Edinburgh Castle

Overview and Early History

Edinburgh Castle dominates the skyline of Scotland’s capital from its perch atop Castle Rock, an extinct volcanic plug 260 feet above the city. Archaeological evidence shows that the summit has been occupied since the Bronze Age; the Votadini tribe built a hillfort here long before the Romans arrived. By the eleventh century the site was a royal stronghold known as “Edinburgh,” and it remained at the centre of Scottish politics for centuries. David I erected St Margaret’s Chapel around 1130 in memory of his mother; it is now the oldest surviving building in Edinburgh. During the Wars of Independence the castle changed hands repeatedly. In 1314 a small band led by Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray, scaled the precipitous north face and recaptured the fortress for Robert the Bruce. Later English occupations led the Scots to demolish parts of the castle to deny its use to the enemy.

Medieval Rebuilding and Royal Residence

In the later Middle Ages the castle served as a principal residence for the Scottish monarchy. David II began constructing a massive keep known as David’s Tower in the 1360s, but it was largely destroyed during the Lang Siege of 1571–73 and replaced by the Half Moon Battery, a crescent of cannon platforms built into the cliff. James IV transformed the summit into a Renaissance courtyard called Crown Square (formerly the Great Parade). His Great Hall, completed in 1511, boasted a soaring hammer‑beam roof and hosted royal banquets and parliaments. Adjacent is the Royal Palace, where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to the future James VI in June 1566. The Honours of Scotland—crown, sceptre and sword of state—were displayed in the Crown Room and are the oldest surviving regalia in the British Isles.

Military Role and Later History

After the Union of the Crowns in 1603 the royal court moved to London, and Edinburgh Castle’s role shifted towards military garrison and arsenal. During the Wars of the Three Kingdoms the Covenanters occupied it in 1639 without resistance; Oliver Cromwell’s forces besieged it in 1650. The Jacobite risings saw the city occupied but the castle held firm. In the 18th and 19th centuries the fortress housed prisoners of war—French soldiers from the Napoleonic Wars and American sailors from the War of 1812 were confined in the vaults beneath the Great Hall. The New Barracks, completed in 1796, could accommodate 600 soldiers and underline the site’s continuing strategic importance. In 1861 the time‑signal practice began: a cannon is fired every day at 1 pm so ships in Leith could set their chronometers; the tradition continues as a tourist draw.

Architecture and Attractions

Visitors entering through the Portcullis Gate pass the Argyle Battery and ascend to Crown Square. Highlights include St Margaret’s Chapel; the Great Hall with its armorial displays; the Royal Apartments; and the Crown Room housing the Honours of Scotland and the Stone of Destiny, which was removed to Westminster in 1296, returned to Scotland in 1996 and displayed at Edinburgh Castle until spring 2024, when it was transferred to the new Perth Museum. The medieval siege gun Mons Meg, presented to James II in 1457, sits on the Argyle Battery; nearby is the Half Moon Battery with its 16th‑century cannon emplacements. The National War Museum occupies a range of buildings within the castle and tells the story of Scotland’s military heritage. Outside the gate stands the esplanade, which has hosted the annual Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo every August since 1950.

Recent Developments and Visiting Information

Edinburgh Castle remains one of Scotland’s most popular attractions and a working military garrison. Modern conservation programmes address the challenges of weathering on the exposed basalt rock and the masonry of the Half Moon Battery and David’s Tower. In 2024 the Stone of Destiny was moved to a purpose‑built exhibit at Perth Museum, leaving the Honours of Scotland as the main treasures on display in the Crown Room. Visitors can still witness the firing of the One O’Clock Gun, explore the prisoner‑of‑war vaults and admire panoramic views over the city and the Firth of Forth.