All About Edinburgh
The Pends St Andrews
Cathedral of St Andrews
The Pends St Andrews
The Cathedral was built in 1158 and was the religious centre of the Medieval Catholic Church in Scotland. The seat of the Archdiocese of St Andrews and the Bishops and Archbishops of St Andrews.
It was left disused and fell into ruin after Catholic mass was outlawed in 1560.
The ruins indicate it was approximately 119 m long, the largest church to have been built in Scotland.
The Scottish Reformation in Scotland came to a head with iconoclasm.
(The deliberate destruction of religious icons or monuments) all over Scotland.
St Andrews was the target of the army of the Lords of the Congregation as they destroyed alters and religious icons, and whitewashed the walls of the churches.
The Pends Gate House St Andrews
The Pends St Andrews
"The Pends" was entry to the Priory
The Pends Gateway and Gatehouse were to protect
the priory and cathedral.
It has been standing since at least the 1300's and the wall has been standing from the 1500s.
"The Pends" was entry to the Priory
St Andrews Cathedral Museum
The Pends St Andrews
St Andrews museum is found in what was the original Cathedral's Priory. This is where the Augustinian Canons lived. From here you proceed into the reception area and shop
St Andrews Cathedral Museum
Royal Sarcophagus
The Pends St Andrews
The prize of the museum, the Royal Burial Shine from circa 761 AD. One of the finest stone carvings in Europe. See all the stone carvings headstones and other artifices.
Rules' Tower
The Pends St Andrews
Circa 1070 in the time of Malcolm III a church (St Rule’s Tower St Andrews)
was built to protect the bones of St Andrew, Rule had carried from Greece.
Rule a holy man from the area of Patras in Greece in the 4th century AD.
Rule deciding to stop the Romans from seizing the bones of Saint Andrew and took as many bones as he could and travelled as far from Greece as possible ending in Scotland.
He had a companion Triduana became a Saint, her story is, she
was born in the same place as Rule and was believed to have journeyed with Rule in the 4th century AD.
Triduana settled in Scotland and due to her great beauty attracted the attentions of many men.
One in particular was
Nechtan King of the Picts.
Triduana to stop the King’s attention is said to have torn out her own eyes and gave them to the King.
As Triduana aged she settled in an area outside an area known as Eidyn later known as Edinburgh.
Many people made pilgrimages to see her as she was believed to have the power to make the blind see.
On her death in Restalrig a shrine was built in her honour and was intact until the reformation in the 1500.
Cathedral of St Andrews
Tom Morris Jnr. Grave
The Pends St Andrews
Young Tom (Tommy) Morris was born in St Andrews Fife Scotland
on the 20 April 1851 – Died 25 December 1875 (Age 24)
He is the youngest winner of the Open Championship (age 17).
He also thought of a golf bag to carry clubs and balls, getting the idea when playing an Archer in an exhibition match.
Tommy won the Open Championship
4 times as his father did.
1868 Scotland Tom Morris Jr.
Prestwick Golf Club
1869 Scotland Tom Morris Jr.
Prestwick Golf Club
1870 Scotland Tom Morris Jr.
Prestwick Golf Club
1872 Scotland Tom Morris Jr.
Prestwick Golf Club
Eastern Graveyard
Tom Morris Snr. Grave
The Pends St Andrews
Old Tom Morris was born in North Street St Andrews Fife
in Scotland on 16th June 1821.
Father of Tom Morris Jnr.
both winners of the Open Championship on 4 occasions.
Old Tom was a club maker, golf professional and greenkeeper. In 1864 he became the Keeper of the Greens and professional of Old Course St Andrews.
Tom Morris Snr died in St Andrews
when he fell down the stairs at
The New Club across from the 18th Green
on May 24th, 1908 at the age of 86.
His grave is on the eastern wall of the churchyard of St Andrew's Cathedral beside his son.
St Leonard’s College
The Pends St Andrews
St Leonard’s College was united with St Salvator's College on North Street in 1747 moving to
St Salvator’s at that time. While St Leonards lay unused to 1883, St Leonard's School for Girls became St Leonards and moved to the site which still occupies the school today. The Chapel became unused by 1761 until the chapel was re-roofed in 1910, then the interior was restored in 1952.
St Leonard’s School
The Pends St Andrews
Sir David Brewster
KH PRSE FRS FSA Scot FSSA MICE Plaque
Born Jedburgh 1781 – Died Melrose 1868
David Brewster was the principal of the United Colleges from 1838-1859. One of the most important inventor of our time. Inventing the Kaleidoscope and his work on polarized light helped with his development of Lasers, fibre optics and other optical devices.
