Introduction

Edinburgh sticks shockingly up-to-the-nanosecond dance clubs in 15th-century

tenement buildings and body-stockinged firebreathers outside Georgian mansions: This
is a city that knows how to blend modern and medieval. Its superb architecture ranges
from ancient churches to monumental Victorian masterpieces - all dominated by a castle
on a precipitous crag in the city's heart. And pick any street to stroll - you'll be wowed
by sudden vistas of rugged summits, memorial-laden hills and erstwhile-outlying
villages that inch ever closer to the vibrant city centre.
Edinburgh is, in some ways, the least Scottish of Scotland's cities. Tourism, its close
proximity to England, and its multicultural, sophisticated population set it apart, and its
vibrant pub and club scene, college population and small yet thriving gay scene,
combined with its full-on festivals, make it a city ready to take on the world.
There is, of course, a flipside: the grim council housing estates, the serious drugs scene
and the distressing AIDS problem. Wrap that up with the dubious weather, and you may
question stopping by, but don't. Edinburgh is a mixed bag but struts an identity that
extends much further than heroin addicts and the occasional display of kilts and
bagpipes. In traditional Scottish fashion, it will leave you feeling whisky-warm inside.

History
Castle Rock, a volcanic crag with three vertical sides, dominates the city centre. This
natural defensive position was probably what first attracted settlers; the earliest signs of
habitation date back to 850 BC.
In the 4th century, there were two indigenous Celtic peoples in northern Britain: the
Picts and the Britons. In the 6th century a third Celtic tribe, the Scotti, reached Scotland
from northern Ireland and established a kingdom called Dalriada. In the 7th century,
Northumbrian Angles from northeast England colonised southeast Scotland. They built
their fortress on Castle Rock, which they called Edwinesburh. This served as the Scots'
southern outpost until 1018 when Malcolm II established a frontier at the River Tweed.
Nonetheless, the English sacked the city no less than seven times.
Edinburgh really began to grow in the 11th century, when markets developed at the foot
of the fortress, and from 1124, when David I held court at the castle and founded the
abbey at Holyrood.
The first effective town wall was constructed around 1450 and circled the Old Town and
the area around Grassmarket. This restricted, defensible zone became a medieval
Manhattan, forcing its densely packed inhabitants to build tenements that soared to 12
stories.
A golden era that saw the foundation of the College of Surgeons and the introduction of
printing ended with the death of James IV at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. England's
Henry VIII attempted to force a marriage between Mary Queen of Scots (James V's
daughter) and his son, but the Scots sent Mary to France to marry the dauphin. The city
was sacked by the English, and the Scots turned to the French for support.
While Mary was in France, the Reformation of the Scottish church was under way. The
Scots were increasingly sympathetic to the ideas of the Reformation, and when John
Knox returned from exile in 1555 he found fertile ground for his Calvinist message. In
1560 the Scottish Parliament created a Protestant church independent of Rome, and the
pope's authority and Latin mass were rejected.
When James VII succeeded to the Scottish and English crowns he moved the court to
London and, for the most part, the Stewarts ignored Edinburgh. Religious differences
led to civil war in Scotland and England. When Charles I tried to introduce episcopacy
(the rule of bishops) in 1633 he provoked the National Covenant and more religious
turmoil, which eventually ended in triumph for the Presbyterians.
Though cultural and intellectual life continued to flourish in Edinburgh, the Act of
Union in 1707 further reduced the city's political importance, uniting the two countries
under a single parliament. In the second half of the 18th century a new city was created
across the ravine to the north. The population was expanding, defense was no longer
vital and the thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment planned to distance themselves
from Edinburgh's Jacobite past.

The population exploded in the 19th century - Edinburgh quadrupled in size to 400,000,
not much less than it is today - and the old city's tenements were taken over by refugees
from the Irish famines. A new ring of crescents and circuses was built to the south of the
New Town, and grey Victorian terraces sprung up.
In the 20th century the slum dwellers were moved into new housing estates that now
foster massive social problems. However, a new era is beginning with the decision to
locate the new Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.

