Today’s stereo is titled “Entrance to Chapel Royal at Holyrood” and takes us to another set of abbey ruins.
This time, we’re in the grounds of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence of King Charles III in Edinburgh and home of Scottish Royal History.
Though there is no “J.E. Ellam” credit in evidence, the verso features the distinctive handwriting of James Edward Ellam (1857-1920) whose amateur stereos from the 1890s are the focus of this blogpost-a-day series.
As with “Furness Abbey and “Whitby Abbey” amongst others in this recently discovered cache of his work, James uses part of the surviving structure to act as a frame for the 3D view he is constructing.
In this instance, the weather has co-operated sufficiently to allow him to capture the effect of shadows on the ground in the middle distance.
It’s a timeless view that has been captured by many artists and photographers down the years and continues to be a popular tourist attraction.
The only indication that this stereo was taken in the mid-1890s are the two women in their full-length dresses looking at the memorials on the far wall.
Tomorrow: “Barnbougle Castle.”
Pressphotoman 
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