Craigmillar Castle
Craigmillar Castle is one of Scotland's finest and best-preserved medieval fortresses, a magnificent ruin perched on a rocky outcrop in the south-east of Edinburgh. It is frequently overshadowed in popularity by the famous castle on the city's volcanic crag, yet many who make the journey to Craigmillar find themselves preferring it — here there are no ticket queues stretching around the block, no tourist gift shops crowding the entrance, and the atmosphere of genuine antiquity that can be difficult to feel in more intensively managed heritage sites is palpable in every mossy stone and crumbling turret. The castle is managed by Historic Environment Scotland and is a scheduled ancient monument, recognised as one of the most complete examples of a late medieval tower house and courtyard castle to survive anywhere in Scotland.
The castle's origins lie in the early fifteenth century, when the Preston family, local landowners of considerable influence, constructed the massive L-plan tower house that still forms the nucleus of the complex. This great tower, rising to around twenty-two metres, was built around 1374 to 1427, and the surrounding curtain wall with its distinctive round corner towers was added not long after, creating a formidable defensive enclosure. The Prestons were followed by the Gilmour family as owners, and later the castle passed through other hands, but its most dramatically historical chapter belongs to the period when it served as a retreat for Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary visited Craigmillar several times in the 1560s, including a celebrated stay in 1566 following the brutal murder of her secretary David Rizzio in her presence at Holyroodhouse. It was during this stay that the so-called Craigmillar Conference is believed to have taken place — a gathering of Mary's most powerful nobles who discussed, in conspiratorial tones, the question of what might be done about her troublesome husband Lord Darnley. Darnley was murdered at Kirk o' Field in Edinburgh just months later in February 1567, and the conference at Craigmillar has long been central to historical debates about who bore responsibility for his death.
Walking through the castle today, the sense of layered time is extraordinary. The main tower retains its vaulted great hall and a remarkable number of intact interior chambers, including a small oratory where Mary is said to have worshipped. Stone stairs spiral upwards in the characteristic Scottish fashion, worn smooth by centuries of footfall, and from the upper levels there are commanding views across Edinburgh and beyond. The walls themselves, in places several metres thick, are constructed from the local dark sandstone that gives the whole structure a brooding, sombre quality, especially on grey Scottish days when low cloud drifts across the volcanic ridges. There is a distinct stillness inside the inner ward — the sounds of the surrounding city seem muffled, replaced instead by wind threading through arrow slits and the occasional call of jackdaws nesting in the upper courses of masonry.
The surrounding landscape provides important context for understanding the castle's historical position. Craigmillar sits within what is now Craigmillar Castle Park, a green open space that gives the site a semi-rural feel despite being only three miles or so from Edinburgh's city centre. The park contains mature trees, open grassland and traces of a formal garden — fish ponds associated with the castle survive as depressions in the ground nearby, and the outline of what may have been an orchard can be discerned. Looking outward from the ramparts, the panorama takes in Arthur's Seat and the dramatic landscape of Holyrood Park to the north-west, the Pentland Hills stretching away to the south and south-west, and on clear days the Firth of Forth and the hills of Fife to the north.
Practically speaking, Craigmillar Castle is straightforward to reach by bus from central Edinburgh, with several services running along the Dalkeith Road and Craigmillar Castle Road corridors. Those arriving by car will find a small car park nearby. The castle is generally open year-round, though hours are reduced in the winter months, and it is wise to check the Historic Environment Scotland website before visiting. Entry is charged, though it is included for Historic Scotland members. The site is family-friendly and the open spaces of the park surrounding it make it appealing for picnics and informal walks, and the gentler visitor numbers compared to Edinburgh Castle mean children can explore more freely. Some of the upper levels and narrower stair passages require a degree of care and reasonable mobility, and visitors should wear sensible footwear given the worn and sometimes uneven stonework.
Among the more intriguing lesser-known details of the castle is the survival of a carving of the Preston family arms over the main gateway, a tangible mark of the dynasty who built and loved the place across generations. The fishponds in the grounds, when considered alongside documentary evidence, suggest that the castle's estate was once a sophisticated and largely self-sufficient establishment, capable of hosting royalty in considerable comfort. There is also a certain poignancy to the castle's later history: by the eighteenth century it had been substantially abandoned and was falling into ruin, its stones occasionally robbed for local building projects in the manner so common to neglected structures of the period. That so much has survived is partly a matter of luck, and partly due to the castle coming into state care before decay became irreversible. For those interested in Scottish history, particularly the turbulent reign of Mary Queen of Scots, Craigmillar offers an atmosphere and authenticity that is genuinely difficult to find elsewhere in the country.