Edinburgh facts at a glance

Population: 448,850
Area: 26,113 hectares (100 sq mi)
Time Zone: GMT/UTC
Telephone Area Code: 0131
Country: Scotland

Getting There
Edinburgh's international airport has frequent direct flights to Europe, Ireland and other
parts of the UK and a limited number of services to Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
There are no direct air services from North America.
Travelling from Europe you'll often be best off flying to London, then taking the train or
bus north. The 4-hour centre-to-centre rail trip takes only about an hour more than
flying in actual travelling time.
Buses are the cheapest and most exhausting method of transport for travel to/from
Europe or other parts of the UK, although discount rail tickets are competitive.

Getting Around
Frequent LRT Airline buses run from Waverley Bridge near the train station to
Haymarket and the airport, taking 35 minutes. Other bus services are frequent and
cheap, and most leave from either St Andrew Square bus station or Waverley Bridge.
Two main companies, Lothian Regional Transport and Scottish Motor Traction,
compete on some services and their tickets aren't interchangeable.
Edinburgh doesn't have its own separate rail network. Those running through the city
are part of the national rail system. Trains heading west and north link Waverly station
with Haymarket, but it's cheaper to catch a bus down Princes St. There are regular trains
west to Dalmeny and east to North Berwick.
Though useful for day trips beyond the city, a car in central Edinburgh is as much a
millstone as a convenience. There is restricted access on some streets and many are oneway.
Hailing a cab on the street should present no problems and there are numerous central
taxi ranks including some at Waverley station.
Although there are plenty of steep hills to negotiate, Edinburgh is idea for cycling nothing is more than half an hour away, there are signposted cycle routes and outside
the centre the traffic is fairly tolerable.

Things to see
Popular Tours:
City Sightseeing Hop On Hop Off Tour of Edinburgh

Holyrood Park
In Holyrood Park, Edinburgh is blessed in having a real wilderness on its doorstep. The
former hunting grounds of Scottish monarchs, it covers 263 hectares (1 sq mi) of varied
landscape, including hills, moorland, lochs and fields. The highest point is Arthur's Seat
(251m, 823ft), an eroded stump of lava flow that erupted around 325 million years ago.
It forms part of a volcano that includes Calton Hill and Castle Rock. The park can be
circumnavigated along Queen's Drive by car or bike and there are several excellent
walks.

Grassmarket
Grassmarket is one of Edinburgh's nightlife centres, with numerous restaurants and
pubs. An open area hedged by tall tenements and dominated by the looming castle, it
can be approached from George IV Bridge, via Victoria St, an unusual two-tiered street
clinging to the ridge below the Royal Mile, with some excellent shops. The site of a
market from at least 1477 to the start of the 20th century, Grassmarket was always the
focal point for the Old Town. This was the main place for executions and over 100
hanged Covenanters are commemorated with a cross at the east end. The notorious
murderers Burke and Hare operated from a now vanished close off the west end.
Around 1827 they enticed at least 18 victims here, suffocated them and sold the bodies
to Edinburgh's medical schools. Leading off from the southeast corner, Candlemaker
Row climbs back up to the George IV Bridge and Chambers St with the Royal Museum
of Scotland and the University of Edinburgh's Old College.

Royal Museum of Scotland

The Royal Museum of Scotland, on Chambers St, is a Victorian building whose grey,
solid exterior contrasts with its large, bright, galleried entrance hall of slim wrought-iron
columns and glass roof. The museum houses an eclectic, comprehensive series of
exhibitions. These range from the natural world (evolution, mammals, geology, fossils)
to scientific and industrial technological development - with one section featuring the
world's oldest steam locomotive, Wylam Dilly (1813) - to the decorative arts of ancient
Egypt, Islam, China, Japan, Korea and the west. The adjacent Museum of Scotland,
opened in 1998, houses archaeological artefacts from the old Museum of Antiquities. It
shows the history of Scotland in chronological order starting with the country's earliest
history in the basement.

