Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The main group of buildings on the summit of Castle Rock is ranged around Crown Sq,
dominated by the shrine of the
Scottish National War Memorial
. Opposite is the
Great
Hall
, built for James IV (r 1488-1513) as a ceremonial hall and used as a meeting place
for the Scottish parliament until 1639. Its most remarkable feature is the original, 16th-
century hammer-beam roof.
The
Castle Vaults
beneath the Great Hall (entered from Crown Sq via the Prisons of
War exhibit) were used variously as storerooms, bakeries and a prison. The vaults have
been renovated to resemble 18th- and early-19th-century
prisons
, where graffiti carved by
French and American prisoners can be seen on the ancient wooden doors.
On the eastern side of the square is the
Royal Palace
, built during the 15th and 16th
centuries, where a series of historical tableaux leads to the highlight of the castle - a stron-
groom housing the
Honours of Scotland
(the Scottish crown jewels), the oldest surviving
crown jewels in Europe. Locked away in a chest following the Act of Union in 1707, the
