The Royal Mile (of Edinburgh). A Comprehensive Guide 1445658453, 9781445658452

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JAN-ANDREW HENDERSON -

The Royal Mile A Comprehensive Guide

Jan-Andrew Henderson Photographs by Jan-Andrew Henderson and Theresa Groth

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AMBERLEY

For my daughter Scarlet (Who was born in Australia and didn't really get to see the Mile)

The great street, which I do take to be an English mile long, and is the best-paved street with boulder stones that I have ever seen. Sir William Brereton (r 604-61) Perhaps the largest, longest, and finest street for buildings and number of inhabitants not in Britain only, but in the World. Daniel Defoe (1660-1731) This accursed, stinking, reeky mass of stones and lime and dung. Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) The main side streets are narrow, filthy and with six storey houses ... poverty and misery seem to peep out of the open hatches which normally serve as windows. Hans Christian Anderson (180 5-7 5)

First published 2017 Amberley Publishing The Hill, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 4EP www.amberley-books.com Copyright© Jan-Andrew Henderson, 2017 The right of Jan-Andrew Henderson to be identified as the Author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may !Ye reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the Publishers.

Photographs by Theresa Groth and Jan-Andrew Henderson.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 4456 5845 2 (print) ISBN 978 1 4456 5846 9 (ebook)

Origination by Amberley Publishing. Printed in Great Britain.

Contents 1

2 3 4 5

6 7

8

4

Introduction The Castle and Esplanade Castlehill Lawnmarket High Street: Part I Parliament Square High Street: Part II Canongate Abbey Strand References Acknowledgements About the Author

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Introduction There are several guides to the Royal Mile, so why choose this particular one? Well, put simply, it's got everything. All the little closes, wynds and courts running off the main street that people often ignore, with a handy rating guide to the most interesting ones. It contains the significant buildings and monuments, noted pubs, restaurants and visitor attractions. It recounts the bloody and spectacular history, including all the movers and shakers who lived here. It even lists haunted sites, of which Edinburgh is particularly proud. And it's written by an award-winning novelist and former tour guide, who spent more than twenty years working on the Mile. That would be me. Nice to meet you. The book is simple to use. You start at Edinburgh Castle on top of the street and work your way to Holyrood Palace at the bottom. Everything is either marked north (the left-hand side going down) or south (the right-hand side going down). By the time you get to the end, you'll be an expert on one of the most fascinating streets in the world and can annoy your friends with your extensive knowledge and endless fun facts (which are also included). Plus it has nice pictures. So, off you go, and have a great time. Take an umbrella, though. The weather is as unpredictable as the sights you'll encounter.

A Brief History of the Royal Mile The Royal Mile is the main street of Edinburgh's Old Town. And the Old Town pretty much was Edinburgh for much of the capital's long history, until the New Town was begun in the eighteenth century. The Mile runs down the spine of a glaciated ridge and towers over the rest of Edinburgh. At the top is the castle, perched on a large basalt rock, the perfect defensive site. At the bottom is Holyrood Abbey and Palace, where the queen stays when she's on her holidays. In between is all the cool stuff. There has been a settlement on the ridge for millennia and it's a fair bet there was some sort of fortress on Castle Rock all that time, which, of course, meant fighting. Lots of fighting. The Romans invaded in the first century AD and took the place from a Celtic tribe called the Votadini. When they left in the fifth century to shore up a crumbling empire, Castle Rock was regained by descendants of the Votadini - known as the Gododdin. They, in turn, succumbed to assault by Anglo-Saxon Northumbrians in the seventh century. In the tenth century the Northumbrians retreated as well, and Edinburgh came under the rule of the Scots. All this time, primitive dwellings were spreading down the Mile and, in the twelfth century, the Scots king David I (1084-1 r 53) established Edinburgh as one of Scotland's earliest royal burghs. The medieval Old Town was very different to the one we see now. Wooden houses lined the top of the ridge and pastures called 'enclosures' stretched down the slopes on either side to green fields and farmland. It was all very pastoral and life on the early Mile seems to

Introduction

5

have been similar to the rest of Europe for several centuries. The writer Froissart, visiting in 13 84, called it the 'Paris of Scotland' and it seems to have remained a bustling but agreeable place until the fifteenth century. Well, as agreeable as a town riven with internal strife, possessing no sanitation, medicine or law enforcement and constantly fighting either the highlanders or the English could manage. Things started to get really interesting in the fourteenth century when Robert II (13 16-90) came to power, the first of fourteen Stewart kings. From then on the fate of this dynasty would be inextricably linked with that of the Mile, which wasn't always a good thing for either. Robert II and Robert III (1337-1406) set the pattern for this love-hate relationship between Scotland's capital and its Stewart monarchs. Both Roberts were feeble rulers and allowed the southern Scots nobles to pretty much do what they liked - which was generally bleed the peasants dry, rebel against the Crown and periodically invade England - who would then retaliate. The result was centuries of bloodshed, with the Mile at its centre. Before he died, sickly Robert III sent his heir to France in order to escape the clutches of unruly nobles. Unfortunately, the future James I (1394-1437) was captured by the English en route and held to ransom for seventeen years. When it became apparent that the Scottish aristocracy had no intention of ever paying up, the English let him go. James returned to Edinburgh in 1420 an angry man with big ideas on ruling his country. But the nobles, who had gotten used to doing what they liked, weren't going to put up with that kind of interference and eventually murdered him. James II (1430-60) came to power at six years old and spent years throwing off the yoke of his powerful barons. Feeling he was on a winning streak, he decided to wipe out the last English strongholds in the borders, still clinging on a century after Scotland's successful Wars of Independence. Bad decision. At the siege of Roxburgh Castle, he was blown up by one of his own cannon. James III (14 51-8 8) was so unpopular his own son joined the mutiny that saw his father killed in battle. That's teenage rebellion on an epic scale. James IV (1473-1513), however, seemed cut from a different cloth. A charming and intelligent man, Edinburgh seemed set to flourish under his rule . Then he threw it all away. To aid the French in another pointless war against England, he marched south with the greatest army Scotland had ever produced. They met a tiny English force at Flodden and were wiped out, along with their king. Knowing they had left themselves wide open to counter-attack, the people of Edinburgh frantically began extending their defences, resulting in a formidable barrier known as the Flodden Wall. Though spectacularly useless at keeping invaders away, the barrier remained for 250 years, effectively stopping the Old Town from expanding. As the population grew, more and more dwellings were crammed into the Mile, until the green land narrowed to muddy little strips between towering buildings. Enclosures became the aptly named 'closes', many of which still exist. Buildings grew taller and taller, resulting in 'lands' of up to fifteen storeys. Out of space and unable to erect edifices any higher, city builders began to dig down and sideways into the ridge. This created the legendary Underground City, which I cover in my book The Town Blow The Ground. Yes, that's a shameless plug. This unique situation resulted in the Royal Mile being one of the most visually impressive sights you could imagine, and an utterly horrendous place to live. Plague. Civil war. Invasion. Overcrowding. Filth. Poverty. Crime. We had it all. And, in the middle of this muck and misery, a religious conflict developed that would tear the city apart. Tired of corruption in the Catholic Church, sixteenth-century Protestant

