An original hammerbeam roof dating from 1511 is just one fascinating feature of the impressive Great Hall.

Detail of the hammerbeam roof in the Great Hall © Historic Scotland

Key facts

The Great Hall in Edinburgh Castle © Historic Scotland

The Great Hall was completed in 1511, as the nation’s chief place of ceremony and state assembly.

It was commissioned by James IV, but he had little opportunity to enjoy it. He was killed at the Battle of Flodden in 1513, fighting the forces of Henry VIII of England.

Fireplace detail in the Great Hall © Historic Scotland
The Great Hall’s greatest state occasion was a banquet in honour of Charles I, the night before his coronation as King of Scots in June 1633.

- Oliver Cromwell invaded Scotland in 1650 and took over the castle. Determined to wipe out any trace of royalty, he had the Great Hall converted into a barracks.

- It was not restored until the 1880s, during the reign of Queen Victoria. Most of the present decoration dates from that period.

- However, the fine hammerbeam roof survives from James IV’s time. It is one of only two medieval roofs left in Scotland.

- The wonderfully carved stone corbels supporting the hammerbeams are the oldest Renaissance decoration in the British Isles, predating Benedetto de Maiano’s medallions on Hampton Court, London, by 10 years.