Superb architecture, good visitor facilities and a cat
called William!
This is a place that I had always wanted to visit but had
just never got round to doing. However,
when the news broke that the scaffolding that had been surrounding the chapel
for many years had been removed, I decided that it was now time to visit!
We checked the website for opening times and admission
prices, and it was there that I saw the very disappointing news that there is
no photography or video allowed in the interior of the chapel at all. I think this may be quite a new ruling, but
it kind of took the shine off my excitement regarding the visit. It is OK however to take as many photos of
the outside of the building as you want, as long as they are for personal use
only.
On arrival we parked in the nearby car park and could
immediately see that this was going to be a busy visit. We made our way up to the very nice visitor
centre and after paying our admission we sat and had a coffee and cake to kill
some time before the first presentation talk of the day. First impressions were good – nice little
shop, café and toilets, and very pleasant and informative staff. There is lots
of information in the visitor centre too, with interactive facilities for
adults and children alike.
We then made our way to the chapel and, yes, it is
impressive from the outside with its grand architecture, statues and
carvings. Once we entered inside, it is
simply stunning and such a shame that I missed out on many photo
opportunities. We sat on one of the pews
and waited for the talk to begin. The
person who took us through the explanation was brilliant. She was funny and informative and so
passionate about her job! One thing she
did explain was that the most asked question about the chapel was “What’s the
name of the cat?” The black resident cat
is called William and he was sitting curled up on one of the pews not batting
an eyelid at the many visitors milling around!
Please don’t go and visit expecting it to be exactly the
same as the Holywood movie though, because a lot of the movie was done in the
studios and not at the chapel!! It is
however a fascinating place to visit – the weather was a bit dull during our
visit, but on a sunny day it will look simply stunning.
Then, on your way home after your visit, you can ponder on
the many theories and mysteries surrounding this wonderful place!!
I'll leave you with some photos that I took on the day.
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| Window detail |
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| Window detail |
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| Statue detail |
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| Statue detail |
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| A sneaky peek inside |
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| Rosslyn Chapel |
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| Artificial rose |
