Mary's rooms reopening after flaming good work at Palace

Published on Thursday 14 December 2006 12:12

ITS priceless contents are viewed as key to Scotland's rich heritage, but fears that the treasures of the Palace of Holyroodhouse could be lost to a fire fuelled a £3.5 million renovation project.

Six years have passed since the painstaking task to fireproof the Edinburgh palace was launched, and historians are now confident its precious artefacts are safer than they have ever been.

With the work finally completed, Mary Queen of Scots' chambers - one of the palace's top attractions - will reopen to visitors for the first time in one and a half years.

The time-consuming project was launched in the wake of the devastating fire at Windsor Castle in 1992, which raged through 100 rooms and caused 40m of damage.

Palace superintendent Geoff Mackrell said: "I think, when work started, everyone's minds had been focused on the disaster at Windsor Castle.

"Like Windsor, we have a tremendous history here and we also have some wonderful pieces at the palace.

"The thoughts of everyone were on making sure all of those things were protected, together with the people who work here and visit here and the people who from time to time stay in the palace.

"The building has been here since the 1670s but we need to make sure we have a level of protection that lasts well into the 21st century and after." During the massive restoration project at Holyroodhouse - the Queen's official residence in Scotland - every room was scrutinised to identify areas where fire could spread.

Inspectors found that there were a number of vulnerable areas, including the roof and under the floors, where fire could move from one room to another.

Thick timber doors were also carefully taken apart so that special fire resistant panels could be inserted into the spaces inside each door.

And a sophisticated fire alarm system has been installed which, in the event of a blaze breaking out, triggers the closure of all the doors in the building.

Mr Mackrell said: "What we have done is to build hidden compartments into the fabric of the building to prevent the spread of fire. So much of the building is historic and the complicated part has been to make sure the work has not been noticeable and that we put everything back as though nothing has changed."

Mr Mackrell said the upgrade was the biggest project at the palace for around 100 years.

The last extensive work was conducted by King George V and Queen Mary, who installed electricity and lifts to the royal residence.

The famous Mary Queen of Scots' chambers, including Lord Darnley's rooms, feature rich tapestries, panelling, massive fireplaces and antiques from the 1700s.

A stained-glass panel with an image of St Margaret, who died 913 years ago this week, has also been reinstated following extensive conservation work.

The fireproofing and conservation programme at the palace was co-ordinated by heritage organisation Historic Scotland, which ensured that the Queen's summer visit was not interrupted by the work.

Commenting on the upgrade, Historic Scotland regional architect Gregor Stark said: "The work at the Palace of Holyroodhouse was taken forward by Historic Scotland's own professional, technical and trade staff with support from specialist contractors as required.

"Such a scale of upgrade required large scale lifting of floors and slabs throughout the palace and this added to our knowledge of the palace's historical development."