For almost a thousand years, plants have played an important part in Holyrood’s history, and have been used to improve the health and wellbeing of the people of Edinburgh.

During this session, pupils will go back to the twelfth century, to the beginning of Holyrood’s history to find out about the canons who once lived at Holyrood Abbey and grew medicinal plants to help and heal the community they served.

With a leap forward in time pupils will then find out about two seventeenth-century Scottish doctors who created a special garden at the Palace of Holyroodhouse with health and wellbeing properties, before exploring the modern-day Physic Garden to identify plants, and create a traditional remedy of their own.

Visit includes access to: Holyrood Abbey*, The Physic Garden, Palace of Holyroodhouse Gardens and the Abbey Strand Learning Centre.

Facilitated session lasts: 2 hours

Our learning programmes are designed to be accessible to all pupils.  Most of our sessions can be adapted to meet any educational or access needs your group may have.  Please ask for details when booking.

You may find the information for visitors on the Autism spectrum helpful when planning your visit to The Palace of Holyroodhouse.

A lunch room is available for booked groups in the Learning Rooms.  

To find out more or to make a booking contact the Learning Bookings team.

Please have to hand:

• Preferred date and possible alternatives, plus time of arrival
• Numbers of children and supervising adults
• The taught programme you would like
• Details of any special educational or access needs

Please use the downloadable Bookings Forms to send your details to the Learning Bookings Team.

You will then be sent a reservation letter, together with your teachers’ resource pack, giving a date by which full payment must be received to secure the booking.

Please note: you may be asked to cover the cost of the session if you cancel within short notice of your visit.  Non-booked schools will be charged at standard group admission rates.  Please see our Terms of Application for Learning Group Admissions.

Contact us

Learning Bookings Team
Ticket Sales and Information Office
Buckingham Palace
London SW1A 1AA

T. (+44) (0)303 123 7323
F. (+44) (0)20 7930 9625
[email protected]

Sharing Learning Objectives

You will find our learning objectives for each taught session on the relevant programme information page.  Sending us your learning objectives prior to your visit will help us tailor the session to your group’s requirements.

Planning Visits

Once you have made your booking, we offer two complimentary tickets for you and a colleague to conduct a planning visit.  If you would like to meet a member of the Learning team during this visit, please let us know at the time of booking.

Teachers' Packs for each site can be downloaded here.

Reduced-rate admission for school groups

Most of our Palace schools sessions are £3 per pupil. Children in P1 and below are FREE.  Please see individual sessions for details.

Accompanying adults

One teacher or adult helper is admitted free of charge at the following ratios:

Under 5s - P1 - 1 adult: 3 pupils
P2 – P4 - 1 adult: 6 pupils
P5 and above - 1 adult: 10 pupils

Please ask for details of rates for additional adults when booking.

All online workshops: £35 per class attending a booked session. 

Following your booking a confirmation letter, with an agreed arrival time, will be sent to you; your letter serves as a ticket for your group. The group leader must have a copy of the confirmation letter to present on arrival.

The Royal Collection Trust Learning section asks that teachers undertake the following guidelines to make entry to Royal Collection Trust sites as smooth and quick as possible:

• Please arrive at the Royal Collection Trust site at least 5 minutes before the scheduled time for the booked workshop
• Teachers and children should not bring the following: scissors, compasses, metal cutlery, sharp metallic implements
• Only bring what you need! The Royal Collection Trust Learning section will provide all necessary equipment such as clipboards, pencils and drawing materials (groups can bring their own sketchbooks if they prefer to use these)