Panorama showing the Half Moon Battery in Edinburgh Castle. The picture was taken late in the afternoon, after a rain shower, with the sun descending behind the Scottish National War Memorial. You cansee the bridge linking this with the Royal Palace.

Edinburgh Castle - Half Moon Battery - Edinburgh visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Edinburgh Castle - Half Moon Battery' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Lothian.

The Half Moon Battery occupies the northeastern wall of the Upper Ward of Edinburgh Castle. Built between 1573 to 1588 during reconstruction work undertaken by Regent Morton after the Lang Siege. It contains 9 cannon overlooking north and east Edinburgh, and is the dominant battery seen from the Esplanade when approaching the castle. The right end of the Half Moon Battery is attached to the Royal Palace. The other end links to the Forewall Battery, built between 1689 and 1695.

The Half Moon Battery stands on top of the remains of David's Tower, which was partially destroyed by Morton during the Lang Siege (1571-73) which also saw the destruction of Constable's Towers at the castle's gates. Parts of the remains of David's Tower are open to the public. During WWII the Honours of Scotland were buried in a hole within the tower to protect them from falling into German hands should the Axis capture Edinburgh. At that time only 3 people knew of the whereabouts of the burial site. The Honours of Scotland are now on display in the Royal Palace.

Edinburgh Castle
Castlehill
Edinburgh
EH1 2NG

Bus: 24 to Lawnmarket.
Walk: Edinburgh Castle is at the western end of the Royal Mile, which leads down east to the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Scottish Parliament. This is about 15 minutes walk from Waverley Station and the Tourist Information Centre.