Hall introduction: The Great Hall was built in the James IV era for the purpose of holding national celebrations. The most grand event held here was the banquet on the eve of the coronation of Charles I as King of Scotland in 1633.
Seventeen years later, Charles I was beheaded. In order to implement the leadership's instructions to ban all symbols of British royal power, Cromwell converted the hall into a barracks. When the hall was renovated in the Victorian era, the original decoration could not be restored due to severe damage. However, the Jacobean ceiling at the top of the hall and some beautifully carved wooden arch cantilevered corbels from the Renaissance were preserved. It is also the only remaining medieval ceiling in Scotland.