Parliament Square

Parliament House

Parliament House is situated on the south, east and west sides of Parliament Square.  Parliament Square lies to the south of St Giles Church in the High Street, part of Edinburgh's Royal Mile.

Parliament House was built in the 1630s with new frontages added in 1803.  Parliament House was home to the Scottish Parliament until the Act of Union between England and Scotland in 1707 made it redundant for that purpose.

It is now the centre of the Scottish Legal system.  It houses the Court of Session, Court of Criminal Appeal and the Advocates Library.

Parliament House

The statue in front of Parliament House is King Charles II on horseback, dressed as a Roman Emperor.  It was erected in 1685 and is the oldest lead cast statue in  Britain.

Firefighters

Here is a photograph of firefighters standing in front of the statue of King Charles II in Parliament Square in the late-1890s.

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