Edinburgh Castle Redcoat Cafe and Jacobite Room names to be reviewed after outcry by SNP politicians

The relaunch of the Redcoat Cafe at Edinburgh Castle has sparked an outcry on social media, leading to a commitment to review the eatery’s name

The organisation that runs Edinburgh Castle has agreed to review the 30-year-old name of the attraction’s cafe after a sudden outcry on social media.

An announcement of the re-opening of the castle’s renovated Redcoat Cafe on the weekend sparked condemnation from several prominent SNP figures, including Dunfermline and West Fife MP Douglas Chapman, who called for an immediate “rebrand”.

A petition launched in a bid to have the cafe renamed has already attracted more than 1,300 signatures as of Monday afternoon.

A view of Edinburgh Castle looking north from Braid Hills Road. The name of the castle's Redcoat Cafe will be reviewed, it has been confirmed. Picture: Scott Louden

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) – the organisation that runs the castle – confirmed the Redcoat Cafe and Jacobite function room at the castle had held those names since 1992.

A HES spokesperson said: “We are aware of the comments on social media on both sides of the debate about the name of the café at Edinburgh Castle.

"The name has been in place since 1992 and reflects the military history which is told throughout the castle.

"However, the way we interpret history is constantly evolving. As part of our future plans for Edinburgh Castle, the names of both the Redcoat Café and Jacobite function room will now be reviewed.”

The Scotsman was told the castle’s eatery had its name changed from Mills Mount café following the venue’s refurbishment in 1992.

The venue names are believed to have been suggested by castle staff as a reference to the attraction’s military history, although HES does not have an official record of why those names were chosen.

The organisation said it had only one complaint on record about the use of the name Redcoat Cafe since the name change.

Edinburgh Castle is Scotland’s most visited paid attraction, recording 1,346,188 visitors in 2022.

Redcoats was an informal name used for British infantrymen who wore a distinctive garment into battles. Scottish independence supporters have associated the army, clad in red, with the killing of Scots at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, marking the defeat of the Jacobite movement.

However, unionist figures have pointed out Edinburgh Castle was garrisoned by redcoats in the past, while Scottish regiments also donned the outfit.

Edinburgh SNP councillor Lesley Macinnes was among Nationalist figures to criticise the choice of venue name on Sunday, posting on social media: "What an appalling tone deaf choice of name. Who on earth decided on it?"

Mr Chapman posted to X: "I don't think many will be 'popping in' for anything. Hey @HistEnvScot @edinburghcastle - how about a swift rebrand? Redcoat, really?"

Angus MacNeil, the independent MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, who quit the SNP last summer after he was suspended by the party, said: "The ‘Redcoats Cafe’ is useful stupidly – a new generation will within a month know all about the Butcher Duke of Cumberland. Prompts to history from Massacre of Glencoe to Culloden and afterwards, both by Government forces, are useful."

Central Scotland Scottish Conservatives List MSP Stephen Kerr responded by posting on social media: "One thing about this whole Redcoat cafe ‘Furore’ is that it reveals how few Nationalists have visited Edinburgh Castle, one of our biggest and best tourist attractions and a key part of Scottish history."