University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh is one of Britain's oldest, biggest and best universities:
founded in 1583, it now has around 17,000 undergraduates. The students make a major
contribution to the lively atmosphere of Grassmarket, Cowgate, and the nearby
restaurants and pubs. The university sprawls for some distance, but the centre is the Old
College (also called Old Quad), at the junction of South Bridge and Chambers St, a
Robert Adam masterpiece designed in 1789, but not completed until 1834. Inside the
Old College is the Talbot Rice Art Gallery, which houses a permanent, small collection
of old masters, plus regular exhibitions of new work.

Greyfriars Kirk & Kirkyard

At the bottom of a stone canyon made up of tenements, churches, volcanic cliffs and the
castle, Greyfriars Kirkyard is one of Edinburgh's most evocative spots - a peaceful oasis
dotted with memorials and surrounded by Edinburgh's dramatic skyline. The kirk
(church) was built on the site of a Franciscan friary and opened for worship on
Christmas Day 1620. In 1638, the National Covenant was signed inside near the pulpit.
The covenant rejected Charles I's attempts to reintroduce episcopacy and a new English
prayer book, and affirmed the independence of the Scottish church. Many who signed
were later executed in Grassmarket and, in 1679, 1200 Covenanters were held prisoner
in terrible conditions in an enclosure in the yard. There's a small exhibition inside.
Another area attraction stems from the story of Bobby, a Skye terrier who maintained a
vigil over the grave of his master, an Edinburgh police officer, from 1858 to 1872. In the
kirk you can buy Greyfriars Bobby - The Real Story at Last, Forbes Macgregor's
debunking of some of the myths surrounding Bobby. Bobby's grave is just inside the
entrance to the kirkyard.

Calton Hill
Calton Hill, at the east end of Princes St, is another distinctive component of
Edinburgh's skyline, 100m (333ft) high and scattered with grandiose memorials mostly
dating from the first half of the 19th century. Here you get one of the best views of
Edinburgh, taking in the entire panorama - the castle, Holyrood, Arthur's Seat, the Firth
of Forth, the New Town and Princes St.

Royal Observatory
Directly south of the city centre on Blackford Hill, the observatory was moved here
from Calton Hill in 1896. In the visitor centre there's a multimedia gallery with
computers and CD ROMs on astronomy, and there are terrific views of Edinburgh from
the rooftop.

Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle dominates the city centre, sitting
astride the core of an extinct volcano, its three sides
scoured almost vertical by glacial action. Although
the castle looks impregnable, it often changed hands
between the Scots and English throughout the centuries. By the mid-18th century,
however, the castle looked much as it does today. Partly in thanks to Sir Walter Scott, in
the 19th century it began to recover its importance as a Scottish symbol.
Visitors enter from the Esplanade, a parade ground where the changing of the guard
occurs on the hour. Sites within the castle proper include Mills Mount Battery, where a
gun salute takes place on weekdays; St Margaret's Chapel, the oldest building in
Edinburgh; the Palace, built between the 15th and 16th centuries; and the Scottish
United Services Museum, which houses displays on the history of Scottish regiments.
The castle is overrun with tourists, and although the views are great, you may decide it's
more impressive from the outside looking in.
The brooding, black crags of the Castle Rock, shouldering above Princes St Gardens,
are the very reason for Edinburgh's existence. This rocky hill - the glacier-worn stump
of an ancient volcano - was the most easily defended hilltop on the invasion route
between England and central Scotland, a route followed by countless armies from the
Roman legions of the 1st and 2nd centuries AD to the Jacobite troops of Bonnie Prince
Charlie in 1745. No-one knows when the rock was first fortified but archaeological
excavations have uncovered evidence of habitation from as early as 900 BC.
The castle has played a pivotal role in Scottish history, both as a royal residence - King
Malcolm Canmore (reigned 1057-93) and Queen Margaret made their home here in the
11th century - and as a military stronghold. From the 16th century the royal family
favoured more comfortable domestic accommodation at places such as Holyrood and
Linlithgow, and the castle became more a seat of government and military power.
However, in 1566 Mary Queen of Scots underlined its continuing symbolic importance
when she chose to give birth to her son, King James VI, in the castle.
The castle suffered extensive damage during the Lang Siege, between 1571 and 1573,
when supporters of Mary Queen of Scots held out against the forces of James Douglas,
earl of Morton. It was occupied by English soldiers from 1650 to 1660 during Oliver
Cromwell's invasion of Scotland and by Jacobites during the siege of 1689, when the
duke of Gordon faced off against William of Orange.
But when the army of Bonnie Prince Charlie passed through Edinburgh in 1745, they
made only a cursory attempt to take the castle before moving quickly on. That was the
last time the castle saw military action, and from then until the 1920s it served as the
British army's main base in Scotland.
Edinburgh Castle is now Scotland's most popular pay-to-enter tourist attraction, pulling
in over 1.2 million visitors in 2000. The Esplanade, a parade ground dating from 1820,
is now a car park with superb views south over the city towards the Pentland Hills. On

