Edinburgh Castle to be plunged into darkness for first time in five years

Edinburgh Castle will be plunged into darkness for the first time in five years as part of planned repairs at the historic site.

The castle will lose mains power for two to three hours from 5pm on Wednesday, October 23 – the last time it was without light was in 2019 when electrical LV feeder pillars were installed.

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) confirmed the power will be temporarily shut off to allow essential repairs to the high voltage cable trays and brackets.

The trays and brackets at the popular tourist attraction have corroded, in part due to the increased temperature and humidity experienced in Edinburgh as part of climate change.

The repairs are expected to finish the same evening, and the Castle is due to re-open to visitors as normal at 9.30am on Thursday, October 24.

The Castle is one of 336 properties in care of HES, who said: “Many other sites, particularly coastal properties like Skara Brae, Tantallon Castle and others, have experienced accelerated wear and tear on their fabric due to the increased moisture and extreme weather conditions brought about by climate change.

“HES is tackling this challenge through a systematic inspection and programme of conservation work of the masonry across all sites.”