2025 Edinburgh: Royal Mile, St. Giles Cathedral

Dating back to the 12th century, the “Royal Mile” is an important 1.81km stretch of road aptly named because it spans the distance between Edinburgh Castle (the military fortress on Castle Rock) to the west and Palace of Holyroodhouse (the royal residence at the foot of Holyrood Park) to the east, with many historic sites in between.  Interestingly, that distance of 1.81km, known as a “Scots mile”, is based on an obsolete Medieval unit of measure which is longer than the “statute mile” of 1.609km that became the standard of measurement worldwide in the 19th century.

The Royal Mile is made of multiple streets including Castlehill, Lawnmarket, High Street, Canongate and Abbey Strand leading up to Palace of HolyroodHouse and Queen’s Drive leading to Holyrood Park.  Even today, it is an important thoroughfare traversing through Edinburgh’s Old Town with shops and restaurants interspersed amongst notable landmarks including St.Giles Cathedral, John Knox House, Museum of Edinburgh and the Scottish Parliament Building.  It remains a hub for major cultural events including the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

The Edinburgh Royal Military Tattoo is an internationally renowned annual event held for 23 days in August during the same weeks as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Edinburgh International Festival (music, opera, dance, theatre), as well as Art, Book, and Film festivals, resulting in over 4 million tourists descending on the city at the same time.  Dating back to 1950, the Tattoo is a huge nightly spectacle of military precision and pageantry consisting of about 1000 performers including military bands with bagpipers, drummers, dancers and cultural troupes from around the world.  The performances are held in in front of Edinburgh Castle in a grand Esplanade which is about half the size of a football field with grandstand seating on three sides. The performances start at 9pm and run until around 11pm with a grand finale involving fireworks and a drone show which we caught sight of in front of our Grassmarket apartment one night.

To conclude the show, the “Tattoo March End” involves a grand exit of the military bands as they parade out of Edinburgh Castle onto the Royal Mile, along Castlehill, up to the start of Lawnmarket and then circling down Johnston Terrace before dispersing.  Crowds start to gather around 10pm and wait for up to an hour for the chance to watch this final march.  We happened to exit from our Fringe Festival show one evening around that time and scored a prime viewing spot near Ensign Ewart Pub.  Although it was a long, chilly wait, this was a great way to experience this revered Scottish tradition for free, as opposed to up to £450 for a ticket to the show!!  Even better, the 5-minute parade and 2 minutes of bagpipe music was more than sufficient for my taste.  No offense to the Scots, but this is not my favourite musical genre.  We did feel sorry for the apartment dwellers along the route who experienced this loud serenade each night for 23 evenings.

Located on High St., St Giles Cathedral was originally founded in 1124 as a parish church and dedicated to Saint Giles, the patron saint of beggars, lepers and the disabled.  In the 14th-15th centuries, it was turned into a grand, Gothic, Roman Catholic cathedral, adding naves, chapels, a choir and the iconic crown-shaped spire.  When Reformist leader John Knox became the first Protestant minister of St. Giles in 1559 during the Scottish Reformation, he stripped the cathedral of its Roman Catholic decorations, removing stained glass windows, altars, statues and the organ.  In the 19th and 20th centuries, the interior was restored to its former glory, adding back the removed elements and installing Victorian-styled stained-glass windows.  We took an extended guided tour of the cathedral to learn about the significant role that it played in Scottish history. A temporary exhibit was on display titled “First Burghers: Revealing the Lives and Hidden Faces of Edinburgh’s Medieval Citizens”.  Large plaques showcased the results of scientific research on skeletons excavated from the Cathedral grounds including facial reconstructions and DNA analysis.

A small section in the cathedral dubbed “Writer’s Corner” is dedicated to notable Scottish writers with plaques memorializing them.  Robert Fergusson (1750-1774) was a Scottish poet who helped revive the use of vernacular (ordinary speaking) language in Scottish writing.  He was a great influence for Robbie Burns, who commissioned and paid for Fergusson’s tombstone in Canongate Kirkyard.  Dr John Brown (1810-1882) was a physician and writer known for essays on art, medicine and famous lives. John Stuart Blackie (1809-1895) wrote extensively on a variety of topics including politics, religion, Greek Literature and Scottish heritage. Prolific novelist Margaret Oliphant (1828-1897) is the only female represented in Writer’s Corner after publishing more than 100 books and biographical works, continuing her writing until close to her death.  Perhaps the most famous writer honoured in writer’s corner is Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) who wrote classics including Treasure Island, Kidnapped and Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.  He has the largest and most elaborate bronze frieze depicting his full body reclined on a chaise lounge.  Our tour guide thought it was debatable whether he holds a pen or cigarette in his right hand.

