PRINCE CHARLES EDWARD STEWART
("BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE") 1732, BY ANTONIO DAVID.
Edinburgh
Castle and Holyrood Palace at either end of
the Royal Mile will always be priorities for anyone interested in the
history of Scotland’s capital.
Edinburgh Castle impressively sited on the Castle Rock –
where iron-age settlements once occupied the same site – is the
second most visited monument in the U.K. It is the home of much of Scotland’s
history, in particular the Stuart dynasty. The Scottish Crown Jewels
are on display and the crown dates back to the time of Robert the Bruce
(c.1540). In the castle vaults stands the gaint 15th century cannon
– Mons Meg. Many other notable buildings within the castle hold
the story of Edinburgh’s history. There is also an extraordinary
and surprising variety of museums and galleries throughout the city
and beyond, opening doors to the past and illuminating the present.
The Outlook Tower at the top of the High Street, just beyond
the entrance to the Castle, contains a Camera Obscura dating from 1850,
offering a candid bird’s-eye view, projecting live images of the
city onto a white table in front of visitor.
Across the road, the Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre traces the
history of Scotland’s best known export, whisking visitors through
the centuries in electronically-driven whisky barrels. Once they have
a better appreciation of whisky’s creation there is a shopping
opportunity to buy it in its many forms.
Gladstone’s Land, at the bottom of Castle Hill, originally
built for the family of a wealthy merchant, provides an insight into
the overcrowded living conditions in Edinburgh’s 17th century tenements
with several rooms furnished in authentic period style.
Nearby, The Writers’ Museum, another 17th century residence,
holds Edinburgh’s literary museum, honouring the lives of its three
literary lions: Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson.
