A creative drop-in activity for families and young visitors to discover the stories behind the mythical monarchs in the Great Gallery portraits and sketch their own version to take home.
Sketch A Mythical Monarch is running at The Palace of Holyroodhouse throughout October, with sessions on the 15th, 16th, 22nd, 23rd, 29th and 30th, all from 11am to 3pm. It's a creative drop-in for families and young visitors: you start by discovering the stories behind the mythical monarchs in the portraits hanging in the Great Gallery, and then you draw your own version to take home.
If you've never spent much time inside the Palace, it's worth a bit of context. It's a royal palace right here in Edinburgh and remains the official residence of the British monarch. The grounds include Holyrood Abbey, a building nearly 900 years old. Inside, you'll find the King's Bed, a four-poster made for Charles II, who never actually slept in it, and thrones more than a century old, made for King George V and Queen Mary. The Great Gallery is the palace's biggest room, and it's where Bonnie Prince Charlie once held a famous party.
Beyond this sketching session, there's a free family multimedia tour to take, and a family trail that winds through the Palace Gardens, where a lion once lived. If you're planning a full day with kids, you can combine the tour, the trail, and the sketching into one trip. The session itself is a drop-in, so you don't need to arrive right at 11am to get involved.
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It's included with a Palace of Holyroodhouse ticket or a 1-Year Pass, so there's no extra charge on top of your entry. The Palace is at Canongate, Edinburgh East EH8 8DX, and the sessions run 11am to 3pm on the 15th, 16th, 22nd, 23rd, 29th and 30th of October.
