Edinburgh's Other Castle

As the weather looked like it might hold out last weekend I decided to take the kids (well, two of them, anyway) to Craigmillar Castle in Edinburgh. This is not the more famous Edinburgh Castle, the old garrison and monumental tourist trap in the centre of Edinburgh, but Edinburgh’s “other” castle. In fact, Craigmillar is almost the opposite with just a small car-park and gift shop at the entrance but nevertheless still an interesting relic.

Craigmillar Castle - The Tower and inner courtyard seen from the West

Craigmillar castle is quite a substantial building in its own right and is similarly intriguing. Most castles are usually pretty symmetrical but Craigmillar, particularly the central tower, is really quite labyrinthine. Once inside it is difficult to gain one’s bearings and we ended up looping back to some of the same rooms (at least, I think they were the same) via several different passages and staircases. I’m still not entirely sure that we saw every nook and cranny.

One of the main bedrooms in the tower at Craigmillar Castle

The origins of the castle go back to the Preston family but there appears to be the usual history of macabre bloodletting that goes hand-in-hand with medieval Scottish history. It also has its royal connections with the brother of James III held there for witchcraft and bumped off in suspicious circumstances and James V staying there to escape the plague. It also has connections to Mary, Queen of Scots (doesn’t everywhere), as well as being the place where the plot to dispatch her husband was hatched.

Craigmillar Castle Hall seen from above.

 Aside from all the usual skulduggery I was particularly impressed with the great hall and the attached kitchens. It is often a stretch to imagine how daily life in these old ruins would have been but the hall really gives an impression that it would have been used for banqueting on a grand scale.