The Many Faces of St Andrews Castle

The Many Faces of St Andrews Castle. . . Home to the most senior bishops and archbishops in Scotland, the castle was razed and rebuilt several times over. . . The Castle in the 1520s . Archbishop James Beaton built the substantial circular gun towers or block houses in an atmosphere of growing national crisis. In 1513 James IV had led Scottish forces into open combat with English troops at Flodden, Northumberland. He and many Scottish nobles were killed. . . The Hamilton Facade . Archbishop John Hamilton carried out extensive repairs to the damage caused during the siege of 1547. The entrance before you was the most impressive part, with a carving of his coat of arms and frieze of five-petalled flowers or cinquefoils - his family emblem. . . 1. Block House: . The very thick walls were designed to protect gunners in the castle from heavy artillery fire. . 2. Bottle Dungeon: . A dark and airless pit carved out of solid rock. 'Many of God's children were imprisoned here,' wrote John Knox. . 3. Archbishop's Lodgings: . Spacious accommodation of the first floor; lit by large south-facing windows in Archbishop Hamilton's time. . 4. Mine and Countermine: . During the 1546-7 siege, attackers tried tunnel under the walls in order to blow them up. The defenders dug to intercept them. . . Timeline . 1189-1202 . Bishop Roger builds a castle here. . . 1296-1357 . Wars of Independence. The castle is taken by the English and retaken by the Scots several times before razed in 1337. . . 1400 . Bishop Walter Trail rebuilds the castle. . . 1546-7 . The castle is severely damaged during the Earl of Arran's siege. . . 1550s . Archbishop John Hamilton rebuilds the castle.