Step Inside Abbey Strand

Sorry you are too late, this event has been and gone!

This St Andrew’s Day, step inside the beautifully conserved Abbey Strand Centre for special tours exploring five centuries of history.

About Step Inside Abbey Strand

Listed Under Tour Events / Days Out Events / History Events / St Andrews Day Events

During your guided tour, discover how the building was used as a weapons store for James V; as courtiers’ lodgings for Mary, Queen of Scots and James VI and I; and as a sanctuary for 6,000 people in debt; a site of taverns and tearooms.

Tours will last approximately 45 minutes and will be allocated on a first come first served basis, with names taken on the day. There is a capacity of 20 people per tour. Please meet at the meeting point sign in the Physic Garden.

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Other Events at The Palace of Holyroodhouse

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Drawing the Italian Renaissance

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The Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh East

This exhibition at The Palace of Holyroodhouse, brings together a wide range of drawings from this revolutionary artistic period, including 45 drawings never exhibited in Scotland before.

Talks and Lectures

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Join our team at the Palace of Holyroodhouse for weekly gallery talks as part of the exhibition Drawing the Italian Renaissance!

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Take inspiration from drawings in our latest exhibition Drawing the Italian Renaissance and join us for a special family drawing workshop.

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Join exhibition curator Lauren Porter at The King's Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse as she discusses works from Drawing the Italian Renaissance!

Tour

Drawing the Italian Renaissance: BSL Tour

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Join our British Sign Language tour of the Drawing the Italian Renaissance exhibition at The King's Gallery, Edinburgh.

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Victoria Button, Royal Collection Trust’s Head of Paper Conservation, discusses her work in preparing drawings for presentation in Drawing The Italian Renaissance, on display at The King's Gallery.

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Family Yoga: Early Years

13th February 2026

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Taking inspiration from Drawing the Italian Renaissance join us for a fun family yoga session full of movement, music, songs and stories. Suitable for children 16 months to 4 years old.

Family and Kids

Storytelling: Inspired by drawings

17th February 2026

The Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh East

Join storyteller Claire McNicol as she explores tales inspired by drawings of the Italian Renaissance in an exciting interactive storytelling session.

Talks and Lectures

Curatorial Talk: The Patrons of the Renaissance

27th February 2026

The Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh East

Join Martin Clayton, Head of Prints and Drawings at Royal Collection Trust, for this lunchtime lecture as he discusses the vital role of patrons in the creation of Italian Renaissance art.

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