6

The Royal Mile: A Comprehensive Guide

'Reformers' began a violent fight for the faith of Edinburgh's population, both sides ignoring the fact that the citizens needed a bath and a sandwich more than a theological punch-up. The Stewarts, meanwhile, were still having their monumental run of bad luck. James V ( 1512-42) was kept a virtual prisoner by the Scots aristocracy until he escaped and asserted his power. Like his father, he then aided the French by sending a huge army against a tiny English force. Again the Scots were sent packing, at the Battle of Solway Moss. This defeat wrecked the king's health and he died the same week as his heir was born. Mary Queen of Scots (1542-87) became the monarch at six days old. This event was watched carefully by Henry VIII of England (1491-15 4 7), who saw an opportunity to destroy Scotland's annoying alliance with the French by marrying the child to his own son. When Mary's French mum declined the offer, Henry began the 'Rough Wooing', marching north and burning the Old Town to the ground. Mary was sent to France and didn't return until she was nineteen. She came back to a city that was rougher than a Mexican border town on payday. The fiery reformer preacher John Knox (c. 1513-72) railed against Catholics, women and Mary Queen of Scots - who had the misfortune to be all three. Plague regularly struck, witch burning was common, and torture was frequently used to get confessions out of anyone unlucky enough to be accused. Mary's return exacerbated the conflict between Edinburgh's Catholics and the reformed 'Presbyterian' Protestants. Either too na'ive or too ambitious to acknowledge how precarious her position really was, her strong will and independent character caused a civil war. Forced to abdicate by her own nobles (no surprise there), she eventually fled south. Fearing the Scot's queen would become a figurehead for the Catholic cause in England, not to mention the fact that she had a strong claim to inherit the English throne, Elizabeth I ( 15 3 3-1603) imprisoned then executed her - dying peacefully of old age was not a trait the Stewarts were familiar with. (As a footnote, Mary changed the name Stewart to Stuart to make it easier for her French courtiers to pronounce. So I'll stick with Stuart from now on). When Elizabeth died childless, Mary's claim to be heir to the English throne became a belated reality and her son,James VI (1566-1625 ), found himself James I of Britain. The Scots were ecstatic. After hundreds of years trying to invade their old adversary, England had been handed to them on a plate! James saw things a little differently. He promptly left Edinburgh, relocated to London and only came back once, presumably to collect his stuff. While James settled down and Englified himself, an even larger religious feud was brewing up north, one in which the Mile would take a central role. Once again the consequences would be disastrous for the city. By 15 60 the Catholics were a spent force and the Presbyterians had become utterly fanatical about their religion. Scotland was dirt poor. Nothing grew here. It rained all the time. The highlands were a no-go area filled with hairy men in plaid. Even their king hated them. Since they were not a world player in any other department, the southern Scots elevated their church to dizzy heights. England on the other hand had a more relaxed form of Protestantism, called Episcopalinism - basically a reformed version of the Catholic Church, with the king replacing the pope as its head. It even had bishops. James I had a go at dampening the Scots religious fervour by introducing Episcopalinism into Edinburgh and was quickly forced into a U-turn when threatened with an uprising. His son, Charles I (1600-49), had no such qualms.

Introduction

7

Unlike his father, Charles made no secret of his Catholic sympathies. He couldn't force that on anybody; even the English barely tolerated a papist on the throne. Episcopalinism, however, was closer to Catholicism than Presbyterianism and Charles was determined to make it Scotland's official religion. The conflict came to a head in 1637, when the king ordered an Episcopalian prayer book be read out in St Giles' Cathedral on the Mile. A riot ensued that quickly escalated into a movement. In 1638, Edinburgh's Presbyterians drew up a mission statement called the National Covenant in Greyfriars Kirkyard, just off the Mile. These 'Covenanters' would only remain loyal to Charles if he stopped trying to mess with their religion . Pig-headed Charles didn't stop and the Covenanters went to war with their own monarch. The overbearing and despotic king had little sympathy in England, where the Parliamentarians also rose up against him, beginning the English Civil War. Charles was defeated with Covenanter assistance and the Parliamentarian leader, Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), executed him. The Scots were horrified. Despite a treaty with Cromwell and years spent fighting the tyrannical ruler, even the staunchest Presbyterian took this as a national affront. The Stuarts were the line of Scots kings and the English couldn't just go around chopping their heads off. In Parliament Square, the Covenanters proclaimed Charles I's young son to be Charles II (1630-85). Mind you, they didn't want him turning out like his father. So the Covenanter leader, the Marquess of Argyll (1607-61), kept the young man a virtual prisoner until he had been moulded into a good Protestant. Cromwell retaliated by invading and occupying Edinburgh, forcing the new monarch into exile and wrecking the town. As dictatorial as he was puritanical, Cromwell's eventual death left a void that only the re-establishment of the monarchy could fill. So Charles II returned from the Continent and, determined never to be a pawn again, set about crushing the Covenanter movement. He was a wily man who hid his Catholic leanings but, when he died, his brother James II (1633-1701) inherited the throne. And he didn't. The Stuarts were not big on learning from past mistakes. In 1689 his English subjects, fearing the re-emergence of a Catholic royal dynasty, revolted yet again. The Glorious Revolution saw James II ousted by his Dutch brother-in-law, who became William III (1650-1702) . It was the end of the House of Stuart and the beginning of the Hanoverian line, which continues to this day. Edinburgh citizens were ambivalent about the change. Stuart or not, they didn't want to support a deposed Catholic has-been and were tired of being the poorest and most dismal capital in Europe. Instead they poured their energies into a project they hoped would make Scotland a rival to the other great powers of the world . An attempt to set up a trading colony in South America on the Ismuth of Panama. It was an epic disaster that ruined the economy and gave England an opportunity to absorb their closest rival. In return for financial aid, the Parliament in Edinburgh was dissolved and, in 1707, Scotland officially united with its old enemy. You might think that union with a larger, richer, more stable nation would make Edinburgh a calmer place. Not at all. Famously, the highlanders rallied to the Jacobite (Stuart) cause. In 1715 they swept south, almost taking the city before retreating in the face of William's army. In 1745 they were back, this time led by James' grandson, Bonnie Prince Charlie (1720-88). He succeeded in capturing and occupying Edinburgh but it was a short-lived victory, for government forces were massing against them in vastly superior numbers .

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The Royal Mile: A Comprehensive Guide

A year later the highlanders were annihilated at the Battle of Culloden and the Jacobite cause ended forever. Things were finally looking up for the Mile. For the first time the city seemed safe from invasion, so the council allowed the Flodden Wall to crumble and the population moved away from the Old Town ridge. By the end of the eighteenth century Edinburgh was undergoing an astonishing renaissance. A magnificent New Town was built and Edinburgh became the heart of the Scottish Enlightenment, transformed from a squalid little backwater to fame as the 'Athens of the North'. Southern Scots suddenly found themselves world leaders in philosophy, architecture, economics, education, law, medicine and science - becoming the backbone of a budding British Empire. Fantastic. Except everybody who was anybody left the Mile and moved to the recently constructed New Town. And, into this vacuum, poured a very different kind of resident. They came from the highlands, where the clearances had emptied the land of Jacobite crofters in favour of sheep. They came from the countryside, where the Agricultural Revolution was replacing workers with machines and the Industrial Revolution pulled them towards the city. Most of all, they came from Ireland, where a potato famine had caused starvation and mass-emigration. Between the years 1800 and 1830, the population of the Old Town doubled. And the new citizens were dirt poor. While Edinburgh's luminaries in the New Town went about changing the world, the Royal Mile descended into a quagmire of brutality, poverty, overcrowding, corruption and felony. It wasn't until nineteenth century that the town council were goaded into drastic action. Between 1860 and 1900 almost two-thirds of the ancient buildings in the Old Town were demolished and the inhabitants moved to other areas. This relentless march of progress continued with more slum clearances in the twentieth century, leaving the Mile pretty much as you see it today. You still get a palpable sense of the street's former claustrophobic conditions, especially when it's filled with tourists. But much of what you see is relatively modern, unless you're from the USA or Australia. In which case, it's still ancient. Which brings us to the present. What exactly is the Royal Mile now? It has enjoyed too much fame to slide into obscurity and is determined to have its cake and eat it too. So we have become all the things visitors expect of us. You'll be bombarded by tartan tat, whisky and hats with red hair sticking out. That's really the highlands, the area we spent so long despising and fighting. Despite our Presbyterian heritage, we have become known as a party city and welcome stag and hen groups, though residents secretly hate them. The street where sourpuss Presbyterians regularly shut down theatres is the focal point of the world's largest arts festival. We even host a yearly Pagan parade. John Knox (who banned Christmas for being too Pagan) would be turning in his grave, if there wasn't a car park built over it. Edinburgh also has a carefully nurtured reputation as one of the most haunted cities on earth, packed with ghost tours. That status, and none of the tours, existed before the 1980s. But the Mile does have history. And what a history it is. Fortunately, there's plenty left to give a real sense of what went on. So let's go find it. For handy reference, I've divided the Royal Mile into seven sections: the Castle and Esplanade, Castlehill, Lawnmarket, Parliament Square, High Street, Canongate and Abbey Strand. (Oddly enough, the term 'Royal Mile' is fairly recent too, coined by the historian W. M. Gilbert in 1901). The obvious place to start is at the top of the ridge, for this is where the history of the Old Town began.

The Royal Mile from Princes Street.

1.

The Castle and Esplanade

Edinburgh Castle There are whole books dedicated to the castle and it's the must-visit site on the Mile. David I was instrumental in erecting the impressive fortifications you see today, but it continued to be added to right up until the twentieth century. It has been fought over many times, for whoever occupied the castle was in a pretty sound position to dominate the rest of Edinburgh. Edward I of England held it from 1296 until 1314, when Robert the Bruce (1274-1329) retook it by having his men scale the rock at night. (Stand in Princes Street Gardens and look up at the sheer face to see what an astonishing feat that was). The English were back in possession by 1 3 3 5, then the Scots in 1341. See a picture emerging? When Mary Queen of Scots (whose son, James, was born in the castle) escaped to England, it remained loyal to her until a ten-day cannon bombardment forced the garrison to surrender. It was taken again in 16 50, when Oliver Cromwell invaded Edinburgh. It held out for the supporters of the deposed James II in 1689 before surrendering and was almost captured by Jacobites in 1715, who also tried to scale the rock (unsuccessfully this time). In 1745, Bonnie Prince Charlie's army took the city but couldn't breach its defences and the castle never saw action again. Even so, threat of Napoleonic invasion in the eighteenth century saw more fortifications built, including the seven-storey New Barracks. Edinburgh Castle remains a military base today and is the most popular tourist attraction in Scotland. Here are some of the highlights:

Mons Meg Presented to James II in 1457, this 6-ton cannon is capable of firing 150-kilogram cannonballs nearly 2 miles. Or it would do if it still worked.

The One O'Clock Gun This weapon does work and quite a bang it makes. At 1 p.m. every day the army fires a blank charge from an L118 gun on the castle ramparts as a time signal. This has become a popular tourist draw in itself and half the fun is watching people point their camera phones at the proceedings in the hope of catching the moment. The report is so earth-shakingly sudden they all leap back, resulting in hundreds of pictures of the sky.

The Stone of Destiny A block of sandstone that sat under the throne of Scottish kings. It was taken to England by Edward I in the thirteenth century and not returned until 1996.

The Honours (Crown Jewels) These were the crown, sceptre and sword of state used in coronations from Mary Queen of Scots to Charles II. Hidden from Oliver Cromwell, the honours were presumed lost

The Castle and Esplanade

II

until I 81 8, when they were discovered in a chest in the castle by the novelist Walter Scott (1771-1832).

The War Memorial Created in 1927 by Robert Lorimer (1864-1929) and 200 Scottish artists, this shrine honouring Scots war casualties is absolutely stunning. It radiates a powerful sense of melancholy, even when filled with chattering school parties. St Margaret's Chapel This private chapel was built around 1130 by David I and dedicated to his mother, Queen Margaret {ro45-93). It is the oldest surviving building in Edinburgh. The Main Gate The entrance to the castle is flanked by twentieth-century stylised statues of Scotland's greatest warriors, Robert the Bruce (1274-13 29) and William Wallace (c. 1270-1305 ). You can also see the changing of the guard here. Interest Rating: 5/5 Haunted Rating: 4/5 Haunted by John Graham of Claverhouse (1648-89), a murdered steward, an invisible drummer, a phantom bagpiper, French prisoners of war and Janet Douglas (c. 1498-15 3 7 ), who was burned as a witch. However, modern sightings are few.

Castle Esplanade The esplanade was built in 17 53 as a parade ground . The statue-lined promenade is still used for the changing of the guard and, during August, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. This is an annual spectacle held on the Castle Esplanade as part of the Edinburgh International Festival. A special seated arena is constructed for a month so that military bands from the UK and commonwealth countries can perform. The first official Tattoo took place in 19 50 and it is estimated that almost a quarter of a million people presently attend each year. The south side of the esplanade plunges down to the Grassmarket and affords great views of south Edinburgh. The north has an even more impressive vista, looking over Princess Street and its gardens to the Firth of Forth. Interest Rating: 4/5 Haunted Rating: 2/5

Edinburgh Castle.

