Rosslyn Castle

You may be very familiar with the famous grandeur and extravagance of Rosslyn Chapel, after Dan Brown brought the stunning building to the public's eye in his novel The Da Vinci Code. However, you're likely much less familiar with Rosslyn Castle (or Roslin Castle) just a few minutes walk away from the chapel, so let us tell you all about it! There is not too much left of the castle which is buried in the woodlands of Roslin Glen, but the picturesque ruins are well worth a visit.

The castle was likely begun by Henry I Sinclair, Earl of Orkney, following the Battle of Roslin in 1303 between the English and the Scots. It was important for the family to be able to defend their lands against the pesky English and secure key routes into Lothian, so the location in Roslin Glen was ideal.

It was built into a steep, rocky promontory inside the glen and surrounded on three sides by the River North Esk, which meant it was only accessible on one side over a deep ditch, crossed only by a drawbridge. Of course there was a bit of showing off too - the Sinclair's wanted to demonstrate their wealth and power as one of Scotland's most powerful noble families at the time.

As with most castles and buildings that are centuries old, this castle has seen a lot of action over the years. After Henry II Sinclair added a massive rectangular keep (or dungeon tower) in the early 1400s, there was a domestic fire which broke out in 1452, though this was relatively minor causing moderate damage that was quickly repaired.

It is believed that whilst the fire was ablaze, William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness panicked over his prized collection of historical and religious manuscripts, and asked his chaplain to lower the priceless documents out of a castle window using a rope. Lucky he did, as some of these documents still survive today and can be seen in the National Library of Scotland.

Just under a century later, the most damage was done to the castle. During The Rough Wooing of 1544, under the orders of Henry VIII, the dungeon tower was destroyed almost completely, the living quarters set on fire and burned to the ground, and the castle's gatehouse and curtain walls were heavily damaged to render the castle useless in defence.

All this because of Henry VIII's wish for his son Edward to be married to Mary Queen of Scots and his hope that the destruction of Rosslyn Castle, and many other castles, abbeys and towns may force the marriage through military might. His plan failed though, and Mary Queen of Scots was sent to France instead aged just 5. Quite amazingly, Rosslyn Chapel managed to escape all of this drama and its fantastic stonework was saved.

After all of the histrionics of the Rough Wooing, repairs were undertaken on the castle from 1580 -1622 with a five-storey mansion being added and a stone bridge built to replace the wooden drawbridge. However, there was no rest for the wicked and more drama occurred during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. This was led by Oliver Cromwell and the remaining medieval fortifications were heavily damaged during the war, leading to the stronghold finally surrendering.

The ruins that remain here date from the early 15th century, with the south-west keep tower being the oldest part of the castle. This tower dates back to 1400, while the curtain wall on the west side was added a bit later in the 15th century. It is quite amazing to think about what the castle has been through and there are still some of the scars left behind from the high-stakes conflicts that occurred.

In the 1980s, the intact 16th-century East Range was restored by The Landmark Trust and converted into a self-catering holiday let owned by the Earl of Rosslyn. If you don't fancy staying here, you can still look at some of the remaining walls and walk underneath the 17th century stone bridge.

A definite hidden gem, with a wealth of history behind it.