Arbroath Abbey — Attraction in Scotland

See "The Declaration of Arbroath" also known as the declaration of Scottish independence, signed on April 6th, 1320.

Many people, especially locals, and even the info boards suggest that the "round O" is the complete circle high up in the south tower on the flanks of the Abbey, BUT, they are mistaken, and this should be obvious once you consider there was also a similar one on the north tower opposite which no longer exsists and both of these are much smaller than the main one on the west entrance.

The REAL round O, used to be a significantly larger stained glass window, DIRECTLY ABOVE the main entrance of the Abbey, which HALF of it still exsists. The point being in the summer when the sun sets directly in the west it is aligned with the large round window lights up the entire abbey floor with the colours of the stained glass. But, because it is only half there, the local people think that the completed circle on the south is the round O. Easy mistake to make I guess. Well worth a visit and a look see. One glance at the two circles will show beyond doubt that the real round O is obviously directly above the main entrance. The reason people believe that the full small circle is the round o is probably to do with Robert Stevenson (of the lighthouse fame) who had this rebuilt at the same time he built the inchcape lighthouse off the coast here in 1811, which makes it a nice prominent feature but not an authentic part of the abbey.

Abbey is well worth a visit and so is the lighthouse if you...

The Abbey was founded in 1178 by King William I of Scotland and consecrated in 1197, dedicated to St Thomas Beckett who had been an Archbishop of Canterbury. Williams grave is here though he doesn't sound like much of a Scottish hero. After trying to invade England he got captured and then exchanged his freedom for acknowleding King Henry II as his superior and even agreed to pay for the English occupation by taxing the Scots. There is a lot of scaffolding but it's still worth a wander around the ruins. The exhibition rooms and artefacts on display are very good. There is a replica of the Stone of Scone, the original of which was left at the Abbey in 1951 after being stolen and broken by students. The staff were helpful and knowledgeable and said that it's rumoured that the stone is merely the lid of a medieval toilet! I hope not. A lot is made of what is now being called The declaration of Arbroath. What a load of nonsense that is. It was just a letter to the Pope to try and get the excommunication of the murderer Robert Bruce reversed. It was never called a declaration until hundreds of years later probably for a bit of a publicity. The letter even boasts of completely destroying the Picts which is not something to be proud of. Definitely worth a visit if...

Yhere is a small car park just across the street. It was free when we visited as the parking meter had been covered by the council. The shop and visitor centre is open but access to the Abbey ruins and grounds was still closed on our visit in October '21. The visitor centre was full of informative historical information boards and wall displays. Nicely layed out centre with space to spread out, sit and read through information. There is a short film protected on the wall about the declaration and how the manuscript came into effect. This is a nice wee modern twist to capture the imagination. There are both stair and a wheelchair accessible elevator to the upper level. Here you have some more displays of architecture and a good partial view over some of the grounds through the tall windows. There are ample toilets and a small but nice little shop. The staff were very friendly and informative, when time permitted they loved to chat about the museum and were interested in where we came from too. Look forward to visiting again when...