P2 visit to Craigmillar Castle

P2 visit to Craigmillar Castle

Learning all about Castles!

P2 visit to Craigmillar Castle

On a crisp sunny Autumnal morning P2 set out on a visit to Craigmillar Castle as part of their topic on Castles. Now a ruin, the castle used to be the home of the Preston Family who occupied the castle in the 1500s. We saw their coat of arms above the main entrance into the castle with its wine ‘press’ and barrel ‘tun’, and had fun linking it to the family name. Standing beside the inner curtain wall we looked up and saw gaps or ‘machicolations’ in the balcony above us through which red hot sand or boiling water would have been poured onto the unsuspecting attackers below! We saw arrow slits through which the archers would have fired their arrows. Inside the keep, we entered the splendid banqueting hall where Lord and Lady Preston would have entertained important guests. 

We imagined what it would have been like with its painted wooden ceiling and colourful woven tapestries hanging from the walls. We spied the gallery above where the musicians would have played. We then went into the kitchen serving the hall, and saw the fireplace where all the cooking took place. We imagined ourselves as ‘spit boys’ turning the massive spit to roast the meat over the hot coals. We then entered a splendid room where Mary Queen of Scots would have stayed when she visited the Preston Family who supported her cause. She sought refuge here after the brutal stabbing of David Riccio, her musician and friend, by her husband Lord Darnley. We learnt how nobles gathered at the castle to hatch a plot to kill the Lord known as “The Craigmillar Bond”. Did Mary Queen of Scots know about this plan, we wondered?


We then climbed up the winding staircase to the roof of the keep, and saw a large P shape in the ground which used to be the fish pond in the castle gardens. We imagined fruit trees growing there alongside vegetables and herbs, and thick forests where Lord Preston would have hunted deer and wild boar. From this magnificent viewpoint we could see Edinburgh Castle, St Giles’ Cathedral and Arthur’s Seat. We then ventured onto the battlements and took on the role of defending the castle from the attackers below. We fired our arrows through the crenels and sought protection behind the merlons. We then went down into the depths of the castle and crammed into the dark, damp dungeon. We all agreed we wouldn’t have liked being locked up as a prisoner in there with rats and spiders scuttling around. We learnt about the discovery of a skeleton in the walls, and wondered how it got there. We returned to the courtyard by the yew tree, and were met by a magnificent Jacobite highlander who just happened to be arriving at the castle! He took time to explain the outfit he was wearing, and posed for a photo with the enthralled children. 

Jacobite with class

Having fun

Great hall

Girls

Front

Dungeon

Firing arrows

Charlie

PHOTO 2022 09 16 21 28 57

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