Editing Edinburgh Castle (section)

===Outer defences===

In front of the castle is a long sloping forecourt known as the Esplanade. Originally the Spur, a 16th-century [[hornwork]], was located here. The present Esplanade was laid out as a parade ground in 1753, and extended in 1845.<ref name=BoS85-86/> It is upon this Esplanade that the [[Edinburgh Military Tattoo]] takes place annually. From the Esplanade the Half Moon Battery is prominent, with the Royal Palace to its left.<ref name=MacIvor136>MacIvor (1993), p. 136.</ref>

[[File:Edinburgh Castle gate 20211019.jpg|thumb|left|Main gate from the Esplanade into the castle (with the gatehouse)]]

The [[Gatehouse]] at the head of the Esplanade was built as an architecturally cosmetic addition to the castle in 1888.<ref>MacIvor (1993), pp. 116–117.</ref> Statues of [[Robert the Bruce]] by [[Thomas J Clapperton|Thomas Clapperton]] and [[William Wallace]] by [[Alexander Carrick]] were added in 1929, and the [[Latin]] motto ''[[Nemo me impune lacessit]]'' is inscribed above the gate. The dry ditch in front of the entrance was completed in its present form in 1742.<ref name=Salter49>Salter, p. 49.</ref> Within the Gatehouse are offices, and to the north is the most recent addition to the castle; the ticket office, completed in 2008 to a design by [[Gareth Hoskins Architects]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/news_search_results.htm/news_article.htm?articleid=13186 |title=Edinburgh Castle opens new ticket office and launches official Edinburgh Castle website |date=21 January 2008 |publisher=Historic Scotland |access-date=17 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212023915/http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/news_search_results.htm/news_article.htm?articleid=13186 |archive-date=12 February 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref> The road, built by James III in 1464 for the transport of cannon, leads upward and around to the north of the Half Moon Battery and the Forewall Battery, to the Portcullis Gate. In 1990, an alternative access was opened by digging a tunnel from the north of the esplanade to the north-west part of the castle, separating visitor traffic from service traffic.<ref>MacIvor (1993), p. 128.</ref>