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Edinburgh Town Wall, Flodden Wall and Telfer Wall at Heriot Place is a section of the defensive fortifications built to protect Edinburgh in the early modern period. The Flodden Wall, constructed in the early sixteenth century following the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Flodden in 1513, represents one of Edinburgh's most significant medieval defences. This substantial stone wall was built to encompass and protect the town after the catastrophic loss of Scottish nobles and soldiers that year. The Telfer Wall, a later addition to the town's fortifications, worked in conjunction with the Flodden Wall to strengthen Edinburgh's perimeter.
The walls were constructed using stone from the local Midlothian bedrock, predominantly sandstone, siltstone and mudstone of the Inverclyde Group. These materials, readily available in the surrounding geology, provided the essential building material for the substantial masonry required for defensive structures. The location at Heriot Place preserves a crucial section of these interconnected defensive systems that shaped the urban development of medieval Edinburgh.
The monument remains protected under Historic Environment Scotland's statutory scheduling, reference SM2901, recognising its importance as evidence of Scotland's military history and urban development in the post-medieval period.
Edinburgh Town Wall, Flodden Wall and Telfer Wall, Heriot Place is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2901. View the official record →
Edinburgh Town Wall, Flodden Wall and Telfer Wall at Heriot Place is a section of the defensive fortifications built to protect Edinburgh in the early modern period. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM2901.
Edinburgh Town Wall, Flodden Wall and Telfer Wall, Heriot Place is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM2901.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Caerketton Hill,fort (7 km), Caerketton Craigs,cairn (7.2 km), Glenkevock,enclosure 400m NW of (8.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Edinburgh Town Wall, Flodden Wall and Telfer Wall, Heriot Place's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Edinburgh Town Wall, Flodden Wall and Telfer Wall, Heriot Place stands on Inverclyde Group, bedrock that formed in the Osagean. The rock here is sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.