Edinburgh Castle (0)

Edinburgh Castle
UK, Scotland
an ancient stronghold.
History
a centre of military activity.
Human habitation since 9th century BC.
Nowadays
Scotland's second-most-visited tourist
attraction.
The New Barrack Block is home to the
official headquarters of the Royal Regiment
of Scotland.
St. Margaret's Chapel
the oldest surviving building in the castle
and in Edinburgh.
dates from the early 12th century.
King David I built it as a private chapel for
the royal family.
He dedicated it to his mother, Saint
Margaret of Scotland, who died in the castle
in 1093.
St. Margaret's Chapel
Crown Square
the citadel at the top of the castle.
15th century (during the reign of King
James III)
as the main courtyard of the castle.
Before 1818 it was known as Palace Yard.
Royal Palace
former Royal Apartments.
15th century
residence of the later Stewart monarchs.
The Crown Room
This vaulted Strongroom is located on the
first floor of the Royal Palace building.
contains the Honours of Scotland.
include the Crown of Scotland, sceptre and
sword of state.
The Crown
dates from 1540
made of Scottish gold and is set with 94
pearls, 10 diamonds and 33 other precious
and semi-precious gemstones.
The Sceptre
made of gold
topped with a large Rock Crystal (Quartz).
The Stone of Destiny
Also located among the honours.
The most treasured possession of Scotland.
otherwise known as the Stone of Scone.
the monarchs of Scotland are traditionally
crowned.
The Great Hall
built in 1513
orders of King James IV as the chief place of State
Assembly.
It still has its original Hammerbeam roof, one of
the most important timber roofs in Scotland.
was used for meetings of the Parliament of
Scotland.
it became a military hospital until 1887
still sometimes used for ceremonial occasions.
Stained glass in the Great Hall
One O'Clock Gun
It is fired every day (except Sunday) at precisely
13:00, allowing citizens and visitors to check their
clocks and watches.
The origin of the tradition lies in the days before
accurate timepieces, when sailing ships in the Firth
of Forth needed a reliable time signal to check their
marine chronometers.
One O'Clock Gun