Old Edinburgh Closes Hid Strange Details — What Were They For?

Why are Edinburgh's old streets full of narrow passages called closes? Why were houses built ten storeys high in the 1700s, why did people shout "gardyloo" at ten o'clock at night, why is there a heart in the cobbles that people spit on, and why is there a whole street buried under the City Chambers? Follow Sandy, a Highland caddie, as he guides a young poet from Ayrshire called Robert Burns down the Royal Mile in the winter of 1786, and uncover seventeen strange details of the old Edinburgh closes, and what they were for. From the lands and turnpike stairs to the luckenbooths, the Nor' Loch, Mary King's Close, the Heart of Midlothian, the brass studs of the Netherbow Port, the World's End, the Tron, the caddies and sedan chairs, Anchor Close and the first Encyclopaedia Britannica, and the double life of Deacon Brodie, this is the story of the most crowded city in Europe. Which close is your favourite? Tell us in the comments. SOURCES Wikipedia – Mary King's Close: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Ki... Dictionaries of the Scots Language – gardyloo: https://dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd10634 Wikipedia – Nor Loch: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nor_Loch Canmore – Gladstone's Land: https://canmore.org.uk/site/52528 The Scotsman – Lost Edinburgh: the Netherbow Port: https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/art... Wikipedia – Caddie (historical occupation): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caddie_...) Wikipedia – William Brodie: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William... Some images are illustrative reconstructions. Sandy the caddie is a composite character; his walk with Robert Burns is imagined, but the places and events are real. Folklore and legends are presented as such. #Edinburgh #RoyalMile #ScottishHistory #RobertBurns #ScottishHeritage