St Margaret’s Chapel

The oldest building still standing in Edinburgh is St Margaret’s Chapel, dating from around 1130 and located inside Edinburgh Castle.

To see St Margaret’s Chapel you need to go inside Edinburgh Castle: the chapel is included in castle admission, and it is not possible to visit it separately. As the castle often sells out, especially in summer, booking online in advance is strongly recommended. Our castle tour with entry tickets included stops at the chapel.

Practical information

Opening hours

1 April to 30 September

9.30am–6pm (last entry 5pm)

1 October to 23 December

9.30am–5pm (last entry 4pm)

24 December

9.30am–4pm (last entry 2.30pm)

25 and 26 December

Closed

27 to 31 December

9.30am–5pm (last entry 4pm)

1 January

11am–5pm (last entry 4pm)

2 January to 31 March

9.30am–5pm (last entry 4pm)

Entry

Edinburgh Castle ticket required, as it is the only way to access St Margaret’s Chapel.

Origins of St Margaret’s Chapel

There is evidence that people have lived on Castle Rock for perhaps 2,000 years, but the oldest building still standing in Edinburgh is St Margaret’s Chapel, dating from around 1130, inside the castle.

It was built by King David I in honour of his mother, Queen Margaret. This was also around the time Edinburgh became a royal burgh and construction of the rest of the castle began.

Most of the other buildings that originally stood in Edinburgh Castle were destroyed during centuries of battles.

In particular, when Robert the Bruce captured the castle in 1314, he had most of it destroyed, sparing only St Margaret’s Chapel. The same happened again during the Lang Siege of the 16th century.

Most of the buildings you will see in the castle today date from the 16th century or later, as do almost all the buildings in Edinburgh, making St Margaret’s Chapel the oldest building in both the castle and the city.

Restoration of St Margaret’s Chapel

It is a small Romanesque church in the upper part of Edinburgh Castle, used for prayer by the Scottish royal family. It is very simple inside, and the chancel arch is still the original structure.

After the Reformation of the 16th century, the chapel fell into disuse. Being inside the castle, soldiers used it for military purposes, for example as a gunpowder store, and it was forgotten for many years.

Fortunately, in the 19th century it was rediscovered and its value recognised, and it was restored to the way we see it today, a project led by the antiquary Sir Daniel Wilson.

The stained glass windows are more recent. They were installed in the 1920s and depict St Margaret, St Andrew, St Columba, St Ninian and William Wallace.

The ten wooden benches inside were commissioned in 1993 for the 900th anniversary of St Margaret’s death, along with an alms chest, a flower stand and a display case for a replica of St Margaret’s gospel book.

Services in St Margaret’s Chapel

Throughout history, the chapel was used for private worship by the Scottish royal family, not for public services.

Edinburgh Castle falls within the parish of Canongate Kirk, so the minister of Canongate conducts ceremonies in the chapel from time to time.

Today it is still used for baptisms, weddings and a service on St Margaret’s Day (16 November) for the members of St Margaret’s Chapel Guild, who look after the chapel and make sure there are always fresh flowers inside.