Reviews of Canongate Kirk. (Church) in Edinburgh (Edinburgh).

Canongate Kirk

226 Reviews

99 Comments

Church

Presbyterian church

153 Canongate, Edinburgh EH8 8BN, United Kingdom

Go to the comments

Description Map Reviews Contact Photos

Description

Information of Canongate Kirk, Church in Edinburgh (Edinburgh)

On this page you’ll find the address, open hours, more popular times, the contact, photos and real reviews of this business.

This business has received very good reviews from their customers, so probably it’s a place you should try if you are looking for this kind of services.

Map

Reviews of Canongate Kirk

C. G.

It was my first time inside today and was so impressed by how welcoming the decor is! The stewards on today were both so chatty and friendly it was an absolute delight talking to them andd having certain parts pointed out. (especially where Her Majesty sits while at a service) While i have enjoyed many a stroll round its kirkyard seeing inside was a real delight. I will be back again soon.

S. O.

The cemetery has the tombstone of Adam Smith, but it is behind a fence, hard to take a photo of.

Really well kept and home to notable "celebrities". Fantastic views across Edinburgh. There was a chap in there hiding behind a grave and being a bit weird when I visited so I'd suggest caution if you visit but it was hopefully a one off.

S. S.

If you like old graveyards, and churches with history, then this is a must see. A notable grave is that of Adam Smith. Several walking tours incorporate this church and there are plenty of ghoulish stories of grave robberies and body snatching. It would fill in about 30 minutes of casual strolling on the way to/from Holyrood Palace.

c. m. b. d.

Great old church yard and beautiful old church

P. T.

Viewed from the outside only. In need of some careful maintenance. Quite interesting as a historic site, with some notable graves. Good to see in the daytime but also visited on a night time city "ghost" tour. Easily accessed in a central location.

C. G.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse is in the parish of Canongate Kirk with the Monarch being one of its parishioners. I witnessed a spectacular wedding there not so long ago with Rolls Royces and beautifully adorned bridesmaids.

J. B.

Canongate Kirk has seen some celebrity and Royal weddings (tip: if you want a good view, go across to the first floor of the Museum of Childhood). The grounds are lovely to explore. It seems to have become a tradition to throw coins on the grave of Adam Smith. A lovely place for some quiet reflection.

K. J.

A very interesting church and cemetery. Worth a visit.

R. T. (. t.

Lovely understated church, frequented by The Queen and other members of the Royal Family. Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall got married here. When we first passed by the church was closed but we were able to walk around the grounds, however the following day we were fortunate to be passing when it was open for viewing. The volunteers on duty that day were very helpful and knowledgeable and I must give a special mention to Anne and Anne who made our visit even better than it would otherwise have been with lots of interesting facts and information.

J. E.

Small traditional church were royals have been recently married.v.old with large northward slopping graveyard.many notable crypts of once famous well to do folk from the enlightenment,discreet,good for kids, picnic or just peaceful interesting rest place (for the living!) j.e.

C. I.

Went here to see a show last night, the show which was a fund raiser for Parkinsons was brilliant the ladies and gents put on a 1st class show. Very impressed at how beautiful this church is on the inside.

S. E. G.

Be aware it is a beautiful spot but the grounds do have issues. On our visit there was clearly homeless sleeping here at the bottom end. First we encountered lots or rubbish, beer cans etc. Then we noticed a Sharps bin is installed but we sadly still encountered needles and left quickly as we had a child present. Shame really.

C. B.

A crumbling Victorian cemetery full of the resting places of those in society of the high Victorian Edinburgh upper middle class

I. R.

Loved visiting this graveyard as part of a tour with mercat tours. However, the guide told us she wouldn't take us to the catacombs at the bottom of the graveyard as it was slippy. We visited the following day to be met with lots and lots of drug stuff like needles and wipes etc!! Although the overall experience was excellent, watch out where you stand!

O. S.

A 12th century church founded by King David after he fought off a white stag near the grounds of the church.

s. k.

