in September, 1745, when Bonnie Prince Charlie visited Linlithgow on his march south but did not stay overnight. The Duke of Cumberland's army destroyed most of the palace buildings in a fire in January 1746.

The palace has been actively conserved since the early 19th Century and is managed and maintained by Historic Scotland.