the northern side is an equestrian statue of Field Marshall Earl Haig (1861-1928), Haig
was commander-in-chief of British forces during WWI and was responsible for the
policy of attrition and trench warfare that killed thousands of troops.
The Entrance Gateway dates from between 1886 and 1888, and is flanked by statues of
Robert the Bruce and William Wallace. Above the gate is the Royal Standard of
Scotland - a red lion rampant on a gold field - and the Scottish Royal motto in Latin,
'NEMO ME IMPUNE LACESSIT'. This is translated into Scots as 'wha daur meddle wi'
me', and into English as 'watch it, pal' (OK, it literally means 'no one messes with me
with impunity'). Inside, a cobbled lane leads up beneath the 16th-century Portcullis
Gate, topped by the 19th-century Argyle Tower, and past the cannon of the Argyle and
Mills Mount batteries. The battlements here have great views over New Town to the
Firth of Forth.
At the far end of Mills Mount Battery, to the right of the Cart Shed (which houses a cafe
and restaurant), is the One O'clock Gun, a gleaming WWII 25-pounder that fires an earsplitting time signal at exactly 1pm every day (except Sunday, Christmas Day and Good
Friday). A staircase leads down to a little exhibition explaining the history of the gun,
and beyond lie the Western Ramparts, a battlement walk with grand views over
Edinburgh's West End.
To the left of the Cart Shed, a road leads down to the National War Museum of
Scotland. Opened in 2000, this museum brings Scotland's military history vividly to life.
The exhibits have been personalised by telling the stories of the original owners of the
objects on display, making it easier to empathise with the experiences of war than any
dry display of dusty weaponry ever could. You'll see more than one person brushing
away a tear as they pass through.
South of Mills Mount, the road curls up leftwards through Foog's Gate to the highest
part of the Castle Rock, crowned by the tiny St Margaret's Chapel, the oldest surviving
building in Edinburgh. It's a simple Romanesque structure that was probably built by
David I or Alexander I in memory of their mother Queen Margaret sometime around
1130 (she was canonised in 1250). Following Cromwell's capture of the castle in 1650 it
was used to store ammunition until it was restored at the order of Queen Victoria; it was
rededicated in 1934. The tiny stained-glass windows - depicting Margaret, St Andrew,
St Columba, St Ninian and William Wallace - date from the 1920s. Immediately north
of the chapel is Mons Meg, a giant 15th-century siege gun built at Mons in Belgium in
1449. The gun was last fired in 1681, as a birthday salute for the future King James
VII/II, when its barrel burst. Take a peek over the wall to the north of the chapel and
you'll see a charming little garden that was used as a pet cemetery for officer's dogs.
Beyond is the Half Moon Battery, which was built around and over the ruins of David's
Tower - the royal residence of David II (1329-71) - after it was destroyed in the Lang
Siege of 1571-73; you can visit the ruined vaults of the tower via a stairway beneath the
battery.
The main group of buildings on the summit of the castle rock are arranged around
Crown Square, dominated by the hushed shrine of the Scottish National War Memorial.
Opposite is the Great Hall, built for James IV (reigned 1488-1513) as a ceremonial hall