The Canongate Kirkyard (English: Churchyard) stands around Canongate Kirk on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland. The churchyard was used for burials from the late 1680s until the mid-20th century. The most celebrated burials at the kirkyard are the economist Adam Smith and the poet Robert Fergusson, but many other notable people were interred in the cemetery. It has been claimed that David Rizzio, the murdered private secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots lies here, although it is highly unlikely that an Italian Catholic would be reinterred in a Protestant graveyard 120 years after his death. The Canongate was, until the 19th century, a separate parish from Edinburgh. This separate parish was formerly served by Holyrood Abbey at the foot of the Royal Mile, and Lady Yester's Church on High School Wynd. In 1687 King James VII adopted the abbey church as a Royal Chapel,[1] and the general population worshipped in Lady Yester's Kirk (built in 1647) until 1691. Both of these sites formerly served as burial grounds to the parish. The new Canongate Kirk was founded in 1688 and completed in 1691.[1] A large area of ground was purchased beyond that required for the erection of the church, and this appears to have been used for burial immediately from the church's foundation in 1688. This area is now fully occupied as a burial ground. Due to peculiarities in the parish boundaries, the parish also included some properties on the Nor Loch and, due to an ancient charter linking the castle to Holyrood, also Edinburgh Castle, which saw itself as separate from the parish of Edinburgh, under St Giles'. This led to many burials of soldiers from the castle within the section to the north of the churchyard. In 1952 the old Church Hall to the east, facing the Canongate, was demolished. This area was reformed as a sunken garden and the Burgh Cross, dating from 1128, was relocated here as a centre-piece, having formerly stood in the roadway in front of the church. The cross was restored in 1888, when it was moved from its temporary home in front of the Canongate Tolbooth to in front of the church, before its transition to the sunken garden in 1953. The Canongate Kirkyard has been calculated to have 62 tombs, 140 monuments and 150 wall plaques, ledgers, etc. David Rizzio (or Riccio) (1533–1566) was an Italian courtier of Mary, Queen of Scots. Born near Turin, he became valet to the Queen in 1561 and was promoted to be her secretary in 1564. He was enormously unpopular and was stabbed to death, in the presence of the Queen, in her chamber in Holyrood Palace. The murderers included Mary's husband, Lord Darnley. The body was interred in Holyrood Abbey but was allegedly moved to Canongate churchyard in 1688. A small bronze plaque on the east wall of the church, above a worn 17th-century flat tombstone, reads: "Tradition says that this is the grave of David Riccio 1533–1566 Transported from Holyrood." It is more likely to be a fanciful story to attach to the old but illegible stone (which may be the stone of Bishop James Ramsay). Holyrood was still a royal chapel in 1688, and there would have been little popular support to move this body to the "people's" churchyard. Rizzio being a Catholic, it is also hard to explain why he would be buried in a Protestant churchyard. If the story is true, the stone dates from roughly the time of the re-interment, and is a costly stone for someone who, particularly a century after death, would have no living friends or relatives. The bronze plaque is thought to date from the 1950s.

A. K.

Looks like it used to be a nice church until they painted over all the old woodwork in baby blue and put a golden deer head on the top of the roof instead of a cross...

T. A.

Adam Smith's Grave is located here. A must see (and it will only take you 5 minutes!)

E. R.

Friendly congregation, beautiful building. Services at 10:00 and 11:15 each Sunday.

L. K.

A lot of local events n concert organize in this church. The graveyard at the back of the church

B. C.

Was alright, the place wasn't very lively

L. F. A.

Nice and quiet place full of graves, some of them from 1800s. Close to Holyrood palace and Holyrood park. You can also walk to Calton Hill from here. This is one of the stops of those hop on hop off buses, so it's a good place to stop and take some nice pictures. Entrance is free.

R. H.

Messy poorly maintained grounds. Worth a 3 min stroll in and out. But that's all.

j. b.

Dead center of Edinburgh is the walls round it to stop zombies from going walkabout?

Look for the markings on the floor outside the Kirk, you can find Adam Smith's tomb

H. L.

Nice well maintained graveyard and the resting place of Adam Smith.

A. S.

Interesting grave site as well as church.

K. K.

A place where Adam Smith were laid. Go inside, turn left Adam is on the your left.

T. D. S.

Lovely church

A. P. F.

Historic church, rather nondescript inside.

C. A.

Walked round the graveyard which was very interesting and very old.

P. B.

Kept welll

j. g.

Loved the old cemetary. Went on a ghost tour that ended here. Sone very interesting stories. This is the church the Quenn goes to when she's in Scotland was my understanding.

J. S.

Great history in such an small place.

S. H.

Lots of history to the place and glad we stopped in.

A. A.

Ghost tour brought me here. Lots of history happened here.

S. B.

Very good place to visit and stay

A. T.

A very old Scottish monument...

C. G.

I love taking pictures here.

L. G.

Good lovely inside

C. G.

Interesting heraldic banners.

M. G.

Beautiful hidden place

B. B.

Beautiful church

I. P.

An amazing church with many graves. Very beautiful and peaceful place.

R. B.

Fascinating building.

L. B.

Looking forward to visiting

L. W.

Church for the army in Edinburgh

L. H.

Historic place

T. R.

amazing church

J. G.

Cool wee kirk

G. A.

Cool place.

The place seems neglected. For a historical object, it doesn't look good. In several places there are traces of where homeless people spent the night. Adam Smith's burial place. George Mackenzie is also said to be buried here.