Surprisingly, there is not a plaque honouring Robbie Burns (1752-1796) in the Writer’s Corner.  Instead, a beautiful stained-glass window by Icelandic artist Leifur Breidfjörd was installed in 1985 as a tribute to Scotland’s national poet.  The window reflects major themes in Burn’s poetry including greenery from the natural world in the lower section, depictions of people of different races in the middle representing humanity, and love at the top with the imagery of a sunburst that also resembles a red flower.  A blue, flowery decorative screen at the base of the Robbie Burns window is by the same artist.

Other stained-glass windows in the cathedral depict historical events or religious scenes but were mostly created in the 19th and 20th centuries since John Knox had ordered all stained-glass windows to be removed, deeming them to be frivolous and distracting.  The Regent Moray window was created in 1881 by James Ballantine & Son.  It portrays scenes from the 1570 assassination of James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray and regent of King James VI, as well as scenes of his funeral presided by John Knox.  In the north transept, a vividly hued and relatively modern window by Douglas Strachan (1922) depicts Christ Calming the Sea of Galilee, bringing peace to his disciples during a violent storm.  The style and composition of this window contain more dynamic movement and emotion than the older windows from the previous century.  The 1886 window by Edward Burne-Jones depicts Joshua and the Israelites crossing the Jordan River and female figures from the Old Testament while the 19th century Saints Window (again by Ballantine & Sons) depicts important saints including St. Andrew, St. Cuthbert, St. Margaret and St. Giles.

During our guided tour of St. Giles Cathedral, we learned much about the history of Scotland as we viewed the various elaborate tombs and sculptures.  This included the tombs of the Marquis of Argyll and Marquis of Montrose who were on opposite sides of the Covenanters’ War.  Argyll supported the Covenanters, Presbyterianism and the Scottish Parliament while Montrose was a royalist who supported the monarchy.  Montrose was hanged and dismembered in 1650 by the Scottish Parliament while Argyll was beheaded in 1661 after the Restoration of the monarchy under King Charles II.  A six-foot tall bronze sculpture commemorates John Knox who had such an influence on St. Giles Cathedral.  In addition to banning stained-glass windows, he also got rid of the organ and other church musical instruments from Scottish churches because he said there was no mention of them in the bible.  Organs did not return until the 19th century. The current organ was built in 1992 by Austrian firm Rieger Orgelbau and resembles a ship’s prow.  The cathedral had a pair of bells on display including one that was on the battleship HMS Howe until 1957.  A musical bell that hung from the St. Giles belfry dates back to 1699 and was rumoured to come from one of the ships of the Spanish Armada.

The highlight of St.Giles Cathedral is the ornate, Gothic Revival styled Thistle Chapel.  It was built in 1911 as the private chapel for the Order of Thistle, the most ancient and noble chivalric order in Scotland dating back to 1687.   The space is small at 18 feet wide by 37 feet long, but its height soars up to 42.5 feet with exquisite decorative wood carvings and intricate stone and metal work that reflect the craftsmanship of the Arts and Crafts movement. Stained-glass windows are designed with heraldic arms and an image of Saint Andrew as a fisherman flanked by angels.  The vaulted sandstone ceiling features floral-like decorative knobs or bosses, and carvings of symbolic and religious imagery including the Royal arms of Scotland, a pelican which is the Christian symbol of Sacrifice, and St. Giles the patron saint of the chapel, as well as angels holding shields that display the coats of arms of the original knights from the Order of Thistle.

