CLICK HERE TO ADD YOUR EVENT

Craigmillar Castle

Step inside Edinburgh's other castle, once a rural retreat from Scotland's capital!

Craigmillar Castle

About Craigmillar Castle

Craigmillar Castle Craigmillar Castle Road, Edinburgh South EH16 4SY
01316614445
Craigmillar Castle Website
Facebook information can be found here

In light of updated Scottish Government advice regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19), we have taken the decision to close public access to our staffed properties and offices until further notice. All planned public events will also be postponed until further notice – full details of these can be found on our Events page in the coming days: historicenvironment.scot/whats-on.

Craigmillar is one of Scotland’s most perfectly preserved castles. It began as a simple tower-house residence. Gradually, over time, it developed into a complex of structures and spaces, as subsequent owners attempted to improve its comfort and amenity. As a result, there are many nooks and crannies to explore. Of equal importance were the surrounding gardens and parkland, and the present-day Craigmillar Castle Park has fascinating reminders of the castle’s days as a rural retreat on the edge of Scotland’s capital city.

At the core lies the original, late-14th-century tower house, among the first of this new form of castle built in Scotland. It stands 17m high to the battlements, has walls almost 3m thick, and holds a warren of rooms, including a fine great hall on the first floor, and the so-called ‘Queen Mary’s Room’ beside it, where Mary is said to have slept when staying there as a guest of the Prestons. In all probability, Mary resided in a multi-roomed apartment elsewhere in the courtyard, probably in the east range.

Also here is a labyrinth of dark spaces, including a grim basement prison where an upright skeleton was found walled up in the early 19th century. The west range was rebuilt as the Gilmour family’s residence after 1660. Beyond the well-preserved 15th-century courtyard wall, complete with gunholes shaped like inverted keyholes, lie other buildings, including a private family chapel.

Upcoming Events at Craigmillar Castle

More History and Culture in Edinburgh

Linlithgow Palace

Linlithgow Palace Kirkgate, Linlithgow EH49 7AL

Explore the magnificent ruins of the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots. Linlithgow Palace was built and added to over two centuries by the Stewart kings, resulting in a superb Renaissance residence.

READ MORE

The Palace of Holyroodhouse

The Palace of Holyroodhouse Canongate, Edinburgh East EH8 8DX

The Palace of Holyroodhouse, commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland.

READ MORE

Lauriston Castle

2 Cramond Road South, Edinburgh West EH4 6AD

When you step inside Lauriston Castle, you see it just as it was in 1926, when it was left to the nation by the last private owner, Mrs Reid.

READ MORE

Newbattle Abbey

NA Newbattle Road, Dalkeith EH22 3LL

Newbattle Abbey is set in 125 acres of beautiful parkland just outside Edinburgh and contains a wealth of Scottish history.

READ MORE

Hopetoun House

Hopetoun House Hopetoun, South Queensferry EH30 9SL

Situated on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Hopetoun is a place of outstanding natural beauty, which has Scotland's finest stately home at its heart.

READ MORE

Edinburgh Street Historians

The High Street Wellhead Old Assembly Close, Edinburgh Old Town EH1 1QX

The Edinburgh Street Historians are a group of local, Edinburgh-based tour guides, who want to tell the story of the city in a way which is different from other tour companies.

READ MORE

The Real Mary Kings Close

2 Warriston's Close, Edinburgh Old Town EH1 1PG

Edinburgh's deepest secret, the Real Mary King’s Close is buried deep beneath the Royal Mile... a warren of hidden streets that has remained frozen in time since the 17th Century!

READ MORE

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

9 Queen Street, Edinburgh New Town EH2 1JQ

The RCPE is an independent standard-setting body and professional membership organisation. Our aim is to improve and maintain the quality of patient care.

READ MORE

The Peoples Story Museum

163 Canongate , Edinburgh Old Town EH8 8BN

The People's Story gives an unique insight in to Edinburgh's working class people from the 18th century to the late 20th century.

READ MORE

Panmure House

4 Lochend Close, Edinburgh Old Town EH8 8BL

Panmure House is a 17th-century townhouse located in Edinburgh's Canongate. It is the only surviving residence of renowned Scottish philosopher Adam Smith, who lived there between 1778 and 1790.

READ MORE

National Museum of Flight Scotland

National Museum of Flight Scotland East Fortune Airfield, EH39 5LF

Head off on a journey of discovery at this former airfield as you explore the history of aviation from the First World War to the present day

READ MORE

Canongate Kirk

153 Canongate, Edinburgh Old Town EH8 8BN

Canongate Kirk is the parish church of Canongate in Edinburgh’s Old Town and a congregation of the Church of Scotland.

READ MORE
All History and Culture listings in Edinburgh

Sponsored Links

WST
Hilton Glasgow
Local Motive Markets
The Chocolatarium
Open Pass Scotland
Escape The Past
Wonder & Co
Fayre Play
Hostelworld
ATG
Edinburgh Dungeon

Sponsored Links

WST
Hilton Glasgow
Local Motive Markets
The Chocolatarium
Open Pass Scotland
Escape The Past
Wonder & Co
Fayre Play
Hostelworld
ATG
Edinburgh Dungeon

Popular Events

Panto 2025: Jack and the Beanstalk
Join Allan Stewart, Grant Stott and Jordan Young for the GIANT of a pantomime we've all BEAN waiting for!
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban In Concert with the RSNO
Experience Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban like never before as the Scottish National Orchestra brings John Williams’ spellbinding score to life live in concert at Edinburgh Castle!
Edinburgh’s Christmas: The Polar Ice Bar
Take some time to ‘chill’ at the Polar Ice Bar, the coolest bar in the city, where your table, chairs and glasses are sculpted entirely from ice.
Castle Of Light
Make Castle of Light: Fire and Ice part of your festive plans and enjoy the largest annual projection show in the UK when it returns for its sixth year!
Christmas at the Botanics
Explore the sights and sounds of Christmas in this magical after dark experience when it returns to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh!

Popular Listings

Corn Exchange Haddington Edinburgh Playhouse Festival Theatre Edinburgh Howden Park Centre Livingston Kings Theatre Edinburgh National Museum of Scotland O2 Academy Edinburgh The Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh Traverse Theatre Usher Hall