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Edinburgh Town Wall, Flodden Wall, Drummond Street to Pleasance is a sixteenth-century defensive wall constructed following Scotland's defeat at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. Built to protect Edinburgh's growing population and commercial centre, this section of the wall extends between Drummond Street and Pleasance on the city's south side. The wall was constructed from locally quarried stone extracted from the Inverclyde Group sandstones, siltstones and mudstones that form the bedrock beneath Edinburgh, resulting in a durable building material well-suited to the city's geology.
The Flodden Wall represents a significant phase of urban fortification, hastily erected in response to the military threat posed by England following the catastrophic Scottish defeat. This particular stretch survives as one of the most substantial remaining sections of the original wall circuit, retaining evidence of its original construction and the practical demands of sixteenth-century military architecture.
The monument is protected as a scheduled monument under Historic Environment Scotland reference SM3013, recognising its importance to Edinburgh's architectural heritage and urban development. The wall's survival alongside the modern street pattern illustrates the enduring influence of Renaissance defensive planning on the city's layout.
Edinburgh Town Wall, Flodden Wall, Drummond Street to Pleasance is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM3013. View the official record →
Edinburgh Town Wall, Flodden Wall, Drummond Street to Pleasance is a sixteenth-century defensive wall constructed following Scotland's defeat at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM3013.
Edinburgh Town Wall, Flodden Wall, Drummond Street to Pleasance 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 SM3013.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Galachlaw,cairn (5.2 km), Caiy Stane,standing stone,Fairmilehead (5.5 km), Caerketton Hill,fort (7.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Edinburgh Town Wall, Flodden Wall, Drummond Street to Pleasance'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, Drummond Street to Pleasance stands on Inverclyde Group, bedrock that formed in the Osagean. The rock here is sandstone, siltstone and mudstone.