Fragmentary remains of the castle’s 16th-century defences have been discovered during work to extend the shop and ticket office. While there is very little to see, the evidence of Renaissance walling will be of huge help to archaeologists trying to plot the exact locations of walls and defences from the period.

Up until now our understanding of the entrance to the castle has been largely based on military plans, and illustrations like the one from John Slezer’s Theatrum Scotiae of 1693. Slezer’s illustration, which has soldiers walking towards the castle, shows just how different the castle was before the major modernisation in the early 18th century and the creation of the esplanade in the 19th century.

One of the features archaeologists would like to pinpoint in future is the curious-looking pyramidal structure shown by Slezer. This was an early artillery defence which dates from the time of Mary of Guise.

To find out more about John Slezer and see some of his other remarkable engravings visit the National Library of Scotland’s Slezer’s Scotland website.