Rainy Day Visit, Palace of Holyroodhouse Forecourt, Edinburgh, 1950s

Archive & AtlasEstablished · MMXXIII

Rainy Day Visit, Palace of Holyroodhouse Forecourt, Edinburgh, 1950s — Archive & Atlas

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Rainy Day Visit, Palace of Holyroodhouse Forecourt, Edinburgh, 1950s — Archive & Atlas

Unattributed 1950–1959

AA-2026-5CFC03

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A woman in a belted raincoat and headscarf stands in the wet forecourt of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, with the sheer volcanic face of Salisbury Crags looming behind the ornate ceremonial gates — a backdrop so dramatically Scottish that it looks invented for a postcard, and yet here she is, choosing to stand in the rain in front of it. The 1950s was the great age of the determined British tourist, a person who had saved up, planned the trip months in advance, and was not about to let a Scottish summer's entirely predictable weather become an excuse to skip the palace. Two other visitors in matching headscarves can be seen further back in the frame, also apparently refusing to acknowledge the conditions. The round-fendered car parked beside the gatehouse lodge confirms this is the decade when private motoring first put historic sites within reach of ordinary families, which meant that the palaces of Scotland were about to be visited by an enormous number of people who had never previously considered visiting Scotland. She is smiling, which suggests either that she genuinely enjoyed herself, or that she had come too far to admit otherwise.

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