Rosewell Cemetery

Explorer Tom Rosslyn Chapel is what happens when stone carvers are given a chapel and apparently told to leave no patch alone. Angels, plants, strange faces and twisting pillars jostle for attention; I kept looking up until my neck threatened to send a complaint. It is a small building with a very large imagination. Sir William St Clair founded the chapel in 1446, and work continued for roughly forty years. He died in 1484 before his grand plan was complete. Excavated foundations suggest the building might have stretched much farther west, so the richly carved chapel we see may be only part of what he intended. His son roofed the choir, but the larger design was never finished. You can almost hear the masons asking whether they were supposed to carve the extra bit as well. Find the Apprentice Pillar, with vines winding up its shaft and dragons at its foot. Its tale of an apprentice and a jealous master mason is a legend, not a proven account of the carving. The real workmanship is wonderful enough without asking the pillar to solve every mystery in Scotland. After the Reformation the chapel fell into disrepair; restoration led to its rededication in 1862, and worship returned. Admission uses timed tickets, and booking ahead guarantees your place. You may photograph the exterior, but photography inside is not allowed. A ramp reaches the main chapel; the sacristy has 26 steep steps. Check current visiting times, then put the camera away and give your eyes the job they came for.