Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
grandeur but is rich in history: St Giles was at the heart of the Scottish Reformation, and
John Knox served as minister here from 1559 to 1572. One of the most interesting corners
of the kirk is the
Thistle Chapel
, built in 1911 for the Knights of the Most Ancient &
Most Noble Order of the Thistle. The elaborately carved Gothic-style stalls have canopies
topped with the helms and arms of the 16 knights - look out for the bagpipe-playing angel
amid the vaulting.
By the side of the street, outside the western door of St Giles, is the
Heart of Midlothi-
an
, set into the cobblestone paving. This marks the site of the Tolbooth. Built in the 15th
century and demolished in the early 19th century, the Tolbooth served variously as a meet-
ing place for parliament, the town council and the General Assembly of the Reformed
Kirk, before becoming law courts and, finally, a notorious prison and place of execution.
Passers-by traditionally spit on the heart for luck (don't stand downwind!).
At the other end of St Giles is the
Mercat Cross
, a 19th-century copy of the 1365 ori-
ginal, where merchants and traders met to transact business and royal proclamations were
read.
Real Mary King's Close
(
0845 070 6244;
www.realmarykingsclose.com
; 2 Warriston's Close, High St; adult/
child £12.95/7.45; 10am-9pm Mar-Oct, to 11pm Aug, to 5pm Sun-Thu & to 9pm Fri &
Sat Nov-Mar)
Across from St Giles is the City Chambers, originally built by John Adam
(brother of Robert) between 1753 and 1761 to serve as the Royal Exchange - a covered
meeting place for city merchants. However, the merchants preferred their old stamping
ground in the street and the building became the city council offices in 1811.
Part of the Royal Exchange was built over the sealed-off remains of Mary King's Close,
and the lower levels of this medieval Old Town alley have survived almost unchanged in
the foundations of the City Chambers for 250 years. Now open to the public as the Real
Mary King's Close, this spooky, subterranean labyrinth gives a fascinating insight into the
daily life of 16th- and 17th-century Edinburgh. Costumed characters give tours through a
16th-century town house and the plague-stricken home of a 17th-century gravedigger. Ad-
vance booking recommended.
HISTORIC BUILDING
MUSEUM
Museum of Childhood
(
www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk
; 42 High St; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat, 2-5pm Sun)
Halfway down the Royal Mile is 'the noisiest museum in the world'. Often filled with the