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The Royal Mile: A Comprehensive Guide

The sounds of a phantom army can sometimes be heard marching up the esplanade towards the castle. Or, perhaps, it's the guy next to you eating crisps.

Witches Well At the east end of the esplanade is a plaque and well commemorating the spot where over 300 women were burned as witches between 1479 and 1722 . Victims were supposedly 'douked' (submerged) in the Nor' Loch '' before being burned at the stake, which must have taken a while, as they'd be pretty wet. Actually, there are few records of this kind of ordeal taking place, for the normal method for gaining a conviction was to torture the witch by sleep deprivation until she admitted her guilt. These confessions could easily be backed up by the accusations of others or the finding of a devil's mark. Problem was, there weren't many in those unhygienic days that didn't have skin blemishes of some sort.

*The Nor' Loch In 1460, James III ordered the pastures north of Castle Rock to be flooded as a defensive measure. Unfortunately, its location below the Mile meant the loch was soon clogged with sewage and effluence running off the Old Town ridge. The fumes mingled with smoke from the Mile, creating a stinking haze that gave Edinburgh the nickname Auld Reekie (Old Smokie). It was eventually drained between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and is now Princes Street Gardens. No wonder the area is so green.

Fun Fact Happily, the number of witches killed in Scotland has been wildly exaggerated and they were normally strangled before being burned. Although 20,000 is the usual figure bandied about, evidence shows that around 4,000 people were accused of witchcraft and only two-thirds of those were executed. Not that it was any consolation to those who died, and more witch burnings were carried out at Castle Hill than anywhere else in the country. Interest Rating: 4/5

Witches Well.

2.

Castlehill

One O Clock Gun

St Margaret's Chapel Mons Meg War Memorial Stone of Destiny & Scottish Honours Half Moon Battery

Princes Street Gardens

Wallace & Bruce Statues

Esplande

Ramsay Gardens Witches Well n.0

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The Royal Mile: A Comprehensive Guide

Castlehill, or Castle Hill, is the narrowest part of the Mile, stretching from the castle to the Hub, and it is here that the first alleyways for us to explore begin. It's a shame that so many are already gone, including Rockville Close, Kennedy's Close, Stripping Close, Blair's Close, Tod's Close, Nairn's Close and Blyth's Close. Fun Fact Terminology time. A close is the entry to a tenement or alleyway between two buildings. A wynd is a narrow lane, usually open at both ends. A court is a courtyard or open space with houses grouped around it. A land or tenement is a high-rise building. When I was a tour guide, an American gentleman commented that none of the tenements had fire escapes, and wasn't that kind of dangerous? To this day he is the only person I've met who noticed that they're all potential death traps.

Ramsay Gardens (North) The poet Allan Ramsey (1684- 1758) lived here in around the mid-eighteenth century, as did his son, the painter Allan Ramsey (1713 - 84)''· . The white-walled, baronial-style houses you see from the esplanade, however, were designed in 189 3 by the architect Sir Patrick Geddes (18 5 4-19 3 2). Originally intended to accommodate students, the buildings are now well out of their price range, though it must be a nightmare location when the Military Tattoo is playing next door.

*Allan Ramsay Ramsay's name crops up a lot in this book and he rivals Robert Burns and Walter Scott as one of the most influential figures on the Mile, though not nearly as famous. Beginning as a wig maker, he began writing and collecting lowland poetry, expanded his premises into a popular bookshop and opened Britain's first circulating library. Instrumental in reawakening interest in older national literature, especially the Scots vernacular, he saved many near-forgotten pieces from obscurity. In 172 5, his drama The Gentle Shepherd was wildly successful and his

Ramsay Gardens, Castle Esplanade.

Castle hill

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pastoral writing was described by the English literary critic James Henry Hunt (1784-18 59) as 'in some respects the best in the world'. Ramsay was a leading figure of the blossoming Scottish Enlightenment and corresponded with many men of letters, including the poet Alexander Pope (1688-1744). In 1736 he braved the wrath of the church by building a theatre in Carrubber's Close, which the clergy closed down almost immediately. He is buried in an unmarked grave in Greyfriars, though he does have a monument in Princes Street Gardens. Interest Rating: 4/ 5 Haunted Rating: 2/5 Haunted by a hunchback in eighteenth-century dress, dragging a trunk.

Castlehill Reservoir/Tartan Weaving Centre (North) This was once the town yard, with a fire station and a cistern to supply the Royal Mile wells that held almost 2 million gallons of water {it was decommissioned in 1992). The space is now occupied by five storeys of stalls and gift shops. It contains the Tartan Weaving Centre, with working looms and an exhibition, covering the process involved in tartan production from sheep shearing to the finished product. Interest Rating: 4/5

Castle Wynd (South) One hundred and eighty-seven very steep steps lead down to the Grassmarket''·, with Johnstone Terrace intersecting them. Climbing up has deterred many an unfit tourist from actually reaching the castle.

'' Grassmarket Nestled below Castle Rock and the Royal Mile, the Grassmarket was designed as a space for horse and cattle markets held between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries. A place of public execution, it contains the Martyr's Cross Memorial, marking the spot where over 100 Covenanters were hanged during the reign of Charles II. The murderers Burke and Hare lived at one end and William Wordsworth (1770-1850) and Robert Burns (1759- 96) both stayed there. It also contains what is reputed to be Edinburgh's oldest pub, the White Hart Inn.

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Tartan Weaving Centre and Outlook Tower.

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The Royal Mile: A Comprehensive Guide

Today it is filled with bars, small shops and restaurants with outdoor tables. This gives it a rather continental atmosphere, if the Continent was permanently being rained on. Interest Rating: 2/5 Haunted Rating: 4/5

A badly burned woman called Grizel, executed for witchcraft, is sometimes seen. A phantom coach, which gallops down the West Bow, also turns into the Grassmarket. Maybe it stops and picks her up.

Cannonball House and Cannonball House Close (South) So called because there is a cannonball lodged high up in the wall. It is said to have been fired from the castle at Holyrood Palace, which Bonnie Prince Charlie* occupied during the Jacobite revolution of 1745. However, military gunners have rubbished the trajectory of this 'magic cannonball' as being physically impossible. A more likely explanation, though not as much fun, is that the ball was deliberately placed there by engineers to mark the gravitation height of the city's first piped water supply. Formerly the Castle Hill School, it is now a fine restaurant with an entrance at Cannonball Close.

*Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobite Rebellion of r745 Bonnie Prince Charlie (Charles Edward Stuart) was the grandson of the deposed Stuart James II and grew up in France. Confident, charming and handsome, he was also selfish, headstrong and petulant. In 1745 he landed in the highlands and amassed a small army of highlanders. Then he marched south to regain the British throne with only 5,500 men, capturing Edinburgh on the way. Despite several victories, it was a doomed effort and his men knew it. To Charlie's fury, they turned back at Derby, just over roo miles north of London. Pursued by an army five times their size, they made a famous last stand at Culloden. The highlanders never stood a chance and were massacred. The prince fled to France, deserting his men, never to return. He died a bitter alcoholic and is buried in St Peter's in Rome. Interest Rating: 4/5

Old Distillery Close/Whisky Heritage Centre (South) Formerly Castlehill Primary School and now a visitor attraction dedicated to 300 years of whisky-related history. Can't get more Scottish than that - or can you? Because of the Auld Alliance"", Edinburgh's drink of choice was actually claret from the thirteenth century until the eighteenth century. Whisky was the preferred drink of the highlanders, who the lowlanders hated for most of Scotland's history, and the 'Amber Nectar' didn't become widely popular in Edinburgh until the nineteenth century.

*The Auld Alliance Formed between Scotland and France in 129 5, the Auld Alliance was an attempt to control English expansionism, which threatened both countries. On the plus side, this meant the finest French wines were exported to Scotland and not England. On the negative side, Scotland repeatedly invaded England to aid their French allies and almost always got trounced. The French were noticeably reticent about returning the favour.

Cas tlehill

17

Fun Fact Old Distillery Close is actually a very modern name, chosen as the winner of a 1997 competition between Edinburgh schools. Interest Rating: 4/5 Haunted Rating: 2/5

Haunted by a former master blender, which gives you a chance to experience a different kind of spirit. Sorry, couldn't resist that.

Ramsay Lane (North) Leads down to the Mound, Princes Street and the New Town,,., passing Ramsay Gardens on the way. It gives the best view of Goose Pie House, built around 17 40 by Allan Ramsay. One of the oldest buildings in the complex, the name comes from its unusual eight-sided shape. You can also see the back of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland building, the Kirk's presiding body.

''The New Town Built in the mid- to late eighteenth century to alleviate overcrowding in the Old Town, its streets are filled with Georgian and neoclassical buildings and studded with gardens, surrounded by traditional wrought-iron railings. Twenty-six-year-old James Craig won a competition to design it in 1766 and the result was a simple grid system, with the focal points being George, Queen and Princes Streets, all running in parallel. More modern additions have kept the same style, so the New Town looks remarkably similar to when it was conceived. The history, notable buildings and famous denizens would make a book in itself. Go check it out.

Fun Fact After drainage of the Nor' Loch, clothier George Boyd built a mud brig (bridge) to join the Mile and the developing New Town. It was such a handy shortcut that developers of the New Town began to dump earth and rubble left over from construction to shore it up (r.5-million tons between 1781 and 1830). The resulting Mound, now paved over, is still the main thoroughfare between the Old and New Towns. Interest Rating: 3/5

Ramsay Lane.

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The Royal Mile: A Comprehensive Guide

Outlook Tower, Camera Obscura and World of Illusions (North) Originally a private mansion, the Tower is now part of a major visitor attraction. It features four floors of optical illusions, a visual dazzle-fest that is perfect for kids and people who don't speak much English. On top is one of only two working Victorian camera obscuras in Scotland (the other is Kirriemuir) and it has been in operation for over 150 years. Behind the World of Illusions is one of the preacher and reformer Thomas Guthrie's (1803-73) ragged schools, which is now partially amalgamated into the attraction.

Fun Fact Shocked by the appalling circumstances of children in the Old Town, Thomas Guthrie, who claimed that 'mothers smiles [here] are as rare as sunshine', opened schools for the poor, feeding the children who attended. Interest Rating: 5/ 5

Witchery Restaurant (South) The premier restaurant on the Mile, established by James Thomson OBE, where rich and famous visitors regularly dine. Filled with a cornucopia of weird and wonderful artefacts in a gorgeous setting, the entrance is in Boswell's Court. Interest Rating: 5/ 5 Haunted Rating: 3/5

Appropriately enough, it is haunted by one of the many women burned as a witch on Castlehill.

Boswell's Court (South) Named after medical practitioner John Boswell, uncle ofJames Boswell (17 40-9 5) *. James was the biographer of the renowned wit and writer Dr Johnson (1709- 84), the man who created the first dictionary. Boswell and Johnson are supposed to have dined there, though it's a shame they missed out on the Witchery. Home of Andrew Young (1807-89 ), who wrote the hymn 'There is a Happy Land' (some historians say he actually lived in Niddry Street). Either way, I doubt he was referring to the Mile, especially since he wrote it while on holiday in Rothesay.

Witchery Restaurant, Castlehill.

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*James Boswell Boswell was described by the philosopher David Hume (1711-76) as 'very agreeable and very mad' - which sounds like my kind of guy. After travelling the Continent where he met Rousseau and Voltaire, he became friends with Samuel Johnstone. In 1773 they set off on a tour of the Highlands and Boswell wrote the book that made him famous, The Life of Samuel Johnson, considered one of the greatest biographies of all time. Despite the verbosity typical of eighteenth-century books, it's well worth a read. Interest Rating: 3/5

Skinner's Close (North) The Incorporation of Skinners and Furriers had premises here in the mid-seventeenth century. The Close is now completely gone and only the entrance remains. And it's obviously not the original, unless the occupants were 3 feet tall. Interest Rating: 1/5

Semple's Close or Sempill's Close (North) Containing the ruins of a mansion dating from 1638, the close is named after the widow of Francis, 8th Lord Semple (1660-84). The Semphill family included one of the famous 'Four Marys' and sheltered Catholic fugitives who were being hunted by Presbyterians during the Scottish Reformation. Later, Hugh Semphill, 12th Lord of the family, commanded part of Bonnie Prince Charlie's army at the Battle of Culloden.

The Four Marys were not an Indie band but ladies-in-waiting to Mary Queen of Scots. Interest Rating: 2/5

Former entrance to Skinner's Close.

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The Royal Mile: A Comprehensive Guide

Jollie's Close (North) Owned by the Jollie family, whose members included the episcopal bishop of Moray, Ross and Caithness and the writer Alexander Jolly (1756-1838). His most popular work was Observations Upon the Several Sunday Services and Principal Holydays Prescribed by the Liturgy Throughout the Year, a title that has inspired me never to read it. Restored by the Witchery Restaurant, this and Semple's Close contain the establishment's private rooms. (Private). Interest Rating: 2/5

(Unless you're actually staying there, in which case you'll be blown away by the opulence.)

The Hub (South) Formerly the Highland Tolbooth Church, this nineteenth-century Gothic-style building was built by Augustus Pugin (1812-52) and James Gillespie Graham (1777-1858) and originally housed the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. Closed in 1981, it was renovated in 1999 and is now the headquarters of the International Edinburgh Festival. The roundabout outside was the site of the Butter Tron, where butter and cheese were weighed. It was demolished in 1822 to widen the approach to the castle for the visit of George IV ( 1762-18 30) *. The Cadies and Witchery Walking Tours leave from outside. *Visit of George IV The trip by King George was the first official visit by a British monarch to Scotland in almost two centuries. Festivities were organised by the famous author Walter Scott, who invited highland clans to parade through Edinburgh in totally made-up tartan finery, pretty much inventing highland dress in the process. Astonishingly, the lowlanders and highlanders actually got on with each other, ending centuries of animosity. Scott exceeded his wildest dreams, for his tartan pageant made this romantic and totally manufactured vision of Scotland a reality, one that has grown stronger with each passing year. As the historian John Prebble accurately put it: 'No other nation has cherished so absurd an image, and none perhaps would accept it while knowing it to be a lie.' Yet, in a way, it was a wonderful lie. It gave Scotland back its pride. A country that had lost its monarch, its independence and its very identity suddenly saw itself as a nation again.

