Abbey Strand Apartments at Holyrood in Edinburgh is a royal-owned property. It has recently opened nine serviced apartments following a two-year-long renovation of the building.
The tenement building, parts of which date back to 1490, is located opposite the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Scottish Parliament at the foot of the Royal Mile.
In medieval times the building was an almshouse with accommodation for the poor. In the 16th century it was a weapons store. By the 18th century it had become a brewery and a tavern as well as being home to a brothel-keeper. By the 19th century the building had become a sanctuary for debtors. In the 1850s the skeleton of a child was discovered in one of the walls of the building.
By the early 20th century the building had 'cleaned up its act’ and had become a restaurant, a confectioner, a tavern and a spirits merchant.
The new apartments now feature historic fireplaces and original stone walls, blended with all the prerequisites of a 21st century aparthotel but with “quirky windows".