and used as a meeting place for the Scottish Parliament until 1639. Its most remarkable
feature is the original, 16th-century hammer-beam roof.
On the eastern end of the square is the Royal Palace, built during the 15th and 16th
centuries, where a series of historical tableaux leads to a strongroom housing the
Honours of Scotland (the Scottish crown jewels), the oldest surviving crown jewels in
Europe. Locked away in a chest following the Act of Union in 1707, the crown (made in
1540 from the gold of Robert the Bruce's 14th-century coronet), sword and sceptre lay
forgotten until they were unearthed at the instigation of the novelist Walter Scott in
1818. Also on display here is the Stone of Destiny.
Among the neighbouring Royal Apartments is the bedchamber where Mary Queen of
Scots gave birth to her son James VI, who was to unite the crowns of Scotland and
England in 1603.
The Castle Vaults beneath the Great Hall were used at various times as storerooms,
bakeries and prisons - French prisoners in the 18th century carved the graffiti on the
walls.

The Royal Mile

Following a ridge that runs from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Palace, the Royal Mile
is one of the world's most fascinating streets. From the west end you can see beyond
craggy Arthur's Seat and over the waters of the Firth of Forth, with tantalizing glimpses
of the Old and New Towns through the closes (entrances) and wynds (alleyways) on
either side. Although there are tourists and shops stuffed with tacky Scottish souvenirs
aplenty, the street is lined with extraordinary buildings, including multistoried
tenements dating from the 15th century.
If you'd like to know how whisky is manufactured, stop by the Scotch Whisky Heritage
Centre on Castlehill. It offers a tour with several audiovisual presentations and sells
hundreds of different brands of whisky in its shop. Not far off (in distance, anyway) is
the Highland Tolbooth Kirk, a church that boasts the tallest spire (71.7m, 239ft) on one
of Edinburgh's highest points. Opposite the kirk are the Assembly Rooms of the Church
of Scotland, which are the temporary home of the new Scottish Parliament. On High St
just east of the crossroads of Bank St and George IV Bridge lies Parliament Square,
which is largely filled by St Giles' Cathedral. Inside the church, near the entrance, is a
life-size statue of John Knox, minister from 1559 to 1572; from here he preached his
uncompromising Calvinist message and launched the Scottish Reformation. At 42 High
St, the Museum of Childhood attempts to cover the serious issues related to childhood health, education and so on - but more enjoyable is the enormous collection of toys,
dolls, games and books that fascinate children and bring childhood memories back for
adults.
Edinburgh's Old Town stretches along a ridge to the east of the castle, a jagged, jumbled
pile of masonry riddled with closes, wynds, vaults and tunnels, and cleft along its spine
by the cobbled ravine of the Royal Mile. The mile-long street earned its regal
appellation in the 16th century because it was used by the king to travel between the

castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. There are four sections - Castlehill,
Lawnmarket, High St and Canongate - whose names reflect their historical origins.
Until the founding of New Town in the 18th century, old Edinburgh was remarkable for
its incredible concentration of humanity. Constrained between the boggy ground of the
Nor' Loch to the north, and the city walls to the south and east, the only way for the
town to expand was upwards. The five and six-storey tenements that were raised along
the Royal Mile in the 16th and 17th centuries were the skyscrapers of their day,
remarked upon with wonder by visitors. All classes of society, from beggars to
magistrates, lived cheek by jowl in these urban ants' nests, the wealthy occupying the
middle floors - high enough to be above the noise and stink of the streets, but not so
high that climbing the stairs would be too tiring - while the poor squeezed into attics,
basements, cellars and vaults amid the rats, rubbish and raw sewage.
The Old Town tenements still support a thriving city-centre community, but today the
street level is crammed with tourists and tacky souvenir shops. Most people stick to the
main High St but it's worth taking a little time to duck up the countless closes (narrow
alleys) that lead off into quiet courtyards with unexpected views of sea and hills.

