Canongate Kirk & Kirkyard

Canongate Kirk, The Kirk of Holyroodhouse and Edinburgh Castle, was founded in 1688. The architecturally unique design is by James Smith, with aisles and a cruciform plan. The finely built ashlar fa?ade is in a Dutch architectural style and the luminous, columned baroque interior was wonderfully restored by Stewart Tod & Partners in 1947. Various notable memorials in the kirkyard include the graves of Adam Smith and Robert Fergusson.

Information panels in the kirk explain how James Smith, the kirk?s architect, spent time in Rome and brought a knowledge of classical architecture to his work in Scotland; and how key Enlightenment figures associated with the kirk, such as Adam Smith, had international connections and global influence. We will provide tours of the kirk and kirkyard focussing on the global connections of some of those buried here.