Arbroath Abbey
I was absolutely stunned at the size of this place --tucked awy in the middle of Arbroath, behind these great sandstone gates, is an absolutely huge site. Only a few of the walls remain, and the small commendator house, but the foundations and ruins here hint at a spectacular monastic site.
view to the main gate of the priory
Entry is through the modern visitor's center, which lies at least in part in the original gatehouse, with a good display about the history of the Abbey, and the famous Declaration of Arbroath that confimed the nobility's support for Scottish Independence in 1320. Historic Scotland does a good job with this sort of thing, and the 'interpretive center' is very well done. It says that there is a car park, but we ended up parking on the street in town and walking the narrow back street to the main gate.
Declaration of Arbroath
Most of the displays inside hte interpretive center revolve around this Declaration, signed by Robert the Bruce in 1320, which marks the emrgence of Scottish Independence.