Why did they built Edinburgh castle so close to Waverley railway station?

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Emma B

So many serious answers.

I was at Heathrow airport and some Australians were renting a car, they were driving up to Edinburgh first and then coming back down to London.
They asked me what decent restaurants I could recommend for lunch in Edinburgh as they would wait til they got there before eating.
They didn't believe me when I said they should eat before they set off because it's about 7 or 8 hours away if they were lucky.
They really thought it was about a 20 minutes drive.

In America I was asked by a woman if I knew someone called Steve from Nuneaton.
She didn't stop describing him even when I said I had never been there.

But the Brits can be as dappy.
A northern bloke asked me what the Queen was like in real life and what it's like in Buckingham palace as if I went to tea there regularly.

richeyk

The same reason that they built Windsor Castle under the flight path for Heathrow Airport .

John Smith

Finally: an insightful inquiry on this blasted site. I've asked myself this same question many a time, yet have always had another come to mind as a result: why did they build Mr. Everest so tall? You would think more people would get to the top had they made it a bit shorter.

wirralman1

Someone is making fun of the greatest capital city in the world. So let us fight fire with fire.

When Edinburgh Castle was built, what you see below as the railway line was actually a loch! This was drained and the result today is probably the most attractive shopping street in Europe. With the Princes Street gardens, the most attractive inner city vista was created.

brother_in_magic

I heard a tourist visiting Stonehenge remark--why did they build it so near to the road?

Wow. I am here between some real intellectuals pondering on the history. Keep up the good work.

Jim

So that the American tourists can make this remark.

NOLA guy

I assume you got the questions like this from foreign tourists and especially Americans. It DOES work both ways - I live in New Orleans (also lots of tourists) and have been asked similarly dumb questions from all types of visitors (not just Americans). An example is "Why do the houses in the French Quarter not have driveways for their cars?" (Answer: The FQ was built before cars were invented)

They just don't think, and it's easy to ask.

You sigh, and then try to give a civil answer to their question.....

Teri

It's amazing they haven't torn the castle down.,,, it's not like it's habitable and it's such a prime piece of real estate... they could build some really nice luxury flats up there even near the railway station.

Alba

Nice one Bob! I was once stopped on Princes Street by an American couple who pointed to the castle and asked if the Queen of Scotland lived there! Bless them! In retrospect I wish I could have replied with a smart answer, but the best I could come up with was "No, not for some time now".

narvvik

What time does the noon gun go off?

fiona

Build it anywhere else and it would not have had the commanding view that it does over the city.

Bear in mind that when it was built, Edinburgh was a pretty law-less city (well, nothing has changed there!)

Even James VI was glad to leave Edinburgh, although given his choice of London, Edinburgh must have been pretty bad to have moved there.

Ken B

How many times you asked this spoof

singhcanto

Why did they build the Waverley railway station so near to Edinburgh castle.. since IT WAS THERE FIRST.

Paul

Edinburgh Castle was there first! Before they needed planning permission - its very old dont you know! Waverley station has been there for just 100 to 200 years, the Castle far longer.

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