At the East end of the chapel is a wooden altar with the emblem of the Paschal Lamb, representing Christ, holding a flag emblazed with St. Andrew’s cross.  At the other end is the Sovereign’s stall which is reserved for the reigning monarch (currently King Charles III) during ceremonies of the Order of the Thistle. It is decorated with an elaborate canopy with a 33-foot spire featuring carvings of coats of arms, swords, statues, heraldic motifs, thistles and Scottish symbolism. The base displays heraldic shields and ornamentation linked to the Sovereign and the Order.  There are eight oak stalls lining either side of the Sovereign’s stall, one for each of the 16 knights and ladies that are currently part of the Order of the Thistle.  The arms of each stall have wooden animals carved on them, representing the coats of arms of the original knights.  Above each current knight’s stall is an ornate canopy crowned by more modest spires holding the coronet, helm and crest of that knight, representing his coat of arms.  Other members of the royal family are members of the order, including Queen Camilla, Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Prince William. Non-royal members include Scottish judge Lord Hope of Craighead, who has a crest displaying two fists, a globe and rainbow symbolizing hope and global perspective, and an anchor signifying hope, stability and steadfastness.  Baron Wood of Anfield is a Scottish businessman with interests in oil and shipping industries.  Hist crest features a ship and nautical motifs. Wood and stone carvings of angels playing bagpipes are found throughout the chapel.

The area surrounding St.Giles Cathedral is full of historic significance.  The Heart of Midlothian Mosaic is a stone mosaic shaped like a heart that marks the former location of the Old Tolbooth and jail where executions took place.  Today, locals spit on the heart for good luck.  The original Mercat Cross was created in 1365 and acted as a central point for commerce, civic gatherings, royal processions and public proclamations.  It was demolished in 1756 to make way for traffic on High Street. A new cross was built in its current location in Parliament Square in 1885 where it continues to stand today. The current Victorian era cross includes a tall column topped by a unicorn holding a Scottish flag, representing the Scottish monarch.  At its base is an octagonal pedestal decorated with royal arms of Britain, Scotland, England and Ireland.  Several monumental sculptures can be found near the Cathedral including ones honouring philosopher and historian David Hume, economist Adam Smith who authored The Wealth of Nations, and Sir Walter Scott.

During our stay in Edinburgh, we learned the difference between a “Wynd”, which was an ungated thoroughfare open to the public, versus a “Close”, which historically was a narrow, gated, private passageway leading to residential tenements, courtyards or markets, providing access routes between living quarters and commercial areas. There are still many closes throughout the Old Town in Edinburgh with plaques identifying their original names.  Some of the closes still have their locked gates leading to residential buildings or private courtyards.  But most of the gates are gone (or left open) so that the passageways are now open for the public to use as access paths to other streets, markets or parks.

The steep alleyway of Advocate’s Close’s consists of a long set of steps that connects the Royal Mile down to Market Street near Cockburn St.  From the Royal Mile entrance, you get a stunning view of Scott’s Monument.  Dunbar’s Close was originally named for writer David Dunbar who owned the 18th century tenement buildings that eventually fell into disrepair.  In the 1970s, it was decided to turn the land behind this close into a peaceful 17th-century styled garden with a series of knot gardens separated by yew hedges and walking paths.  Some of the closes have beautiful decorative designs on the grates above their entrances.  The Panmure Close is adorned with pretty red metal flowers while the Old Fishmarket Close, which leads to Cowgate pass the location of a former fish market, is aptly decorated with metal fish. The decoration above Paisley Close has a tragic backstory.  It once led to a series of residential tenements including a seven-story building that collapsed in 1861 killing half of the 77 residents and injuring most of the others.  A 12-year-old boy named Joseph McIvor miraculously survived beneath the rubble and a sculpture of his face sits at the top of the archway of the close.

The most famous close in Edinburgh is Mary King’s Close which has been turned into a tourist attraction accessible only via guided tours.  Formerly Alexander King’s Close, named after a prominent lawyer who owned the series of residential tenements in the late 1500s, the close was renamed for Mary King (no relation) after her death in 1644.  Mary King moved into the tenements as a widow in 1629 and made a name for herself as a respected resident, businesswoman and fabric merchant.  In 1753, the area was taken over by the new Royal Exchange, which was partially built on top of the tenements. While the more affluent residents such as merchants, lawyers and tradesmen moved out, the poor could not afford to leave and continued to live and work underground until the passageways were permanently closed and sealed up in 1902.  The close was excavated and restored in the early 2000s and opened as “The Real Mary King’s Close” in 2003.  The attraction offers guided tours of the underground network of streets and alleys in the close, led by costumed interpreters who play the roles of former residents to convey the history of life in the close.

