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Scottish Parliament Building |
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Holyrood Building Parliament - 2002 under construction A new building to house the Scottish Parliament is being created at the foot of the Cowgate, close to Holyrood Palace. This decision was reached following consideration of sites at: - Leith Harbour (close to the Scottish Office Headquarters - The old Royal High School building beneath Calton Hill The original cost of the building, before the final design was chosen, was estimated to be £40m. But the estimated cost has increased dramatically, despite some of the more adventurous features of the original plan - roofs resembling sails - having been removed on cost grounds. The opening date has been delayed. The latest estimates (January 2003) are that the building will cost £338m and will be opened in November 2003. [Evening News 21 January 2003, p.13] |
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June 2003 Further increases in the cost of the Scottish Parliament building have now been announced [9 June 03] taking the total cost to £375m. [Evening News 6 June 2003, p.2] |
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August 2003 The cost of the Scottish Parliament building is now [22 August 03] expected to be £400m. The building is now due to be completed in July 2004, with external landscaping being completed at end-August 2004. [The Metro 22 August 2003, p.9] |
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September 2004 The Scottish Parliament building is now in use, and arrangements for the opening ceremony have been announced. See 'October 2004'. |
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October 2004 Formal Opening of Parliament The formal opening of the Parliament by the Queen on 9 October is to be marked by a 1,000-strong procession down Edinburgh's Royal Mile from the High Court to the new Parliament. The procession will be led by military and brass bands from each region of Scotland. The Edinburgh-born James Bond star, Sean Connery, will join the celebrations. There will be Scottish dance, music, poetry and drama readings in Royal Mile at Parliament Square, and in the gardens of the new Parliament. Parliament Square will also see a re-enactment of Scotland before 1707. Further entertainment will be provided in Our Dynamic Earth, close to the new Parliament. [Evening News 10 September 2004, p.5]
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October 2004 Photographic Competition A photographic competition to commemorate the Opening of Parliament has been announced by Scottish National Photographic Centre Ltd. Photographs are to be taken in the 24 hours beginning at midnight on 8 October 2004. |
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March 2006 Temporary Home A few months after outstanding work on the parliament was completed, an unexpected problem arose. During a debate in the debating chamber on 2 March, it was noticed that one of the 12ft oak beams supporting the roof was hanging loose. Following initial investigations, it was agreed that MSPs should move to a temporary home for their debates in the immediate future. The next debate, on March 8, will be held at The Hub , near the top of the Royal Mile. The Hub will not be available from late March onwards, so other possible venues are being considered, including: - The Church of Scotland Assembly Hall at The Mound, where the Scottish Parliament met for its first five years, until 2004. - The Edinburgh City Chambers in the Royal Mile
- Dynamic Earth, exhibition centre, close to the new Scottish Parliament. - Edinburgh International Conference Centre. - The former Royal High School beneath Calton Hill, a venue considered at one time for the new Scottish Parliament, then rejected. Royal High School Edinburgh Evening News: March 7, 2006, p.7 Edinburgh Evening News: March 11, 2006, p.10 The Scottish Parliament was only able to meet at The Hub for two weeks at a cost of £120,000. But the venue then became no longer available, so a new venue had to be found. Several were considered (see above) but the parliament decided, instead, to adapt then use the top floor committee room at Holyrood. This has been done, and it is expected that this will be the venue for further debates in the immediate future. Edinburgh Evening News: March 25, 2006, p.10 |
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Lansdscaping Landscaping in front of the Scottish Parliament includes some shallow ponds. I found that these enhanced the site, especially in the early mornings when the buildings were reflected in the water. However, following a number of minor accidents when people did not notice the ponds and ended up in the water, the police erected temporary safety barriers around the water. Over the past 18 months, the Scottish Parliament has considered three separate reports on what action might be taken for the ponds. Options being considered include: - barriers around the ponds - draining the ponds and convert them into sunken gardens - paving them over completely. Discussions are ongoing.
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Poem by Dave Ferguson Blairgowrie, Perth & Kinross, Scotland |
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David Ferguson recently sent me three of his poems of growing up in Granton. Here he gives his views on the Scottish Parliament building: |
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Dave Ferguson, Blairgowrie, Perth & Kinross, Scotland: February 12, 2012 |