Lunchtime Lecture: Holyroodhouse in the Edwardian Era

The Palace of Holyroodhouse is hosting a lunchtime lecture on Friday 20 November, with curator Sally Goodsir talking through the palace's revival in the Edwardian era. It runs from 13:00 to 14:00, so it's one of those things you can fit into a lunch hour on a working day.

Most of us know Holyroodhouse for its older ghosts — Mary, Queen of Scots and Bonnie Prince Charlie are the names that usually come first. It's still used by The King for official engagements in Scotland, but Goodsir's talk looks at a different chapter: the opening years of the twentieth century, when the palace was revived, reopened and enjoyed as the official Scottish royal residence. It's a bit of a shift in focus, from the distant past to the early 1900s.

The lecture is part of a wider programme of talks on the period, and it runs alongside the exhibition The Edwardians: Age of Elegance. That exhibition is the bigger picture the talk fits into — it looks at the glamour and opulence of the age through two of Britain's most fashionable royal couples: King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, and King George V and Queen Mary. It covers their family lives, their personal collecting, their social circles and the royal events they put on, so the lecture is a chance to hear one specific part of that story told in detail by someone who works with the collections.

It's held at the palace on the Canongate, and the session is BSL interpreted. Tickets are £6.00 for adults, and booking is essential, so you'll want to get yours sorted in advance rather than turning up on the day. Friday 20 November, 13:00 to 14:00 at The Palace of Holyroodhouse.