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Roslin - A World Famous Scottish Village
Historic Roslin is a friendly wee village of 1,820 people. It sits just 7 miles (11km) from the very heart of Edinburgh, surrounded by glorious countryside of the county of Midlothian.
Without doubt, Roslin's crowning glory is Rosslyn Chapel - the most oustanding gothic church in Scotland, and a world-renowned tourist attraction in its own right. Founded in the 14th century, it has long been reputed to be the resting place of the Holy Grail. Along with its amazing stone carvings and sealed underground crypt, the Chapel just oozes mystery. Rosslyn Chapel also features in the climax to the international No. 1 bestselling book and film of "The Da Vinci Code" by author Dan Brown. Hollywood and Tom Hanks came to the village to film scenes for the film at the Chapel in September 2005.
Also in the village is a memorial cairn marking the site of the Battle of Roslin, where on 24 February 1303, 8000 Scots faced an English army numbering 30,000 in three bloody encounters. The Battle ended in victory for the Scots, and gave the country new hope for independence from England.
And it wouldn't be Scotland without a castle! Roslin has one in the shape of the 14th century Rosslyn Castle, which sits high above a bend in the River North Esk and the deep, wooded Roslin Glen. (The castle also features in the final scenes of The Da Vinci Code film.) Dorothy Wordsworth (sister of the English poet William) wrote after their visit to Roslin Glen in 1803: "I never passed through a more delicious dell than the Glen of Rosslyn".
Roslin became world famous in the late 1990's when local company PPL Theraputics, based at the Roslin Institute at the edge of the village, created the world's first cloned animal - Dolly the Sheep. Sadly Dolly died in February 2003 at the ripe old age of six. You can still see her, stuffed for eternity, in the Royal Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.