He was Principal of the University of Edinburgh
in 1859. 1838, and Principal of the United Colleges
of St Salvator and St Leonard,
University of St Andrews. A true Genius.
St Leonard’s School
The Pends St Andrews
Matthew Forester Heddle FRSE MD Plaque
Mathew was born in Hoy in Orkney in 1828 his first school was Edinburgh Academy. He moved in 1842 to Merchiston Castle boarding school Edinburgh. Then the University of Edinburgh in 1844. Moving to Germany for a short time, on his return, graduated MD in 1851. In that year he became President of the Edinburgh Geological Society. After a number of years in medicine, he became the Chair of Chemistry in 1862- 1882 of St Andrews University. 1879 he was also awarded the Keith gold medal, by the Royal Society of Edinburgh for his paper on Rhombohedral Carbonates. Published a book on Mineralogy of Scotland. He died in 1897 and is buried in St Andrews Cathedral cemetery.
St Leonards Chapel
St Leonards Chapel built circa 1140. St Leonard’s chapel lies on the south side of St Leonard’s College Quadrangle. The Chapel became the parish church in 1413, dedicated to St Leonard. St Leonard’s College was founded in 1512 by Archbishop Alexander Stewart and Prior John Hepburn.
St Leonard’s Chapel Monuments
Inside the Chapel can be seen monument on the north wall: Robert Wilkie, college principal, who died in 1611. Peter Bruce, principal, who died in 1630 and Robert Stewart, Earl of March who died in 1586. Also original slabs on the floor, the earliest being Canon William Ruglyn died 1502.
Sir George Douglas of Loch Leven
Deans Court
Gregory Lane St Andrews
Sir George Douglas lived in what was known as "Archdeacons Inns" as it was the residence of the Archdeacon of St Andrews Sir George was younger brother of William Douglas who owned Loch Leven Castle where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned between June 1567 and May1568.
See more of the escape of Mary Queen of Scots with the help of the Douglas family from Loch Leven, on the plaque. George spent 6 years in France before returning to Scotland in 1574.
James Haldenstone Plaque
Gregory Lane St Andrews
James Haldenstone was the
Prior of St Andrews from 1417.
He became Vicar - General after the death of
Bishop Wardlaw of St Andrews in 1440.
He died in 1443.
He was interned in the north wall of
the Lady Chapel of the Cathedral.
See the plaque for more details
near The Roundel
St Andrews
Fife Pilgrims Trail
Gregory Lane St Andrews
For over 500 years until the Reformation, pilgrims arrived to worship at the shrine of
St Andrew where his relics (bones) were kept,
eventually to be housed within the Cathedral.
The Fife Pilgrims Trail starts
in Ceres and ends outside the Cathedral
at Dean’s Court Gregory Lane St Andrews.
The circuit takes you round over twenty places of
cultural, religious and historical interest.
Thanks to the members of
St Andrews Preservation Trust
in their help planning the circuit.
The Roundel
South Street + Gregory Lane
A 16th-century Tower building dedicated for doctoral students studying divinity at the
University of St Andrews. The college is one of five approved centres for the training of
Church of Scotland ministers.
The Roundel stands on the corner of South Street overlooking St Andrews Cathedral.
East Scores and The Pends
St Andrews Attractions
Church of St Mary on the Rocks
St Mary on the Rocks is the remains of a church possibly built circa 1240.
St Mary on the Rock an early medieval church,
dating to the 12th century.
Built on the site of an earlier 9th century Culdee
(Scottish monks of the 8th to 12th centuries living as a recluse usually in a group of thirteen
on the analogy of Christ and his Apostles).
The tradition ceased as the Celtic Church was brought under Roman Catholic rule.
Before 1290 St Mary on the Rock had become a collegiate church and a royal chapel.
The church was built on a headland that overlooks St Andrews bay and the harbour.
St Mary on the Rock was demolished in 1559
Today only the foundations which were uncovered in 1860 can be seen.
Defence Canon
The canon face out to see to defend the town from invaders that arrived by sea from many countries, Spanish, English, American and French.
St Andrews Pier
The Pier originally built of wood was replaced in mid-1500. Confirmation the pier being of stone, records show of a great storm that damaged the ashlar on the pier in 1573. The pier was replaced in 1655. The pier and harbour walls have over the centuries be rebuilt several times due to storm damage.
East Sands St Andrews
St Andrews East Beach (Sands) can be located on the south side of the old harbour. From St Andrews Castle keep to the coast road with St Andrews Cathedral on your Right. This is a popular beach which is safe for children.
The golden sandy beach with a wide variety of water sports.
There is a car park first aid facilities and toilet facilities available.
During Peak Summer there are on duty lifeguards and Café.