Edinburgh Castle

Over the last 200 years, Edinburgh Castle has become a national icon. Today it is Scotland’s leading tourist attraction and a chief element of the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The castle begin life as an Iron Age hill fort atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Later, it became the home of kings and queens and was among Scotland’s chief royal residences during the 1400s and 1500s. Scottish monarchs commissioned grand buildings and defences here, for security  and to show off their wealth, power and good taste.  

The castle became more important as a military base from the late 1500s onwards. After the ‘Lang Siege’ of 1571–3, the castle’s military strength was repaired, maintained and improved. Additions included the distinctive Half Moon Battery, a huge garrison and a secure jail for prisoners of war. The military presence remains unbroken – Edinburgh Castle is still an active base today.

One of Edinburgh Castle's most famous residents is Mons Meg, a six-tonne siege gun, named after the Belgian town where it was made. The cannon was gifted to King James II in 1457 by Duke Philip 'the Good' of Burgundy.

With the ability to fire a 150kg gunstone for up to 2 miles, Mons Meg was considered cutting edge military technology and was used during attacks on the castles at Roxburgh, Dumbarton and Norham. Meg ended ended her fighting days in King James V’s navy, retiring around 1550.

Meg returned briefly to the spotlight in 1558, firing a gunstone high over Edinburgh to celebrate the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots. Mons Meg. It reportedly landed where the Royal Botanic Gardens are today! The gun was fired for the final time on 30 October 1681. A birthday salute for the future King James VII went wrong after a potent gunpowder caused the barrel to burst.

After the Jacobite rising of 1745, the powers in London were keen to ensure that it wasn’t too easy for rebels to get their hands on artillery. As such, Mons Meg was taken from Edinburgh Castle to the Tower of London.

The famous cannon was returned 75 years later thanks to the efforts of Sir Walter Scott, who led a campaign for its return. He was a friend of George IV, and used his position to influence the King to return the medieval cannon to Scotland. Meg sailed into the port of Leith and was paraded through cheering crowds all the way up to the castle.

As part of our conservation work, Meg undergoes annual assessments. In 2015 the gun was lifted from the castle by crane in order to be completely repainted.

Edinburgh Castle lays claim to being the most besieged in all Europe. Arguably the most famous of all the attacks on the stronghold came in 1314 when Thomas Randolph made a daring (and successful!) bid to reclaim it from English forces.

Randolph was a nephew of King Robert I, the Bruce. His loyalty to his uncle was not unwavering, however. After he was captured by the English in 1306, he joined the English cause. Randolph changed his allegiance once more when Sir James Douglas (also know as the Black Douglas) recaptured him and persuaded him to fight on the side of the Scots again.

By 1314, most of Scotland was under Bruce's control, but a few key castles, including Edinburgh, remained in English hands. Perched high on its rocky crag, it seemed almost impregnable.

But Thomas Randolph and 30 of his best men did the impossible: they scaled the treacherous rock face to reach Edinburgh Castle under the cover of night. They surprised the garrison and overwhelmed them with ease. The King then ordered Edinburgh Castle to be destroyed to prevent it from being retaken by the English forces.

Saint Margaret is one of the most revered figures in Scottish history. Born in Hungary around 1045, Margaret married King Malcolm III. Three of their children (Edmund, Alexander and David) went on to be Kings of Scotland.

Margaret was an incredibly pious Roman Catholic. She established the priory that would become Dunfermline Abbey as well as a crossing point on the Firth of Forth for pilgrims making their way to St Andrew’s Cathedral. Boats worked the “Queen’s Ferry” from the 11th century all the way through to 1964, when the Forth Road Bridge was opened. The villages at each side of the crossing, North and South Queensferry, take their names from Margaret.

The oldest surviving building in the Scottish capital is St Margaret’s Chapel, nestled within the walls of Edinburgh Castle. It was built around 1130 by David I and dedicated to his mother. The chapel fell into disuse after the Scottish Reformation. In the 16th century, it was used as a gunpowder store. It was restored to its former glory in the 19th century.

Today there are always fresh flowers in the chapel. These are provided by St Margaret’s Chapel Guild, whose members all share the name Margaret!

The Scottish National War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle opened in 1927 as a monument to the sacrifices made by so many during the First World War. Architect Sir Robert Lorimer built the memorial around the shell of the old North Barracks, which were added at the very top ofthe castle in 1755.

Two hundred Scottish artists and craftspeople worked on the masonry, sculpture, stained glass and metalwork for a beautiful building where the names of Scotland's war dead are contained in books that are on permanent display. Animals are referenced too - part of the memorial asks us to "Remember also the Humble Beasts" and another acknowledges mice and canaries, the "Tunnellers' Friends".

Since 2022, the Scottish National War Memorial building (and other parts of the castle) have been running on sunshine. Solar panels on the roof of the building generate an average of 26,500 kWh of renewable energy per year. By reducing the carbon emissions of Scotland’s oldest monuments, we’re showing how traditional buildings can be part of the solution in solving the climate crisis.

Find out more about our climate change work

Can't wait to explore Edinburgh Castle? We can help!

Our 3D digital model of Edinburgh Castle has been populated with information giving virtual visitors an immersive digital tour of the castle. It was produced by the HES Digital Innovation and Digital Documentation Teams, working alongside our Interpretation Team.

The model, which even allows you to explore hidden parts of the castle, was created using laser scan data captured as part of the Rae Project. This project aims to accurately digitally document over 300 heritage sites and collections in our care.

These digital innovations are crucial in helping to understand, conserve and tell the stories of our historic sites.