Edinburgh Castle
 Castles |  Royal Britain |
Most of Britain's ancient cities rose along river valleys, but Edinburgh was built on volcanic crags, which exaggerated the height of the Old Town buildings. Dominating the Old Town and the city below is Edinburgh Castle, turreted and battlemented on its precipitous crag it remains one of the most potent symbols of Scotland, and one of the capital's most popular tourist attractions. First fortified in the Iron Age and constantly rebuilt over the centuries, it is more a citadel than castle, with many different buildings enclosed within the formidable walls. It is a commanding and almost impregnable situation, and since 1296, when the invading King Edward I of England reduced the defences with artillery and installed his own garrison, the castle has only once been captured, and then by stealth.
That was the celebrated occasion in 1314 when Sir Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray, scaled the north face of the rock with 30 men to drive out the English and restore the castle to Robert the Bruce. Since that time the castle has withstood many sieges, the longest from 1570-73 when it was defended against the enemies of Mary, Queen of Scots; the last in 1689 when the Duke of Gordon withstood a siege on behalf of James VII (James II of England). The oldest part of the castle complex is St Margaret's Chapel, standing on the summit and dating in part from around 1076. It is a small, simple Norman building of austere charm built, so legend has it, in memory of Scotland's saintly queen who died in 1093. A Saxon princess who fled to Scotland after the Norman Conquest, she married King Malcolm III Canmore and did much to promote learning in her adopted kingdom. When Robert the Bruce captured the castle from the English in 1314, he destroyed every building but the chapel. South of the Chapel lie the buildings of the Palace Yard, clustered around a square. The 16 th century Palace, or King's Lodging, houses the royal apartments, which include the tiny bedroom where Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1566, gave birth to the future James VI of Scotland (and later James I of England). James VI himself extended the Palace in 1615, constructing the stone-vaulted Crown Room, where the Honours of Scotland (the Scottish Crown Jewels) are displayed. The royal crown, the sceptre and the sword of state incorporate parts dating from the 14 th cent and are older than those in the Tower of London. James IV's Great Hall, once the seat of the Scottish Parliament and later employed for state banquets, occupies the south side of the square; it houses an exhibition of arms and armour. While on the west side of the square, located in an old barracks, is the Scottish United Services Museum wherein are fascinating exhibits including battle standards and silverware.
The Argyle Battery, with its fine display of cannon, provides the most spectacular panoramic view across Princes Street, the New Town, and the Firth of Forth toward the Fife coast and the Lomond Hills. Located on the south side of the Battery is the French prison, where prisoners captured during the Napoleonic Wars were held, as described in Robert Louis Stevenson's novel ‘St Ives'. Mons Meg, a huge 15 th century cannon, the largest ever built and over 13 feet (4 meters) in length, stands on the Battery. In her prime ‘Meg' could fire a cannonball almost a mile and a half, and was used for salutes on royal occasions such as Mary, Queen of Scots' engagement to the Dauphin of France. However, it has not been used since the 17 th century, when it burst while saluting a royal birthday and the role of firing the ‘One-o'-clock gun', the traditional time signal for the city's citizens, has been taken over by more modern artillery. This traditional time-check for Edinburgh's citizens has occurred every weekday at 1 p.m. since 1851. The Esplanade was constructed in the 19 th century as a parade ground, and now provides the setting for the famous Military Tattoo held during the three week annual Edinburgh Festival. The Esplanade walls bear many memorial plaques to members of Scottish regiments who died overseas. On a more shameful note however, near a small well in the north-east corner of the Esplanade, is the spot where over 300 Edinburgh women were burned at the stake as witches between 1479 and 1722.