Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is Edinburgh’s most famous monument, built in the 11th century. The castle sits on Castle Rock, an ideal place for defense, and has had to be defended many times, as invaders have rushed here from Roman times until the mid-18th century. The castle served not only defensive purposes, but it was also a royal residence from the 11th century, with King Malcolm III and Queen Margaret living here. St. Margaret’s Chapel, one of the oldest structures in Scotland, is thought to have been built by the Queen, but it may well have been built in memory of her mother by one of the princes.
General Information
The history of Edinburgh Castle is full of bloody dramas. Even before entering the Tower with its lift gate, visitors pass the Witches’ Well, near which more than three hundred witches were burned some 250 years ago. Beyond the gate is a memorial to Sir William Kilcaldy, implicated in the murders of Cardinal Beaton and David Ricci, lover and secretary to Queen Mary of Scots – Kilcaldy was later hanged. Above the gate is Argyll’s Tower, where the Marquis of Argyll was imprisoned before his execution in 1661.
.The Treasury houses the Scottish Crown Jewels – it is the oldest treasury in the British Isles. The jewel-studded crown is made of Scottish gold, and was last worn by Charles II in 1651. In 1707, the jewels were hidden after the Act of Union and discovered over 100 years later by Sir Walter Scott, the famous novelist writer. “The Stone of Destiny”, kept under the Coronation Throne in Westminster Abbey for over 700 years, was returned in 1996 and is also located there.”
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