The imposing Great Stair, with its stone steps and balustrade, is in the south-west corner of the Quadrangle.
Designed by the Scottish architect Sir William Bruce for Charles II in the 1670s, the Great Stair provided the formal approach to the processional route leading through the State Apartments on the first floor. The cantilevered stair was at the forefront of building technology at the time.
Above is a magnificent plasterwork ceiling. The decoration was created in moulds from plaster reinforced with horsehair, and applied and finished by hand. In the corners, figures of angels bear the attributes of kingship, the Honours of Scotland: the crown, the sceptre and the sword.
Today the staircase is used by The Queen and her guests as they enter the Palace and provides the first taste of the baroque interiors of Holyroodhouse.
Please note banner image credit: Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2013.
The Virtual Room