Our guide led us down a long flight of stairs to get to the remnants of the old tenements.  We learned more about the life of Mary King and her business as a fabric merchant as well as other representative residents through the use of costumed holograms that told their stories.  The various guides mimicked the process of human waste disposal which was tossed out onto narrow alleyways with a shout of “garde de loo”.  We learned about the plague doctor who wore masks with long beaks that were meant to protect them from the germs believed to be in the air, then went into a room where there were mannequins representing a family of plague victims with lances and boils and overrun with rats.  Another room was said to be haunted by Annie, a little girl who had died of the plague.  Visitors have taken to leaving her toys and coins in a shrine that is piled against a wall. Towards the end of the tour, we were allowed to peek into a room that still had the original green wallpaper but were not allowed inside because the wallpaper contained arsenic.  While the Mary King’s Close tour was quite touristy and gimmicky, it did give us the opportunity to see the alleyways and tenement ruins of a 16th-century close.

Tron Kirk was commissioned by King Charles I and built in 1647, serving as a place of worship until 1952. After being unused for the decades that followed, in 2022 it was turned into the Tron Kirk Market where vendors could sell a curated selection of Scottish-made goods and local crafts.  It was a fun experience to shop underneath massive stained-glass windows.  The house known as “John Knox House” was built in 1470 and is one of the oldest surviving Medieval buildings in Edinburgh.  Despite its name, John Knox only stayed there for a few months during the siege of Edinburgh Castle between 1559-1560 but is rumoured to have died there. The house was actually owned by Mariota Arres and her husband John Mossman, as reflected by the Mossman family coat of arms above the entrance.  A sundial depicts Moses receiving the light of God on Mount Sinai.  Today, part of the building is used for the Scottish Storytelling Centre whose purpose is to preserve and share Scotland’s oral storytelling tradition and cultural heritage.  In front of John Knox House is the Fountain Well, built in 1675 and one of the last surviving public cisterns or street wells that supplied drinking water to locals.

On Canongate, which is the last long stretch of the Royal Mile before reaching Holyrood Park, we came across several interesting sights.  The Museum of Edinburgh holds artifacts of local history tracing the story of the city from its origins to present day.  Some of the highlights include the original copy of the National Covenant of 1638 and models of the old town around Canongate at the end of the 16th century.  I was intrigued by the set of porcelain Toby mugs depicting Allied World War I leaders including David Lloyd George, Douglas Haig, and King George V. Of course, the infamous dog Grey Friars Bobby was represented with descriptive writeups, a sculpture, etching and his bowl and collar. There is a life-sized sculpture of poet Robert Fergusson outside of Canongate Church, honouring his library contributions.  We had also seen a memorial plaque dedicated to him in the Writer’s Corner of St. Giles Cathedral.

Tolbooth Tavern is a traditional Scottish pub established in 1820.  It resides in part of a historic 1591 building that was the Canongate Tolbooth where tolls were collected from travelers entering the burgh of Canongate.  It was also used as a courthouse, jail, the old town hall and a meeting place for the town council.  The building features a notable clock added in 1884.  In another part of the historic building resides the “People’s Story Museum” which is dedicated to the lives of the working class from 18th to late 20th century.  Just at the base of the hills of Holyrood Park is the Scottish Parliament building, with contemporary architecture that is a stark contrast to all the older buildings that we passed by on the Royal Mile. Completed in 2004, it is a campus of interconnected buildings designed to reflect Scottish landscape.  Made from granite, Scottish oak, sandstone, concrete, glass and steel, it features undulating roofs inspired by local hills, angular windows and interesting facades including the “Canongate Wall” which is imbedded with stones from across Scotland, each engraved with important quotes from Scottish writers and parliament, as well as a map-like depiction of all the Parliament buildings. The “Crags Wall” is designed to evoke the volcanic cliffs of Salisbury Crags and Arthur’s Seat in Holyrood Park.  This complex is open for public tours and it is too bad that we didn’t have enough time to take one or explore more on our own.