Entertainment
Pubs & Bars
Royal Mile & Around
Grassmarket & Around
Rose St & Around
George St & Around
The West End
New Town & Broughton St
Stockbridge
Tollcross, Bruntsfield & Morningside
Leith & Granton
Pre-Club Bars
Clubs
Discos
Gay & Lesbian Venues
Gay & Lesbian Club Nights
Rock, Blues & Pop
Jazz
Folk
Cinemas
Classical Music, Opera & Ballet
Theatre, Musicals & Comedy
Spectator Sports
Football (Soccer)
Rugby Union
Golf
Other Sports
Glasgow folk have a colourful expression - 'all fur coat and nae knickers' - that they
occasionally apply to Edinburgh, suggesting that it projects an air of middle-class
respectability on the surface but is down and dirty underneath. There's an element of
truth there - the city that inspired the story of Jekyll and Hyde certainly has its seamier
side - and the high culture epitomised in the Edinburgh Festival finds its counterpoint in
the city's lively club scene and its reputation as a pub-crawler's paradise.
The city has a number of fine theatres and concert halls, and there are independent arthouse cinemas as well as mainstream movie theatres. Many pubs offer entertainment
ranging from live Scottish folk music to pop, rock and jazz to karaoke and quiz nights,
while the new generation of style bars purvey house, dance and hip hop to the preclubbing crowd.
Edinburgh's most comprehensive source of what's-on information is The List
([Link]), an excellent, fortnightly listings and reviews magazine (also covering
Glasgow), available from most newsagents. Gig Guide ([Link]) is a free,
monthly leaflet that advertises regular music gigs under the headings Rock, Pop &
Blues, Jazz, and Folk & World; you can pick it up in bars, cafes and music venues. The
free, monthly booklet What's On Edinburgh & Lothians ([Link])

is produced by the Edinburgh and Lothians Tourist Board. It covers a wide range of
events and exhibitions, including art galleries and museums. The Edinburgh Evening
News newspaper has daily reviews and listings of cinema, music, theatre, clubs, comedy
and arts events.

Eating Out
Food
Breakfast
Fast Food
Soups
Meat & Game
Fish & Seafood
Cheeses
Puddings
Drinks
Non-Alcoholic Drinks
Alcoholic Drinks
Old Town & Around
Budget Restaurants
Mid-Range Restaurants
Top-End Restaurants
New Town & Around
Budget Restaurants
Mid-Range Restaurants
Top-End Restaurants
Haymarket & Dalry
Budget Restaurants
Mid-Range Restaurants
Leith
Mid-Range Restaurants
Top-End Restaurants
Vegetarian Cuisine
Cafes
Self-Catering
In the last few years there has been a huge boom in the number of restaurants and cafes
in Edinburgh and there is a wide range of cuisines to choose from. In addition, most
pubs serve food, offering either bar meals or a more formal restaurant or both, but be
aware that pubs without a restaurant licence are not allowed to serve children under the
age of 16. Lunch is generally served from 12.30pm to 2.30pm, dinner from 7pm to
10pm.
The excellent Edinburgh & Glasgow Eating & Drinking Guide, published annually by
The List magazine, contains reviews of restaurants, cafes and bars. An interesting new
development is the '5pm' Web site ([Link]), which lists last-minute offers from
restaurants with tables to spare that evening. Using this service you can find a threecourse meal at one of Edinburgh's better restaurants for as little as 10 if you're prepared
to eat early or late.

