Rock trap to be installed at Edinburgh Castle

Work begins today on a new wall and rock trap which will help to secure the huge rock face upon which Edinburgh Castle stands. For more on Scotland's castles, read our special guide to ten Scottish castles open during the winter.

Historic Environment Scotland has announced that, in partnership with Edinburgh City Council, it will construct a new one-metre high wall topped with a 1.5 metre metal railing, to replace the temporary structure currently on site. The work is due to be completed in March 2016 and in the interim, a traffic management plan has been agreed with Edinburgh City Council.

NOT IMPREGNABLE

Barbara Cummins, Director of Heritage Management for Historic Environment Scotland, who manage Edinburgh Castle said: 'It’s important that the public are assured that we have no immediate concerns regarding the rock face, however as impenetrable as the castle rock might appear, it’s not immune to the effects of the weather. The constant freeze and thaw during the winter months can open up cracks in the rock face, which then allows a plant known as valerian to take root. Once this germinates the bulb expands and, over long periods of time, this process can cause rocks to fracture and fall.

'At the moment we have a temporary structure in place which offers significant protection, and we supplement that by having our highly trained staff abseil down the rock on a regular basis to carefully remove loose fragments from the surface. Whilst these measures help to minimise the risk of rock falls, the regular monitoring and scaling is time consuming and ultimately disruptive to visitors to the castle and drivers on Johnston Terrace, which has to be closed whilst work is being carried out. The new rock trap will enhance our current risk control arrangements and reduce disruption in the process.'


(Image copyright Ulybug)