As someone born and raised in Edinburgh, who later lived and worked for more than 20 years in Glasgow, it’s all too easy to assume that Scotland’s two largest cities have always been at the heart of the country’s history. Yet, actually, there’s plenty of evidence to the contrary, not least that built in solid stone and still (at least partially) standing up against the Scottish elements.
Indeed, for a confirmed Edinburgher, it’s sobering to be reminded how, for most of the medieval period, the centre of Scottish public life–not least in terms of royal politics and religion–was located firmly north (rather than south) of the Firth of Forth: that, between the 11th and 15th centuries, Dunfermline was the de facto political capital, while St Andrews was the very heart of Scotland’s spiritual institutions…
Published in the Historic Scotland magazine, Spring 2014. For more information, click here.
