2-368-160 - Peter Thompson/Heritage Images

St Andrews Castle, Fife, Scotland, 2009. A castle has stood on this site since the late 12th century. The ruins seen today are of the castle built by Bishop Walter Trail around the turn of the 15th century after the previous fortress had been destroyed during the Scottish Wars of Independence. The castle then served as the residence of the Bishop of St Andrews until the Scottish Reformation. It has royal connections and served as a notorious prison in the 15th and 16th centuries. In 1546 the Protestant preacher George Wishart was burnt at the stake in front of the city walls by order of the Catholic Cardinal David Beaton. Beaton was in turn murdered by supporters of Wishart, who then took refuge in the castle. A long siege ensued which was ended in 1547 when the castle was rendered indifensible by an artillery bombardment. it was rebuilt in 1571, but fell into ruin in the 17th century.