Fun Fact The building's 73-metre spire is the tallest in Edinburgh. Interest Rating: 4/5

Johnstone Terrace (South) Named after William Johnstone (1802-88), Lord Provost of Edinburgh, the first building you see is the Assembly Hall of the Free Church of Scotland. These 'Wee Frees' broke from the Church of Scotland in the Disruption of 184 3 because they didn't think Presbyterianism was conservative enough - which is like saying Stalin wasn't dictatorial enough. Farther down is a truly neck-craning view of the castle. It leads to Lothian Road and the West End of Princes Street.

Castle hill

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Fun Fact As well as being Lord Provost (the Scottish equivalent of Lord Mayor), Sir William Johnstone was an engraver, map maker and baillie (early peace officer). He was also responsible for turning the Old Town Meadows into one of Edinburgh's largest and most picturesque public parks. Check that out too. It's lovely. Interest Rating: 3/5

Church of Scotland General Assembly Hall (North) This site was once a palace belonging to Mary of Guise (15 I 5-60) ", mother of Mary Queen of Scots. Replacing Tod's, Nairn's and Blyth's Closes, it was demolished in r 861 and the new building hosts the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland's annual meetings. It also housed the new Scottish Parliament from 1999-2004, until it moved to Holyrood.

*Mary of Guise The French wife of James V of Scotland and mother of Mary Queen of Scots. When James died, Henry VIII of England wanted the six-year-old Mary to marry his son, giving the English king power over unruly Scotland. Mary of Guise had other ideas and sent her daughter to France, where she married Francis, son of the French king, instead. A furious Henry attacked and burned Edinburgh in retaliation, which is not a great way to go about matchmaking. When both Francis and her mother died in 15 60, nineteen-year-old Mary returned to rule. As a Catholic in fiercely Presbyterian Edinburgh, she found herself an instant outsider. And things were only going to get worse, as we shall see ... Interest Rating: 3/5

3. Lawnmarket

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'%, Scottish Central Library

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Gladstone's Land Lady Stair's Close The Writer's Museum

Fisher's Close

Wardrops's Court Brodie's Close Deacon Brodie's Buchanan's Close

C&VHotel

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David Hume Statue oi High Court ~ of J usticiary

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Lawnmarket Lawnmarket (originally the Land Market) was a fifteenth-century marketplace for buying and selling yarn, cloth and linen. A good idea of the congestion on the Mile can be gleaned from an old phrase 'As thrang [crowded] as the Lawnmarket'. Haunted Rating: 3/s In the eighteenth century one of the flats was suddenly abandoned in the middle of a dinner party. The guests locked the door behind them and it was never opened again. By the nineteenth century the story had passed into lore, with the historian Robert Chambers writing, 'No one knows to whom the house belongs; no one ever inquires after it, no one living ever saw the inside of it, it is a condemned house.' We will never know the truth for it really was condemned and no longer exists.

Ensign Ewart Pub (North) The closest bar to the castle and a popular tourist haunt, there has been an inn here since 1680 (with different names, of course). In 1815, Ensign Charles Ewart (1769-1846) of the Scots Greys gained fame by capturing the regimental eagle of the French 45th Regiment at the Battle of Waterloo. Though he died in Salford, Ewart's body was exhumed in 1938 and reburied beneath a large granite memorial on Edinburgh Castle Esplanade. Interest Rating: 3/ 5

Mylne's Court (North) Designed by Robert Mylne (1633-17ro)'' in 1690, this was one of the first closes deliberately built to give the residents a bit of light and space. Even so, the council had to reduce the number of families living there from fifty-four to fifteen to make it bearable. The west side of the court was demolished in 1883 and the north and south tenements were rebuilt by Edinburgh University in the 1960s.

''Robert Mylne One of a family of masons, sculptors and architects and an early city improver. Made the master mason to Charles II in 1668, he helped rebuild Holyrood Palace, strengthened Edinburgh Castle's walls and embarked on a programme to replace the dark narrow closes with tenements built around more expansive courtyards. Interest Rating: 3/5

Upper Bow leading to West BowNictoria Street (South) The Bow was a steep street joining the Royal Mile to the Cowgate and Grassmarket and was home to the notorious Major Weir (1599-1670)''. It now connects seamlessly to Victoria Street, which has some great independent and specialist shops.

*Major Weir Major Thomas Weir, the 'Wizard of the West Bow', was a fire-and-brimstone-style preacher known as 'Angelical Thomas' - a nickname practically guaranteed to stop him getting girls. Then, in 1670, Weir made an astonishing confession. He claimed to have been secretly in league with the Devil and insisted he had met Satan on several occasions. Of course, nobody believed him, until his sister Jean backed his claims. She topped her confession off by accusing Weir of having committed incest with her since she was a child.

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The Royal Mile: A Comprehensive Guide

That did it for the citizens of the Mile. Jean Weir was publicly executed, in case being the victim of child abuse hadn't made her sorry enough. Thomas soon followed - the last man in Scotland to be burned for witchcraft.

Fun Fact On the volatile Mile, citizens were prone to rioting at the drop of a hat and even law officers weren't safe from the feared 'Edinburgh Mob'. A good example is the fate of John Porteous (c. 1695-1736), Captain of the City Guard (a sort of forerunner of the police). In 1736 he ordered his men to fire on rioters, killing six. On finding he was to be pardoned, the mob broke Porteous out of the Tolbooth Prison, dragged him down the West Bow and hanged him at the bottom from a draper's pole. To be fair, they did pay the draper for use of his pole. Interest Rating: 4/5 Haunted Rating: 4/ 5

Haunted by Major Weir, a phantom coach ridden by the Devil and the ghost of a sailor named Angus Roy. Crippled on a voyage in 1820, Roy is still seen occasionally, dragging his injured leg behind him. Shame he picked such a steep street to hang out.

James Court (North) Completed in 1727 by James Brownhill, this area has three entrances (West, Mid and East) and was another attempt to build a court with a bit of breathing room. Naturally these tenements housed the more affluent members of society, including the philosopher David Hume and James Boswell. Some buildings were destroyed by fire in 1857 and others have been extensively renovated. The east entry contains the Jolly Judge Pub, named after Judge Robert MacQueen (1722-99 ), also known as Lord Braxfield *.

