Photography: Ross McDowell
Edinburgh Castle is familiar from almost every angle, but its history becomes more interesting once you stop treating it as one thing.
Castle Rock had been defended long before Edinburgh became Scotland's political capital. The castle developed into an important royal residence, with spaces for monarchy and ceremony. Over time its military role became increasingly prominent, leaving barracks, batteries and defensive structures alongside the royal buildings. What visitors see today is the result of centuries of adaptation, with royal, ceremonial and military uses layered together on the same rock.
Edinburgh Castle is really a collection of buildings created for very different purposes. Royal and ceremonial spaces sit beside barracks, batteries and defences, all shaped by the great volcanic rock that made the site so valuable in the first place.
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