Scotland

Day 1

Edinburgh

Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh Castle

The pictures are in order of me walking around the castle trying to see everything.

There are also pictures of the scenery around the castle.

If I had voice over, then it would be like you were there.

Everything I noted came from my souvenir book I got on the Castle.

Edinburgh Castle has played many roles over many centuries. It has been a residence for Scotland’s monarchs, a prison for her enemies, a repository for the her treasures – but it has always

been a military stronghold. To this day, the Army has a military and ceremonial presence here. (The Military Tattoo is held out

in the esplanade, where it doubles as the car park.)

Built on steep volcano rock, the castle is naturally well defended. Although it was captured and recaptured several times during the Wars of Independence with England, and greatly damaged during the 16th century Lang Siege, it still

retains important structures from medieval past.

These include St. Margaret’s Chapel, the most ancient building in Edinburgh, dating from the 12th century; David’s Tower, built in the 14th century as the royal residence of Robert the Bruce’s

son David II; and the Royal Palace and Great Hall constructed in the 15th and early 16th centuries.

The Portcullis Gate

This fortified archway is a formidable entrance, which was built as the principal gateway into the

castle after the Lang Siege ended in 1573.

It originally had four barriers – an iron portcullis and three pairs of wooden doors, which are no

longer there, but you can still see the iron crooks on which the heavy doors were hung.

(Sorry, missed that.)

This is the Lang Stairs, a steep flight of 70 steps, which is the main way up to the summit in medieval times.

Oops, did not go that way. Later that night, we realized we did not go everywhere around the castle.

The place was really big!

The Argyll BatteryThe six gun battery was built in the 1730s. It was named after John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll, who defeated the Jacobites at Sheriffmuir in 1715.

The gun is called The One O’Clock Gun, seriously, it is fired everyday (which I saw).

The Governor’s HouseThe pleasing Georgian residence halfway up

the hill was built in 1742 for the castle governor. Lodgings for his principal staff

officers, the master gunner, and storekeeper, were provided in the two wings.

Today, it serve as an officer’s mess and residence for the governor, a Crown

appointment restored for purely ceremonial purposes in 1935.

(Sorry, not opened to visitors)

This is the New Barracks, although built during the Napoleonic Wars of the late 18th century, it was built to house 600 soldiers. The building still operates as a military barracks.

Foog’s Gate

The Gate was built in the 17th century, during a major refortification of the castle commissioned by King Charles II. The origin of the name is unknown. In olden times it was ‘Foggy Gate’, referring perhaps to the ‘haar’, or the thick sea

mist that still shrouds the Castle Rock occasionally. (Never saw the haar.)

The walls on both sides of the gate have openings for cannons and muskets.

St.Margaret’s Chapel

Back side of the War Memorial building

Side of the War Memorial building

Front of the War Memorial building (sorry, no pictures allowed inside)

The Great Hall – oops, missed this on the tour also,but the book has great shots.

This is where the Honours of Scotland (the Crown Jewels) are being held and displayed.

This was so big that I put it on it’s own powerpoint presentation.

This is the beginning of the Royal Palace. This room had paintings of Mary, Queen of Scots, and her heir, James VI of Scotland and I of England.

Mary gave birth to James in this house, in a small room. (next 2 shots)

One of the tour guides said that when Mary had her third child, and it was a still birth baby, in order to prove her strength as Queen, she buried her dead child in the walls somewhere in Edinburgh Castle.

This is Charles II