Shopping
Where to Shop
Department Stores
Markets
What to Buy
Art & Antiques
Books & Maps
Cashmere & Wool
Crafts & Souvenirs
Fashion
Food & Drink
Jewellery
Music
Outdoor Equipment
Tartan, Kilts & Bagpipes
Toys, Games & Other Stuff
Edinburgh has it all with regard to shopping: department stores, friendly little boutiques,
the traditional, the new, the expected and the unexpected.
Princes Street is the location for Scotland's most famous shop, Jenners (the oldest
independent department store in the world), which has a fabulous food hall. The main
modern shopping centres are Cameron Toll Centre, 6 Lady Road, and the Waverley
Shopping Centre on also on Princes Street.
The Royal Mile, on the other hand, is scattered with off-beat stores and souvenir sellers.
Nearby Grassmarket (a trading place since 1477) and Victoria Street are packed with
arts and crafts shops, bookshops and specialist food stores. Some of the city's smartest
designer stores are along George Street in the New Town.
In general, shops are open 9.00am-5.30pm, with late-night shopping on Thursday until
7.30pm or 8.00pm. Sunday opening is increasingly popular, particularly among the
larger stores.
Visitors to Edinburgh who want to take home a little piece of Scotland may be tempted
by tartan fabrics, Celtic-inspired jewellery, shortbread and, of course, whisky. All these
items are available from numerous boutiques and specialist shops in the city. Many
shops (especially those frequented by tourists) are part of the tax-free scheme. Visitors
must keep their receipts and fill out a claim form to have the VAT refunded.

City Secrets

The Daily Bang

On Princes St, you can tell locals and visitors apart by their reaction to the sudden
explosion that rips through the air each day at one o'clock. Locals check their watches,
while visitors shy like startled ponies. It's the One O'clock Gun, fired from Mills Mount
Battery on the castle battlements at 1pm sharp every day except Sunday.
The gun's origins date from the mid-19th century, when the accurate setting of a ship's
chronometer was essential for safe navigation (finding your longitude at sea depended
on knowing the exact time in your home port). The city authorities installed a timesignal on top of the Nelson Monument on Calton Hill - a ball that was hoist to the top of
a flagstaff and dropped exactly on the stroke of one o'clock - that was visible to ships
anchored in the Firth of Forth. The gun was added as an audible signal that could be
used when rain or mist obscured the ball.
Of course, the ship-bound navigators - and the Edinburgh public - had to make an
allowance for the time it took for the sound of the gun (travelling at 330m/s) to reach
them. The Edinburgh Post Office Directory used to publish maps showing the time
delay for various places - two seconds for New Town, 11 seconds for Leith and up to 15
seconds for vessels anchored offshore. An interesting little exhibition in Edinburgh
Castle details the history and workings of the One O'clock Gun.

Trunk and Disorderly

One of the most unusual exhibits in the National War Museum of Scotland is a set of
sawn-off elephant's toenails. They belonged to a beast that was adopted as a regimental
mascot by the 78th Regiment of Foot (the Ross-shire Buffs), while they were serving in
Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in the 1830s, and travelled back to Edinburgh with them on
their return to Scotland. The elephant lived in stables at Edinburgh Castle and was
trained to march at the head of the regiment during parades. It was looked after by
Private James Mclntosh, a bibulous Highlander who regularly retired to the canteen in
the evenings to partake of alcoholic refreshment.
The elephant, no doubt feeling lonely and a little disoriented, would follow him to the
canteen and loiter with intent, regularly extending its trunk through the window where
the amused clientele would serve it large quantities of beer. Legend has it that both
Mclntosh and the elephant would then retire to the stable and sleep it off together.