*Lord Braxfield In the eighteenth century, Scotland's system of law was one of the most advanced in the world, but you wouldn't think so by looking at its practitioners. Drunken Lord Braxfield was so gung-ho he was called 'The Hanging Judge'. When a political reformer being tried for sedition complained that Jesus was also a reformer, Braxfield countered, 'Muckle [much] he made o' that. He was hangit'. Presumably Braxfield knew the difference between hanging and crucifixion and was just being flippant.

Fun Fact The narrow windows of certain houses allowed light into closets where the occupants powdered their hair. Interest Rating: 4/ 5

Riddle's Close and Court (South) This close gives a real flavour of how Edinburgh once looked, leading through a fortified gate to a double courtyard where David Hume'' once lived. The second courtyard holds the house of Bailie Ninian MacMorran, who hosted a banquet there for James VI. The dwelling

Lawnmarket was built around 1590 and looks pretty much as it did then, including a spectacular wooden balcony. In 1595, pupils at Edinburgh High School rioted because they weren't getting enough holidays. Ninian's brother, Baillie John MacMorran, went to sort them out and was shot dead by one of the kids.

*David Hume In my humble opinion, David Hume was the greatest philosopher who ever lived, the foremost proponent of empiricism and the idea that morals are subjective, not objective. Think of how well that theory went down in ultra-religious Edinburgh. To make matters worse, he was also an atheist and opposed to organised religion, a career-ending and life-threatening stance in those days. Despite many attempts, Hume never held an academic post and was excommunicated by the Church. His most famous works are A Treatise of Human Nature, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding and An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals, all works of genius. A cheerful man who enjoyed women, lively conversation and drink, Hume died of intestinal cancer in 1776 and his mausoleum in Calton Cemetery had to be guarded from the Edinburgh Mob, in case they ransacked it.

Fun Fact The school headmaster at the time of the riot went by the brilliant name of Hercules Rollocks (c. 1546-1599). He was sacked. The kids got away with a fine. Interest Rating: 5/ 5

Gladstone's Land (North) This six-storey building, belonging to a burgess called Thomas Gladstone, is one of the oldest tenements still in existence. Built in 1 5 5o, it was renovated in the early seventeenth century, and again by the National Trust in the 1930s. It is open to the public and has a plastic pig outside, which gets photographed more than the building.

Gladstone's Land.

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The Royal Mile: A Comprehensive Guide

Fun Fact Because of overcrowding on the Mile, a strange social stratum developed in these old buildings, with the richest in the best positions. One record shows a tenement with a fishmonger on the ground floor and a lodging housekeeper on the first. The dowager-countess of Balcarres was on the second (above the stench but without too many stairs to get down) and another well-to-do lady was on the third. The floors above contained milliners and mantua-makers (dressmakers) and the attics housed common tradesmen. Considering the height of the tenements, this must have made nipping out for loaf of bread a genuine ordeal. Interest Rating: 4/ s

Lady Stair's Close/Writer's Museum/Makar's Court (North) Named after Lady Stair's House, built in 1622 and occupied by several generations of Lady Stairs. The building was restored in 1897 and is now the Writer's Museum, celebrating the lives of Walter Scott, Robert Burns (1759-96)* and Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94). Makar's Court (makar is a Scottish word for poet) has quotations by Scots writers carved into the concrete and so do the steps leading down to the Mound at the other end. It incorporates part of Baxter's Close, knocked down to build Bank Street. Appropriately, Robert Burns stayed there for a while.

* Robert Burns You can't escape Burns on the Royal Mile, though he didn't live in Edinburgh for very long. Burns was born in Ayr but wasn't cut out for the hard labour of his family farm, preferring poetry, drink and women. I can totally get that. By twenty-seven, however, his evocative and beautifully worded verse had made Burns famous and he moved to Edinburgh, where he quickly spent all his money. To make ends meet he became an excise officer in Dumfries,

Writer's Court.

Lawnmarket

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though he continued to produce great works. But constant toil, combined with a dissolute lifestyle, destroyed his heath and he died in 1796, aged just thirty-seven. He was buried on the day his son, Maxwell, was born. Interest Rating: 4/ s

Wardrop's Court (North) Occupied by the Incorporation of Baxter's (bakers), it was known as Middle Baxter's Close until 1790, when a mason, burgess and university professor of Greek called John Wardrop built a tenement here. Note the cool blue dragons above you in the entrance archway. Joins on to Makar's Court. Interest Rating: 2/5

Fishers Close (South) Named after Thomas Fisher, the first Chamberlain of Edinburgh (an officer managing the royal household), who had a tenement here at the end of the sixteenth century. It was later home to the Duke of Buccleuch's family but many of the buildings were destroyed around 1 8 3 5 to allow construction of Victoria Street,.. The close was restored by the Carnegie UK trust in 19 53 and houses administrative staff for the National Library on George IV Bridge.

* Victoria Street Built between 1829 and 1834 over the demolished West Bow to provide a link to the newly constructed George IV Bridge. Victoria Terrace was then plonked above it, on a series of stone arches that were later filled with shops. One of the few streets in Edinburgh where most of the retailers are still small and independent. Interest Rating: 2/5

Wardrop's Court Dragon.

The Royal Mile: A Comprehensive Guide

Brodie's Close (South) A mansion was built at the foot of the close in 1570 by Edinburgh magistrate William Little, which was later occupied by one Judge Cullen and then the Brodie family. The Brodies could trace their ancestry back to Macbeth and were pillars of society, until the notorious William Brodie (1741-88)"" came along. The building was demolished around r 8 3 5 and not much is left of the original close, except for the lodge room of Freemason Lodge Roman Eagle No. 1 60 with a spectacular seventeenth-century plaster ceiling. The first master Mason was Dr John Brown, who founded the Brownian System of Medicine. This is a comprehensive medical theory that proposes life and vital functions are the sum of the constant responses of an organism to its environment. Sounds plausible enoug-which is another way of saying I don't quite understand it. There's a nice cafe in the close though.

*Deacon Brodie Deacon William Brodie was a town councillor and wealthy man. He was also a serial womaniser and gambler, who lost large amounts of money on cockfights. To supplement his lifestyle he took up burglary and, given his respectable position, it wasn't difficult for him to gain access to most dwellings. But the hauls he had gotten away with just weren't big enough, so he attempted to rob the Edinburgh Excise office in Chessel's Court in 1788. It turned into a fiasco and Brodie fled to Amsterdam, where he was caught after sending letters back to one of his mistresses. He may have been a cad in life but he faced his death sentence in a heroic enough manner. On the scaffold (which he had helped design), the drop had to be delayed twice due to technical difficulties. Brodie wittily remarked to his friends, 'After all, one has to get used to these new contraptions.' Talk about gallows humour.

Brodie's Close.

Lawnmarket

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Fun Fact William Brodie was one of the main influences for Robert Louis Stevenson's classic The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Interest Rating: 3/ 5 Haunted Rating: 2/ 5

Not surprisingly, the close is haunted by the deacon himself.

