Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Museum

The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Museum sits inside Edinburgh Castle’s New Barracks, a stone building finished in 1799. The museum holds the combined objects of the 3rd Carabiniers and the Royal Scots Greys, two regiments formed in the 17th century. Queen Elizabeth opened the original basement display in 1995 and returned in 2006 to open the new ground-floor galleries. The move above ground doubled the space for visitors to walk among the exhibits. The building itself is part of the castle’s 18th-century defences, a reminder of Edinburgh’s military past. Among the displays is the captured French Imperial Eagle taken at Waterloo by Sergeant Charles Ewart. Medals, uniforms and weapons trace the regiment’s campaigns from the Crimean War to modern peacekeeping. Personal items lent by explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes show how soldiers kept diaries and letters. A Victoria Cross awarded to Sergeant Henry Ramage for bravery in the Crimea hangs beside these relics. The gift shop sells recordings of the Pipes and Drums, whose 1972 single ‘Amazing Grace’ topped charts across five countries. Visitors follow a clear route through rooms arranged by period and theme. Cases hold drummers’ coats, officers’ swords and regimental drums. Large maps mark the regiment’s marches across Europe and beyond. Outside the windows, the castle’s ramparts frame views of Princes Street Gardens. The museum keeps the history alive without leaving the castle grounds.