Seat of power · Scotland · Restored

Parliament House

Parliament House in Edinburgh is a complex of connected buildings on the west side of the Royal Mile which originally contained the Parliament of Scotland and now houses Scotland's supreme courts and legal offices. The core is Parliament Hall (completed 1639) with a later unified classical frontage on Parliament Square designed by Robert Reid in the early 19th century. The complex also contains the Laigh Hall, the Treasury wing, the Advocates Library and the Signet Library.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

First raised

1639

Its prime

1838

Today

Restored

As it stood in 1838

What Parliament House looked like in its prime.

A broad U-shaped, three-storey ashlar complex facing a rectangular cobbled square, dominated by a central five-bay projection with a hexastyle pedimented portico; the ground floor presents rusticated arcades and arched openings, above them tall sash windows and a balustraded parapet punctuated by carved decorative panels and stone sphinxes. A bronze equestrian statue stands on a high plinth at the courtyard centre. To the east rises the vertical Gothic mass of St Giles’ Cathedral, the stone surfaces mellowed and weathered.

Step inside

9 places to explore in 1838.

The record describes 9 distinct spots at Parliament House, including 6 interiors: parliament hall (main chamber), laigh hall (undercroft), treasury wing — entrance lobby and more. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more photos, more angles and more of the immersive experience.

Parliament Square — central approachPedimented portico and main entranceParliament Hall (main chamber)Laigh Hall (undercroft)Treasury wing — entrance lobbyCouncil Chamber (upper Treasury)Exchequer RoomAdvocates Library — reading roomSignet Library — exterior front

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