Edinburgh Castle

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As anticipated, there were a lot of tourists in Edinburgh Castle. The temporary audience seats for the Edinburgh Military Tatto, which will be due in August were built up around the entrance of Edinburgh Castle.

Having brought English Heritage membership cards, we were offered the half price discounted admission fees. We also hired the audio guide.

Standing on the Castle Rock, it offered us unrivalled panoramic views over the city. I pointed at the directions for Carlton Hill, Scott Monument, and the New Town for Mark.

We climbed up on Lang Stairs, popped in Argyle Tower, and stood at Mons Meg. There was a big gun, i.e. a six-tonne siege gun, which was known as 'Mons Meg.' We overlooked the Edinburgh city and the below buildings in the castle. The chapel was built by David the 1st in 1130 and used as a private chapel for the royal family. It was very tiny with simple decorations. We were surprised to hear that the chapel is still used for christening and weddings.

Next, we went to the Courtyard surrounded by Scottish National War Memorial, Prisons of War, Great Hall, and the Royal Palace.

Firstly, we looked round the Scottish National War Memorial, which was converted from an abandoned barrack in 1923. There was a list of victims of the World War I and II inscribed on the memorials. What stuck me most was there were several stained glasses showing the scenes of the battlefields with details of troops, airplanes, and injured people. Unfortunately, there is an ocean of people who are fighting for their justice and killing loads of innocent civilians in the World.

Secondly, we popped in the Great Hall, which was built in 1511 by James the 4th. We saw lines of the 18th century hallberds, stone corbels embellished with Renaissance sculptures, the hooded fireplace, Gothic timber ceiling and panelling.

Thirdly, we entered the jewel house, known as The Honours of Scotland: the Scottish Crown Jewels, the Stone of Destiny, all of which are thought to be the oldest crown jewels in British Isles.

They were produced in Scotland and Italy during the reigns of James the 4th and 5th, and first used together for the coronations of Mary Queen of Scots in 1543. The Honours (the Crown, Sceptre, and Sword of State) have had an eventful history. They were once in the hands of Oliver Cromwell, and transported to several castles. They were locked away from 1707 to 1818 until Walter Scott broke the oak chest with the royal approval. The show room included the boards of descriptions of each event with sketches, wax works of the royal family when one was given the Crown, models of Walter Scott's discovery scene and Stone of Destiny. The showrooms were packed with the tourists like the Jewel House in Tower Hill in London. Finally, we moved to the Royal Palace, which was resided by Charles the 1st, Mary Queen of Scots, and the birthplace of James the 4th of Scotland. We looked round the King's Great Chamber, Mary's Apartments, and Laich room etc.

We saw some features which could tell that those rooms were the home for the Scottish Royal family such as the 1615 cannon-studded battlemented parapet, the square turrets with ogee - shaped roofs and ornate window pediments carved with royal emblems - the crown, the Scottish thistle, the English Rose, the French fleur-de-lis, the Irish harp and the monogram IR6.

Afterwards, we stood up on the viewpoint of western direction. We stayed in the castle till 1 o'clock, and happened to see the One o'clock Gun firing. We had lunch in the cafe near One O'clock Gun.

To sum up; the Castle Rock was arisen a long, long time ago, and the fortress was built up. David the 1st settle in the castle in the 12th century. The castle has had a dramatic journey with the residence of historical celebrities, e.g. David the 1st, James the 5th, Sir Walter Scott, and Mary Queen of Scots, and backdrop of battles, which has resulted in frequent reconstructions and renovations being undertaken. The castle is now in the care of Historic Scotland and has attracted a great many tourists from all over the world, together with the annual event of Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

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Comments

[Edinburgh Flats]

CAstle
Excellent blog post.Greenlet