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Edinburgh CastleMiddle WardThe Middle Ward was developed from the 15th century as a service area for the main complex at Edinburgh Castle, the Upper Ward and Crown Square, with the road through it being created in the 17th century to allow heavy guns to be moved in and out of the castle. Further changes to the buildings and defences were prompted by the Jacobite Risings, which took place in the 18th century.
Opposite is the six-gun Argyle Battery, which was the main defence on the north side of the castle. It was built in the 1730s and named in honour of the Duke of Argyll, who led the army of George I to victory over the Jacobites at the Battle of Sheriffmuir.
To the right of the Cartshed is Mills Mount Battery where the One O'Clock Gun stands. Behind the Cartshed are the Western Defences – an exposed part of the castle that was developed in the 17th century. A roadway to the left of the Cartshed offers access to the buildings in this area – the Ordnance Storehouse and the Military Hospital. To the left of this road is the Governor’s House, which was built in 1742 to provide lodgings for the castle governor as well as the master gunner and storekeeper in the two wings. After the post of governor was abolished in 1860 the nursing sisters of the castle hospital used the building. Today it is used mainly as officers' mess with a part reserved for the governor – a post that was restored in 1935 for ceremonial purposes. Behind the Governor’s House are the New Barracks, which provided accommodation for the British army when it was expanding to meet the threat posed by Napoleon. Work started in 1796 and was finished in 1799. The barracks could house an entire infantry battalion of 600 officers and men. The seven-storey building still serves a variety of military purposes. Note there is no access for visitors to either the Governor's House or the New Barracks. The Military Prison, on the other side of the New Barracks, was built in 1842 to house soldiers from the garrison for offences committed, such as being drunk on guard. In the 1880s the building was extended to increase the number of cells from 12 to 16 and provide ablution blocks. A third storey was added for the provost marshal in charge of the prison.
Opposite the barracks is the Foog’s Gate, which offers alternative and easier access to the Upper Ward. |
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Just
past the portcullis gate are the aptly named Lang, or long, Stairs, which lead
to the Upper Ward. The seventy steps were re-laid by prisoners held in the
castle in the 1780s during the American War of Independence. The curved wall to
the right of these may have been part of the Constable's Tower that was
destroyed during the Lang Siege.
The
Cartshed, which now houses the castle restaurant, was built after the Battle of
Culloden that ended the 1745-6 Jacobite Rising. It was originally open-fronted
and held 50 carts that brought provisions to the large garrison from suppliers
in the town.
There are three museums in the vicinity of the Governor's
House devoted to Scotland's military history:
