Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Across from Gladstone's Land is:
5
Brodie's Close
Edinburgh's history has its fair share of infamous characters. None more so
than craftsman William Brodie: upstanding gentleman and deacon of trades by
day but thief and ne'er-do-well by night. Once captured, Deacon Brodie
escaped arrest and fled to Holland, where he betrayed himself by his letter
writing. Brought back to Edinburgh, in 1788 he was hung, ironically, on gallows
of his own design. Robert Louis Stevenson is said to have had a childhood
nightmare about the two-faced Brodie, which later became inspiration for Dr.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Lest you worry about the morality of Edinburgh, the close
is actually named after Brodie's father, Francis, a gifted cabinetmaker who
obeyed the law.
Continue down the Royal Mile, crossing Bank Street on the left and George IV Bridge
on the right, to:
6
St. Giles' Cathedral
You're now on High Street. There is nearly as much history around St. Giles, or
the High Church, as the city itself (p. 91). It has its origins in the 12th century.
It was burned by the English when they overran the city in 1385. Here, in the
1500s, John Knox laid down his uncompromising Protestant reforms, and,
later, zealous followers destroyed Catholic alters and revered relics. It's been
rebuilt and renovated repeatedly. All that really remains of the 15th-century
church is the spire, a familiar landmark of the city. Around St. Giles are the
Law Courts of Parliament Square, featuring (since 1838) the designs of Robert
Reid, though they were inspired by drawings by the great architect Robert
Adam. In the sidewalk near the Royal Mile, note the heart-shaped arrangement
of cobbles. This is meant to mark the site of the old tolbooth (where taxes were
collected) and a city prison, the latter of which was made famous by Sir Walter
Scott's
The Heart of Midlothian.
Spitting in the heart is said to bring good luck.
Nearby in the Anchor Close, the first edition of the
Encyclopaedia Britannica
was printed.
9
Continue down the Royal Mile to:
7
Cockburn Street
Curving down the hill to the left, Cockburn Street is a relatively recent addition
to the neighborhood, built in 1856 to improve access to Waverley railway sta-
tion. The road interrupts the old closes and steps (such as those in the maca-
bre-sounding
Fleshmarket Close
) that descend straight and precipitously
down the hill from the Royal Mile. Cockburn Street has a bohemian feel with
a variety of bars and restaurants, CD shops, tattoo parlors, bookshops, and art
galleries. Across High Street is the Tron Kirk, a center for Old Town informa-
tion. A tron was the beam used to weigh goods. The church was built atop a
very old lane that today has been excavated.
Continue down the Royal Mile, crossing North Bridge on the left and South Bridge on
the right to Blackfriars Street and:
