Melrose Abbey

We are down in the Scottish Borders for the weekend in order to see a niece run in her first triathlon tomorrow.
 
 
Today though we visited Melrose Abbey. Behind this beautiful medieval building is a glimpse of Scotland’s violent and turbulent past.
 
 Lets start with the burial of Robert the Bruce’s heart. He requested that his heart was buried in the Abbey and in 1998 they dug it up again – to check it was genuine!  the rest of his remains lies buried in Dunfermline Abbey.
 
Clearly the monks in those days had a sense of humour though. One of the gargoyles is of a pig playing the bagpipes.
 
Another oddity in the museum was a row of piss-pots.  It seems the monks had to wear them under their habits.
 
See extra photos.