BOOM! Is the Centuries-Old Edinburgh Gun Salute Under Threat?

The Edinburgh One O’Clock gun salute at Edinburgh Castle is a tradition that dates back to 1861. But could it be under threat due to health and safety concerns?

Nowadays, Royal gun salutes are fired on special days like Coronations, funerals and birthdays, from various locations across the UK.

These include Edinburgh Castle, Cardiff Castle, Hillsborough Castle, the Tower of London and His Majesty’s Naval Base in Gibraltar.

In London’s Hyde Park and Green Park, an extra 20 rounds are fired because they are both Royal parks, making it a 41-gun salute.

The Defence secretary is believed to be stepping in to protect the centuries-old tradition of gun salutes at Edinburgh Castle. The last firing of the historic One o’clock Gun was due on Easter Saturday, following health and safety fears over the noise, and Grant Shapps is now understood to be intervening to save the tradition from being “silenced”.

36 comments

  1. Thank you! And don't become like some of the other countries that let places like this just be sold call riped apart. Once you let go of your history you will have no future

  5. “PLEASE—-DO NOT LOSE ANOTHER GRAND TRADITION!” The world has lost enough to the woke idiots of today! “HISTORY IS IMPORTANT!”

  6. Visited the castle as a ten year old American.The guide even let my brother and I grip Robert the Bruce's sword!! TOTALLY AWESOME!

  10. Keep on the tradition – Queen Elizabeth would have wanted it to go on❤ It's a beautiful Tradition and something to be proud of. There's not many countries that still have traditions such as this.

  15. Because
    ### If there was ever any usefulness of the Royal families(translating the HOLY BIBLE into the English language, namely, The King James Version) it has ended. Know this now to the coming again of JESUS CHRIST that AFRICANS 🌍 and PEOPLE OF AFRICAN-DESCENT ONLY WORSHIP THE ONE AND ONLY LIVING GOD, AND HIS SON JESUS CHRIST, THE ONE AND ONLY TRUE KING. ALL EARTHLY KINGS WE SUE FOR REPARATIONS ###.

  18. If people know it's going to happen and can wear ear protection, that's all that is needed. I work at an historic site and we've had our cannon cutailed, we used to shoot every weekend and on holidays, now we will only have one firing a year on Memorial Day, people miss the excitement, all because the Powers That Be want the Fort to be less 'military' how absurd.

  23. Oh please God! Not another of our great British traditions to be scrapped by the woke mob. I love to hear the gun salutes on important occasions. It instills a sense of pride and excitement in our isles. We lost so much already. 😢

  28. I cab understand ear protection for the soldiers but noise as a health concern to the public is pathetic. If you don't want to hear loud bangs don't go near where they have gun salutes at firing times.

  29. ΤΙΔΟΡ ΣΤΗΝ ΑΜΕΡΙΚΉ ΈΤΣΙ ΤΩΡΑ ΤΑ ΦΈΡΕΤΡΑ ΦΥΣΙΟΛΟΓΙΚΟΤΑΤΑ ΓΙΑ ΤΟΥΣ ΤΟΥΡΚΟΥΣ ΓΙΑΤΡΟΥΣ ΤΟΥ ΕΡΝΤΙ

  30. The revolt against Edinburgh Castle gun salutes could be Scotland's way of ceding from the United Kingdom. With that being commented, commend Grant Schapps for stepping in to defend the centuries old tradition of gun salutes at Edinburgh Castle

  31. Treasure your traditions, please! When that fabric of history erodes, is left uncared for, the community loses its heart. Our noontime church bells were long ago silenced. We are less for having allowed it to happen.

  32. If you dont like british life, traditions, food etc… live somewhere else – if theyll have you. Im sorry but grow little backbone!!!! People have louder fireworks in their handkerchief back gardens that these guns create!!!!!!!

  33. I cannot believe they are going after this! When my family visited the UK in 1976, one of the "highlights" was being around for the 1pm Edinburgh Castle gun salute. There was also a celebration of Shakespeare that year, and we were in Stradford-upon-Avon for that event. Since one of my great-grandfathers was born in Scotland, dad actually put more importance on the gun salute! He even made a point of checking his watch by it!

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