See the Scottish carvings that led to a blockbuster movie

Rosslyn Chapel, which is just under an hour’s drive from Melrose, and a few miles south of Edinburgh, is a must-see tourist attraction in Scotland.

The building is covered in ornate carvings, which proved to be the inspiration for Dan Brown’s famous novel the Da Vinci Code.

The book, later made into a film starring Tom Hanks, has brought thousands of visitors through the doors of this Mediaeval building. Autumn is a glorious time to visit, away from the busy summer months, but with time to appreciate the stunning location too set, as it is, in the Midlothian countryside and the stunning Roslin Glen.

History

Rosslyn Chapel, was founded in 1446 by Sir William St Clair and took over 40 years to build, although it was never finished. It is only seven miles from Edinburgh, and has good public transport links from the city and is easily reached by car, with free parking on site.

It is now managed by Rosslyn Chapel Trust, so every visit contributes towards keeping up this tourist gem. It’s open seven days a week, with each day split into 90 minute timeslots to make sure there’s a good stream of visitors, who all have space and time to enjoy the attraction.

Because of the timeslots booking his highly advisable and can be made easily through the website at www.rosslynchapel.com

Ornate carvings on stonework on the interior and exterior walls are what draw visitors time and again to this piece of Scottish history. Among the well-known carvings are the angels in the chapel, the Green Men and the Apprentice Pillar. You may even find the maize carvings – unusual in that maize was not known in Scotland at the time the chapel was built – so where did the inspiration come from?

Book your trip

Booking is simple with visitor sessions divided into one-and-a-half-hour timeslots throughout the day. Within each 90 minute timeslot, there is a free presentation by a Chapel guide to talk you through the building’s history and main features.

There is a lot to take in, which means there’s always something new to see, even for return visitors.

The cost to get in is £9.50 for adults/ £7.50 for visitors who are aged 60+, or unemployed or disabled or students

After the initial presentation you are left to explore alone - you can use the free map to locate the key carvings around the stone walls. Inside the visitor centre there is an interpretation area, gift shop and coffee shop, overlooking Roslin Glen, which looks stunning at this time of year.

Autumn and Christmas

There are some special events planned for this autumn including a musical history of Mediaeval Scottish Kings; poetry set to the music of Vaughan Williams, Roger Quilter, Herbert Hughes and others and an evening of contemporary multi-genre original music. There are also a number of candlelit evening openings planned too.

The chapel will form the setting for a new adaptation of A Christmas Carol – including carols – nearer to Christmas, plus more candlelit visits.

For more details or to book tickets for the special events click here.

Find out more

The chapel is open seven days a week. To book your 90-minute timeslot please go to the website here.

Any vacant spaces for timeslots are available for people to purchase on the day, however, booking is highly advisable to avoid disappointment.