THE review of a "deeply offensive" cafe name at Edinburgh Castle has been delayed for a "number of years", The National can reveal.
The Redcoat Cafe found itself at the centre of intense controversy earlier in February 2024, when it reopened after a refurbishment.
Despite the cafe having had the name since 1992, the announcement it was reopening after renovations triggered an enormous backlash – which included MPs joining demands for the cafe to be rebranded.
It takes its name from the red-uniformed British troops who fought against the Jacobites in Scotland, against US succession in North America, and were involved in colonisation across the globe. They counted a number of Scots among their ranks.
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At the centre of the controversy is their role in suppressing the Jacobite uprising, which leading historian Tom Devine previously said “conjures up bloody images of Culloden and the slaughter of the clans both during the battle itself and even more brutally afterwards”.
Edinburgh Castle went on to respond to the controversy with Historic Environment Scotland (HES), which runs the castle, pledging to “review” the cafe name as well as the name of its “Jacobite function room” in the "coming financial year" (2025/2026).
But now, HES has indefinitely delayed the review – despite having vowed to complete the work by April 2026.
The spokesperson went on to state that the castle's toilet facilities were being upgraded first, as well as work on "refreshing the Crown Room and the display of the Honours of Scotland in the New Year".
"The review of the Redcoat Cafe and the Jacobite function suite names will not be complete by April 2026. As set out in our operating plan, we have committed to publishing a high-level strategic plan for Edinburgh Castle," a HES spokesperson told The National.
"This plan will take a long-term view of the site, and the names of the cafe and function suite will be considered as part of that process.
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"Our original deadline for this work has been extended and by April 2026, we expect to be in a better position to confirm the timescales for developing this strategic plan. Implementation of the plan will require funding and resources and is likely to take a number of years, so any changes to the catering offer as a whole, including the names of any cafes, would follow that work rather than precede it."
Protesters had previously demanded customers boycott the cafe if management does not concede to demands for a name change.
Sean Clerkin of Action for Scotland, who led the boycott calls, said:“They should have been able to make up their minds now on the change of name or keeping it as it was.
“They were hoping to drag this into the long grass so that nobody would question it again so basically everybody had forgotten.”
He added: “The bottom line is the name needs to change and for many people in Scotland the name indicates a colonial mentality that Scotland's position is a colony.
“We want to break away from that so we want a change of name.”
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