L. F. P. S.

(Translated) We have walked through the lower part of the Royal Mile called Canongate, on countless occasions and we had always noticed this curious construction with remarkable golden decorations on its facade, but always closed. It was Christmas 2017 when we were lucky and we were able to access both the previous patio, the interior of this church and the curious cemetery that surrounds it. It is a church designed in 1688 by James Smith and completed in 1691 with a basilica plan. It was built with the legacy left by Thomas Moodle in 1649 as can be read on the plaque above the door. Above this plate is the coat of arms of Thomas Moodle and at the top of the pediment the coat of arms of King William II. The stark but impressively bright interior highlights the pale blue painted seating and other furniture on a red carpet. A walk through the cemetery that surrounds it takes us back to times gone by with some of the tombstones obscured by the passage of time. A visit that had to come within the interesting tour guides in Edinburgh, (Original) Hemos paseado por la parte inferior de la Royal Mile llamada Canongate, en infinidad de ocasiones y siempre nos habíamos fijado en esta curiosa construcción con notables decorados dorados en su fachada, pero siempre cerrada. Eran las navidades del 2017 cuando tuvimos suerte y pudimos acceder tanto al patio anterior, al interior de la esta iglesia y al curioso cementerio que la rodea. Se trata de una iglesia diseñada en 1688 por James Smith y terminada en 1691 con planta basilical. Fue construida con el legado dejado por Thomas Moodle en 1649 según se puede leer en la placa situada encima de la puerta. Encima de esta placa se encuentra el escudo de Thomas Moodle y en la parte superior del frontón el escudo del rey Guillermo II. El interior austero pero impresionantemente luminoso, destaca los asientos y otros muebles pintados de azul claro, sobre una alfombra roja. Un paseo por el cementerio que la rodea, nos retrotrae a tiempos pasados con algunas de las lápidas oscurecidas por el paso del tiempo. Una visita que tenía que venir dentro de la guías de visitas interesantes en Edimburgo,

G. d. b.

One more cemetery to visit in Edinburgh. It is a small, central, and very typical cemetery. It is located next to the Royal Mile, allowing easy access. It is quite well preserved, and has the typical characteristics of the cemeteries of this city. Its advantage, apart from its location, is that it is not very famous and therefore is not full of tourist groups or Harry Potter fans. Which allows for a calm and peaceful visit.

M. H.

Peaceful and historically educating. As a tourist its a good idea to pick up trash if you see it.

A. D. A.

With gothic style on the outside, very simple on the inside. Surrounded by a cemetery with old tombs. Quiet place to walk

M. O.

Unfortunately, the church could not be visited due to construction work. The cemetery is in very bad condition and really dirty. It seems to serve as a sleeping camp for homeless people as there are mattresses, tents etc. in the "burial houses". If nothing is done here, the cemetery will probably fall into complete disrepair. I think that would be a great shame.

M. V.

What impressed me the most was the cemetery. Grand with its centuries-old tombstones and its pantheons. In the city and from there you could see the spiers of the monuments of Edinburgh. I'm not sure because we had just arrived if they could be the ones in San Giles or some other one on the Royal Mile. The Protestant Churches have seemed very clean and well-kept to me, free from the imaginary or gloomy baroqueness of the Catholic ones. Also the curiosity of the fruits and vegetables and other foods that some people bring for others who are more in need.

C. R.

At first glance it is not as impressive as Greyfriar, but its history undoubtedly makes it an essential place on your visit to the city. In my case I visited it at dusk with a guide and I recommend it 100%

s. g. k.

It's a great church for a walk.

곽.

When you enter, deep inside you will find Adam Smith's grave. In addition, there are graves of historical figures. Living in an Asian culture, I felt a bit eerie, but I was able to spend time thinking about something in a quiet atmosphere while looking around the graves of historical figures. We recommend stopping by and taking a walk during your trip.

(Translated) It is best to visit the cemetery at night 🤗🤗🤗 (Original) Lo mejor es visitar el cementerio de noche 🤗🤗🤗

M. G.

We were in the cemetery one of the nights with a guide who was telling us scary stories about Edinburgh. Honestly, they hit a lot there. Also there you can find tombs of some illustrious people.

T. L.

Bright church with the grave of Adam Smith in the cemetery on the left

S. C.

Worth visiting, in this place the royals attend religious functions when they visit. The first benches are reserved for them.

First visit, interesting church very light inside with friendly ambience

M. Y.

This burial ground has many noteworthy graves and quite a few Scottish celebrities. Look a little extra at the names, and you will find a lot of well-known names in world history.

R. A.

An evocative place rich in Scottish history. It also deserves to be visited for its originality.

J. B.

Impressive little church that was once visited by the Queen. The associated cemetery also contains a few interesting graves.

M. D.

Suggestive cemetery at the gates of the old city

T. d. R. A.

The very beautiful building. The best is the night visit to the cemetery made on a tour.

D. C.

Great place to visit at night. It has a very beautiful and curious garden-cemetery to rediscover the body thieves of yesteryear.

M. H. S.

Calm. Nice church. Nice people. The church the Queen visits if she is in Edinburgh, so a nice fact to know. Bright and nice!

M. R.

Nice church. The best, the cemetery. It is visited on the ghost tour.

S. M.

Cemetery of Famous People

P. G.

Interesting church

M. O.

Beautiful and peaceful cemetery. It's a must see if you like the paranormal or history. Many great poets are buried here. Also, Dickens got his inspiration for his character, Ebenezer Scrooge from a headstone in this cemetery. Many graves from as early as the 17th century. Amazing!