Edinburgh town walls

Edinburgh town walls
Edinburgh, Scotland
Remains of the bastion known as the 'Flodden Tower' with Edinburgh Castle behind and the Telfer Wall on the right
Map showing the town walls, overlaid on the present-day streets Key: Orange: King's Wall, Red: Flodden Wall, Purple: Telfer Wall A: Edinburgh Castle, B: Flodden Tower, C: Greyfriars Kirkyard; D: site of Netherbow Port, E: Waverley station Blue shading: approximate extent of Nor Loch
Site information
Condition	Some sections remain to full height
Site history
Built	15th to 17th century
Materials	Stone
Demolished	Parts demolished from mid 18th century

There have been several town walls around Edinburgh, Scotland, since the 12th century. Some form of wall probably existed from the foundation of the royal burgh in around 1125, though the first building is recorded in the mid-15th century, when the King's Wall was constructed. In the 16th century the more extensive Flodden Wall was erected, following the Scots' defeat at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. This was extended by the Telfer Wall in the early 17th century. The walls had a number of gates, known as ports, the most important being the Netherbow Port, which stood halfway down the Royal Mile. This gave access from the Canongate which was, at that time, a separate burgh.

The walls never proved very successful as defensive structures, and were easily breached on more than one occasion. They served more as a means of controlling trade and taxing goods, and as a deterrent to smugglers. Throughout their history, the town walls of Edinburgh have served better in their role as a trade barrier than as a defensive one. By the mid 18th century, the walls had outlived both their defensive and trade purposes, and demolition of sections of the wall began. The Netherbow Port was pulled down in 1764, and demolition continued into the 19th century. Today, a number of sections of the three successive walls survive, although none of the ports remain.

Edinburgh was formally established as a royal burgh by King David I of Scotland around 1125. This gave the town the privilege of holding a market, and the ability to raise money by taxing goods coming into the burgh for sale. It is probable, therefore, that some form of boundary was constructed around this time, although it may have been a timber palisade or ditch, rather than a stone wall.

To the north of Edinburgh lay the marshy Nor Loch, formed in the early 15th century in the depression where Princes Street Gardens are now laid out. This natural defence was augmented by the steep slope up to the northern edge of the Old Town.Edinburgh Castle, on its rocky outcrop, defended the western approach. Walls were therefore needed primarily on the south and east sides of the burgh.