It is
a grey and wet October morning as I walk to Holyrood Park, around Arthur’s Seat
and then on to the ruins of St Anthony’s Chapel. A decade or so ago I lived in Edinburgh, near
to Holyrood Park, and on many a summer morning would walk up to the ruins of
this chapel and sit by its walls to watch the world below go by. As the rain lashes me and soaks through my
supposedly waterproof jacket, I wish it were summer again…then at least the
rain might be warm.
The
ruins of St Anthony’s Chapel stand on a hill overlooking St Margaret’s Loch, on
the northern side of Arthur’s Seat. The
chapel is thought to date from the early 15th Century, as in 1426 it is
recorded that the Pope gave money for its repair. It is believed that the chapel could have
been linked to the Preceptory of St Anthony, a skin hospice, which was based in
Leith at around this time. St Anthony being
the saint who was believed to offer protection against skin diseases. There is also a tradition that the
chapel was founded to guard the nearby Holy Well. This is a spring on the slopes of the hill
which, like the chapel, is dedicated to St Anthony.
The chapel and the well are both the settings for a scene in Wilkie Collins’ novel ‘The Two Destinies’. This was published in 1876 and explores the themes of ‘destined spirits’ and supernatural visions. Though it is basically just a story of boy and girl meet, lose each other due to class snobberies and then find each other again, with lots of twists and turns on the way there.
In my jacket pocket I have the first of my Skulferatus to leave behind as a memento of my walk. As the rain pours down, I take it out and leave it in a gap in the rocks between St Anthony’s Chapel and the Holy Well. I place it under what appears to be a wild mint plant growing there. I find this rather apt, given St Anthony’s association with the cure of skin disease and that mint is used in various skin care treatments.
Google
Map showing location of Skulferatu
The coordinates for the location of the Skulferatu are –
Latitude 55.950650
Longitude -3.161544.
Article and photographs are copyright of © Kevin Nosferatu, unless otherwise specified.
