Edinburgh Castle is one of the most iconic of world monuments with 2 million visitors every year, and yet its medieval form has remained a mystery. This lecture will focus on how recent historical and archaeological investigations are revealing how different the Castle looked to King Robert Bruce and the Stewart kings. As well as the more marshal aspects of the Castle, this lecture will also explore pleasantries, such as James I's herb garden, the location of James II’s sauna, and where James IV kept his billiard table.
Speaker biography: Archaeologist Peter Yeoman has spent 40 years unravelling this complex and fugitive story, and is co-author of the new official guidebook to the Castle. Now semi-retired, Peter was Head of Cultural Heritage for Historic Scotland. He'll talk about how the castle we see today was fundamentally changed as a result of the devastating sieges of 1573 and 1689, in which mighty cannon levelled the once proud circuit of medieval towers.
The talk will be held at Holyrood Park Education Centre, 1 Queen’s Drive, Edinburgh EH8 8HG.