The finest profile for showing the well-nigh impregnable position of the Castle on its rock. The colossal Half Moon Battery on the right was built at great expense by the Regent Morton a year after the Long Siege of 1573. Within its walls are the shattered remains of David's Tower, a massive rectangular structure begun by David II in 1368. It dominated the Castle for nearly two centuries until it collapsed under a heavy artillery bombardment during the siege. Its remains were rediscovered only in 1912. The building to the left of the Battery is the Palace of the Stewart monarchs which began as an extension to David's Tower in the reign of James I and was developed as a royal lodging under James IV in the 15th century. The large windows belong to the Great Hall which was completed in his reign, between 1503 and 1513. It was in a room of the Palace that Mary, Queen of Scots, gave birth to the future James VI in 1566.
Uploaded by kim.traynor on 14 January 2011
Photo ID: 7642
Building ID: 200365402
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