Nether Bailey

Entered through the North Gate, the Nether Bailey occupies the lower terrace of the Castle Rock. Irregularly shaped, the area encloses the sheer, northern end of the rock and, at one point, contained a minature rifle range. Due to the terrain, there was never a main entrance to the castle through the Nether Bailey, however there were two small sally ports. These were closed in 1689, as part of the strengthening of the castle's defenses. The modern building (lower right) is Historic Scotland's tapestry studio. Here skilled weavers are recreating the tapestries that would have originally hung in the Palace.