Some of the History and Attractions of St. Andrews
The seat of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, St. Andrews is a picturesque Royal Burgh at the centre of the golf world. It boasts several fine courses, including the famed Old Course, beloved by champions past and present. You can study the history of golf at the British Golf Museum, but St. Andrews is renowned for more than the game it gave the world... for centuries it was the centre for the religious life of the nation. St. Andrews Castle was the dramatic waveswept backdrop of many of the bloodiest episodes of the Reformation. At the Cathedral you can climb the daunting St. Rule's Tower for magnificent views of the town and its two fine beaches. This close association with the sea can be explored at the Sea Life Aquarium. St. Andrews is also an ancient seat of learning, with Scotland's first University set amongst elegant, ivy-clad buildings and delightful quadrangles and gardens. The timeless atmosphere of St. Andrews will last in your memory.
On 14
May 1754, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club was founded under its original name
of 'The Society of St. Andrews Golfers'. This club, 
originally
composed of 22 noblemen, professors and landowners, was to become the foremost
golf club in the world, and now governs the rules of golf everywhere except
the United States, Canada and Mexico. In 1834 King William IV became the society's
patron, conferring on it thetitle of 'Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews'.
Although the Club runs the Open Championship and the important amateur championships,
the R & A is still a private club. Golf has been played on St. Andrews
Links since around 1400. As the 600 years history of the Links has unfolded,
one simple track hacked through the bushes and heather has developed into
six golf courses. Although the R & A built the New Course at St. Andrews
in 1895, and maintained both the New and Old up to the 1950's, the R &
A no longer has a course of its own. An Act of Parliament in 1974 created
the St. Andrews Links Trust, ensuring the continued running of the Links as
public courses open to anyone.
A
trip to St. Andrews, the home of golf, would be incomplete without a visit
to the fascinating British Golf Museum. Here you are taken on a spectacular
journey through the glorious history of golf. The Museum has an amazing array
of treasures from over 500 years of golf history waiting to be discovered.
A mix of ancient and modern, facts and feats, there is something to delight
everyone. Extraordinary exhibits and diverse displays will surprise and strike
you - from evolving equipment and symbols of success to fun features of the
game. Touch screen videos allow you to look deeper into the lives of Champions
and Championships and to test your skills and knowledge of the game of golf.
St. Andrews
University was founded by Bishop Wardlaw at the beginning of the 15th Century,
and blessed by Pope Benedict XIII when he 
issued
a papal bull. In the early days the lecturers were clerics, giving lessons
in the priory and other ecclesiastical buildings to boys training for the
Church.In 1450 the College of St. Salvator was founded by Bishop Kennedy.
This was followed by the foundation of the College of St. Leonard in 1512,
before the College of St. Mary was founded by Archbishop James Beaton in 1537-38.
The Reformation and the Act of Union in 1707 brought about a decline in the
status of St. Andrews and its university. Along with the commercial growth
of the town, the 19th Century heralded a revival of St. Andrews University,
with the faculty of medicine being added amongst other disciplines, and the
introduction of women. St. Andrews University continues to flourish with over
five thousand students from all over the world, and teachers with an international
reputation.
The
ruins of the St. Andrews Castle date mainly from the 16th Century, although
the surviving walls of the clifftop fortress look considerably more ancient.
Erected around 1200 by Bishop Roger, a much older castle shared the site,
establishing early the close association between the castle and the cathedral.
The Wars of Independence saw the castle's capture and recapture, and raising
and rebuilding by both the Scots and English. After the Battle of Bannockburn
in 1314 the Castle returned to Scottish hands, only until it was repossessed
and rebuilt by the English in 1336. In 1337 the castle was besieged and demolished
to keep it out of English hands. Bishop Wardlaw, founder of the University,
rebuilt the castle half a century later and tutored James I. James made the
castle his residence in 1425. Resident from 1523-39 the founder of the College
of St. Leonard, Archbishop James Beaton was renowned for his lavish hospitality.
His nephew, Cardinal David Beaton, enjoyed an altogether less favorable reputation.
After angering Henry VIII the castle was again seiged, and in 1546 the Cardinal
was murdered and hung from the battlements. In 1587 St. Andrews Castle was
transferred into the ownership of the Crown and allowed to fall into ruin.
Amongst
the ruins of St. Andrews Cathedral, the great east window and surviving foundations
give an impression of the size and splendor of 
the
edifice. The cathedral was founded in 1160 by Arnold, Abbot of Kelso, but
the turbulence in medieval Scotland delayed its completion until1318. Cruciform
in shape the cathedral has a nave, north and south transepts and a choir.
Pilgrims from all over Scotland would come to kneel at the Shrine of St. Andrew
in the sanctuary or at one of the cathedral's 31 altars. The altars were smashed,
sacred books were burnt, and anything that could be turned into money was
sacked at the time of the Reformation. St. Andrews Cathedral fell into ruin
with its stone used by townsfolk to build their houses. The 108-feet (33m)
St. Rule's Tower still stands, named after Regulus or Rule, the Greek monk
reputed to have brought the relics of St. Andrew to Fife to prevent them being
taken by Constantinople. Whatever the truth, the relics gave St. Andrews its
name and its former position at the centre of the Scottish Church.
Visit
the Kingdom of the Seashore at the St. Andrews Sea Life Aquarium! You can
see one of the planets most enchanting and delicate creatures in a special
display dedicated to showcasing how beautiful they are. From the weird and
wonderful to the cute and cuddly - you can see the resident seals as
they frolic in their pools occasionally surfacing to see who is watching them.
There are hundreds of sea creatures to be seen from starfish and crabs to
rays and sharks, many of which are native to Scottish waters. There is a café
and souvenir gift shop to round off that special day and of course, if you
fancy a stroll, the famous St. Andrews beach is just minutes away. Return
to the Home Page to find out more about
the facilities at Acorn Bed & Breakfast, or check the Directions
Page to get your bearings.