This apartment is situated on Holyrood Road beside the Royal Mile in the heart of Edinburgh's historic Old Town, and just a few steps away from the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Parliament. The Royal Mile, the backbone of medieval Edinburgh, connects the Palace of Holyroodhouse at one end with Edinburgh Castle at the top. Edinburgh's main visitor attractions are on your doorstep and the neighbourhood is full of attractive independent shops and restaurants, bars and cafés to suit all budgets, from cheap and cheerful pizzerias to fine dining establishments.
The nearby Canongate area of the Royal Mile was a separate burgh from Edinburgh for over 700 years, taking its name from the canons (priests) of Holyrood Abbey. Because it was near the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the area developed as the court quarter and many fine residences for aristocratic families were built there. One of these, Queensberry House, now forms part of the Scottish Parliament building. Queensberry House was bought in 1686 by the father of the 2nd Duke of Queensberry, whose eldest son, the mad Lord James Douglas, escaped from confinement one night in 1701 and murdered a kitchen-boy – the very night that his father was signing the Act of Union that dissolved the Scots Parliament and put Scotland under English rule. You can find out more about Edinburgh's grisly past on the guided tours that leave from the Royal Mile. See for example Mercat Tours, Witchery Tours and The Real Mary King's Close.
The property has a shared courtyard, but if that isn't enough for you, just across the road is the extensive and rugged open space of Holyrood Park. Within Holyrood Park are Salisbury Crags, Arthur's Seat and Whinney Hill: an excellent place for an inner city picnic or ramble. Opposite the building is the popular Our Dynamic Earth visitor centre and the headquarters of The Scotsman newspaper. The Hub (the official centre for the Edinburgh International Festival) and the Festival Fringe office are on the Royal Mile, and you can easily walk to many of the Festival venues. You are also ideally placed to enjoy the Christmas and Hogmanay/New Year festivities.
The Park apartments were designed by Campbell & Arnott Architects and presented in 2002 as exclusive housing arranged in a U-shape around a landscaped court, alongside the new Scottish Parliament buildings. The architects won the EAA Awards 2002 (Silver Medal Commendation) and a Saltire Award in 2002 with Teague Homes.