The Stone of Destiny

On St Andrew's Day 1996, with much pomp and ceremony, a block of sandstone - 26
inches by 16 inches by 11 inches in size, with rusted iron hoops at either end - was
installed in Edinburgh Castle. For the previous 700 years it had lain in London, beneath
the Coronation Chair in Westminster Abbey. Almost every English, and later British,
monarch from Edward II in 1307 to Elizabeth II in 1953 had parked their backside
firmly over this stone during their coronation ceremony.
The legendary Stone of Destiny - said to have originated in the Holy Land, and on
which Scottish kings placed their feet during their coronation (not their bums; the
English got that bit wrong) - was stolen from Scone Abbey near Perth by King Edward I
of England in 1296. It was taken to London and there it remained for seven centuries except for a brief removal to Gloucester during WWII air raids, and a three-month
sojourn in Scotland after it was stolen by Scottish students at Christmas in 1950 - an
enduring symbol of Scotland's subjugation by England.
The Stone of Destiny returned to the political limelight in 1996, when the then Scottish
Secretary and Conservative Party MP, Michael Forsyth, arranged for the return of the
sandstone block to Scotland. A blatant attempt to boost the flagging popularity of the
Conservative Party in Scotland prior to a general election, Forsyth's publicity stunt
failed miserably. The Scots said thanks very much for the stone and then, in May 1997,
voted every Conservative MP in Scotland into oblivion.
Many people, however, believe that Edward I was fobbed off with a shoddy imitation in
1296 and that the true Stone of Destiny remains safely hidden somewhere in Scotland.
This is not impossible - some descriptions of the original state that it was made of black
marble and decorated with elaborate carvings. Interested parties should read Stone of
Destiny (1997), by Pat Gerber, which details the history of Scotland's most famous
lump of rock.

The Cramond Lioness

In November 1996, ferryman Robert Graham, who operates the rowing-boat ferry
across the River Almond at Cramond, noticed part of a carved stone sticking out of the
mud at low tide. He started to dig it out, thinking it might make a nice ornament for his
garden, but when he realised that he was uncovering a five-foot long Roman sculpture
of a lioness gripping a man's head in its teeth, he informed the local authorities who
oversaw its safe recovery and preservation.
Archaeologists have dated the white, sandstone sculpture to the late 2nd or early 3rd
century AD, and have conjectured that it was a funerary monument. The 1800-year-old
lioness is the only Roman statue of its kind ever found in Britain and is now on display
in the Museum of Scotland on Chambers St.

Half-Hangit Maggie
The Grassmarket pub called Maggie Dickson's, just opposite the point where the
gallows used to stand, commemorates a Musselburgh woman who was hanged in 1724
for the crime of concealing the death of her prematurely born, illegitimate child. Her
corpse was taken down from the gallows, placed in a casket and put on a cart for the
journey back to Musselburgh. On the way, an argument erupted between Maggie's
friends, who wanted to give her a Christian burial, and a group of medical students from
Edinburgh University, who wanted the corpse for dissection. (At that time, executed
criminals provided the only legal source of bodies for medical research).
The argument was settled by the corpse itself, as noises were heard coming from within
the coffin. The rope had not done its job properly and Maggie had revived - much to the
consternation of both friends and students. Maggie Dickson made a full recovery and
legal opinion was that someone who had already been pronounced dead could not be
hanged again. She lived for another 30 years, and was ever after known in the town as
'Half-Hangit Maggie'.

The Witches of North Berwick

In 1590, the Church of St Andrews was the scene of a gathering of witches of both
sexes under the leadership of 'the Devel', who was in reality Francis Stuart, earl of
Bothwell. He tried by means of witchcraft to cause a storm in the Forth, which he hoped
would drown James VI as he returned by sea from Denmark, accompanied by Princess
Anne of Denmark, his wife.
The attempt failed and several witches were subsequently tortured, tried and executed.
Bothwell was imprisoned but later escaped. The North Berwick events became widely
known. James VI took a great interest in the trial and even wrote a book about
witchcraft. Nearly 200 years later, it's believed that Robbie Burns drew on stories about
the witches when writing Tam O'Shanter and the Old Kirk of Alloway.