Deacon Brodie's Pub (North) A fine traditional pub, established in 1806, with an impressive high ceiling and a mural outside telling the story of William Brodie. Interest Rating: 3/5

Buchanan's Close (South) The supposed birthplace of David Hume. The buildings burned down in 1771 and the close now leads into the impressive La Cucina Restaurant. Interest Rating: 2/5

C&V Hotel (South) Formerly Hotel Missoni, owned by the Italian fashion house of the same name, this building on the left corner to George IV Bridge was designed by Allan Murray Architects and built in 2009. It replaced the hideous concrete offices of Lothian Regional Council, which wouldn't have looked out of place in a 1970s Russian industrial estate.

Fun Fact Though it won praise in some quarters, the Missoni building also made the Carbuncle Cup shortlist for ugliest building of the year. Interest Rating: 3/5

George IV Bridge (South) Named after George IV and completed in 1834, knocking down a good few closes in the process, most of the arches are now hidden by later buildings. At the junction with the Mile, three brass plates mark the site of Edinburgh's last public execution, where murderer George Bryce was hanged in 1864. It contains Edinburgh's Central library, built over the house of 1st Baronet of Craighall, Sir Thomas Hope (1573-1646), who helped draft the Solemn League and Covenant''. Also the site of the National Library, which contains every book ever printed in Scotland and the Elephant House Cafe, where J. K. Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter book. At the end of the street is the Former Bedlam Theatre and National Museum of Scotland. Half of it is classical, while the added section looks like a large slab of dirty cold meat that has just slid out of the tin. You can also find the statue of Greyfriars Bobby and historic Greyfriars Kirkyard, lair of the infamous McKenzie Poltergeist.

The Royal Mile: A Comprehensive Guide *Solemn League and Covenant This was a sort of follow up to the National Covenant, the document that declared the Presbyterian Covenanters would not accept Charles I interfering with their religion. The Solemn League and Covenant went even further, stating that the Presbyterians would aid the English Parliamentarians in their battle with Charles I if they agreed to reform their own church along Presbyterian lines. However, the Covenanters decision to try and put Charles II on the throne when his dad was executed, and a losing streak of battles against their former Parliamentarian allies, put paid to any influence they might have had down south. The Episcopal or Anglican Church remains the official Church of England.

Fun Fact Greyfriars Bobby is the most photographed statue in Scotland. But do not rub his nose to make it shiny. He doesn't like it. Interest Rating: 5/ s Haunted Rating: 2/5

The bridge vaults under the National Library, which were used to imprison debtors, are supposedly haunted by an unidentified highland chief in manacles.

Bank Street (North) Leads from the Mile down to the Bank of Scotland Headquarters, built in 1806 and restored in r 870. Carries on to the Mound and Princes Street•·.

*Princes Street Part of the New Town, Edinburgh's main shopping thoroughfare is on one side with Princes Street Gardens and the Mile dominating the other. Look in one direction and the view is hard to beat anywhere in the world. The commercial side, on the other hand, looks like a haphazard concrete jigsaw with dirty windows. In the 1960s, historian Moray McLaren called it 'one of the most chaotically tasteless streets in the United Kingdom'. He was being charitable, in my opinion.

Bank Street.

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Fun Fact The Bank of Scotland now incorporates a museum where you can see £1 million on display. No. Don't even think about it. Interest Rating: 4/5

High Court of Justiciary (North) Formerly the Sheriff Court House, this building is now an addition to the High Court of Justiciary, Scotland's supreme criminal court. Outside is a statue of David Hume, completed in 199 5 by sculptor Sandy Stoddart. The figure was designed as an 'extremely grave and serious representation', though how you can look grave and serious while wearing a toga is beyond me.

Fun Fact Hume often has a traffic cone on his head. The work of criminals, or fashion critics, one would assume.

St Giles Street (North) Built in 1869, it turns into Bank Street on the left and has narrow hidden stairs leading to Waverly Bridge and Princes Street on the right.

Fun Fact St Giles Street was suggested as the original name for Princes Street. Interest Rating: 2/ 5

David Hume statue and High Court of J usticiary.

4. High Street: Part I

High Street opposite Parliament Square. The High Street begins at Parliament Square and continues down to the junction of Jeffrey and St Mary's Streets, where the Netherbow Port separated the Old Town from the Burgh of Canongate. Again, many areas are now razed, including Paterson's Court, Galloway's Close, Donaldson Close, Old Bank Close, New Bank Close, Libberton 's Wynd, Milne Square, Cap and Feather Close, Marlin's Wynd, Dickson's Close, Skinner's Close, Murdoch's Close,James Bane Close and Hodges Close.

Byers Close (North) Named after wealthy merchant John Byers (d. 1629 ), who was a bailie, magistrate, Dean of Guild and City Treasurer. Once occupied by legal and clerical bigwigs, it contains the house of Adam Bothwell (c. 1527-93), Bishop of Orkney and the Commendator of Holyrood until 1593. This was the man who married Mary Queen of Scots to the Earl of Bothwell, a union that caused such outrage that Mary was forced to abdicate *. Knowing which side of his bread was buttered, he then crowned her son James VI. Nowadays you can only see the building properly from neighbouring Advocate's Close.

High Street: Part I

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'' Mary's Marriages and Abdication In 156 5, Mary Queen of Scots married her handsome cousin, Henry Stuart, Earl of Darnley. It strengthened her claim to the English throne (her husband was a grandson of Margaret Tudor), which infuriated Protestant Elizabeth I. Darnley was also a Catholic, which turned Mary's Presbyterian half-brother, the Earl of Moray, against her - along with most of Edinburgh's population. Darnley turned out to be a vain drunken brute who viciously murdered Mary's secretary, David Rizzio, in front of his pregnant wife. Darnley was then killed and Mary wed the man suspected of his assassination, James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell (though he may actually have forced her into marriage). The Scottish nobility rose up yet again and the captured Mary abdicated the throne in favour of her infant son, James. The queen eventually escaped and fled to England, where her cousin, Elizabeth I, imprisoned her again, this time for eighteen years. Fearing Mary was becoming the catalyst for Catholic rebellion in her realm, Elizabeth had her executed in 1587. Interest Rating: 3/5

Advocate's Close (North) This sixteenth-century close was the residence of Lord Advocate Sir James Stewart (1692-1713) and the painter Sir John Scougall (1645-1730), but the houses were demolished in 1882. It has one of the greatest views of Edinburgh, looking out to the Walter Scott Monument in Princes Street. Fun Fact Scott's monument is the largest to any writer in the world.

Interest Rating: 4/ 5

5. Parliament Square Parliament Square C&VHotel

High Court of Justiciary

Law Courts

Signet Library

John Know Plaque

Heart of Midlothian

Parliament Hall

St Giles' Catherdral Statue of Charles II

Writer's Court ,,.. g's