Mary King's Close

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Mary King's Close Marykingsclose006.jpg
Mary King's Close

Mary King's Close is a historic close located under the Edinburgh City Chambers building on the Royal Mile, in the historic Old Town area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It took its name from one Mary King, a merchant burgess who resided on the Close in the 17th century. [1] [2] The close was partially demolished and buried due to the building of the Royal Exchange in the year 1753, and later closed to the public for many years. [3] The area became shrouded in myths and urban legends; tales of hauntings and murders abounded. [4] [5] In 1897, Andrew Chesney, the last resident remaining in Mary King's close, was given a compulsory purchase order for £400 and he left the close in 1902.[ citation needed ]

Contents

The close is currently operated as a tourist attraction by Continuum Attractions. [6]

Hauntings

Mary King's Close has had a reputation for hauntings since at least the 17th century, with several paranormal investigations taking place. It has been pointed out that this particular Close ran the nearest of any to the old Nor Loch, a stagnant and highly polluted marsh; biogas escaping into the close and creating eerie lights may have been the cause for these rumours of spirit hauntings. [7] It is also said that the gas escaping into the closes was known to cause hallucinations. [8]

References in literature

In Ian Rankin's 1994 novel Mortal Causes , a body is found in Mary King's Close. [12]

Mary King's Close is the setting for the teen novel Crow Boy written by Philip Caveney and published by Scottish-based publisher Fledgling Press in November 2012. [13]

In Alexander McCall Smith's 2015 novel The Revolving Door Of Life, the Duke of Johannesburg and a friend hide in the close when they are evading the Marchmont Herald.

Mary King's Close is a location in the 2018 teen novel City of Ghosts, the first book in the Cassidy Blake series by V.E. Schwab. [12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Mary King's Close". edinburgh.org. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  2. ↑ "About the Close". The Real Mary King's Close. Archived from the original on 2 April 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  3. ↑ Rough, Megan (18 July 2023). "Is Mary King's Close the same as the vaults? - Edinburgh". The Real Mary King's Close. Retrieved 17 September 2024. In 1753, Mary King's Close was partially demolished. The homes and shops that once formed one of the city's busiest trading areas became buried beneath the northern slope running off The Royal Mile.
  4. ↑ "Mary King's Close". royal-mile.com. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  5. ↑ "Mary King's Close". BBC World Service. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  6. ↑ "The Real Mary King's Close". Real Mary Kings Close. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  7. ↑ "The Haunted Close". edinburgh.org. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  8. ↑ "THE NOR'LOCH". www.royal-mile.com.
  9. ↑ "Most Haunted: Season 4, Episode 7, Mary King's Close". IMDb . Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  10. ↑ "Rebus: Season 1, Episode 4, Mortal Causes". IMDb. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  11. ↑ "World Tour of Scotland". IMDb. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  12. 1 2 "Edinburgh's Storytellers: The City's Legacy In Literature". The Real Mary King's Close. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
  13. ↑ "Crow Boy by Philip Caveney: Undiscovered Scotland Book Review". Undiscovered Scotland. Retrieved 19 December 2017.

55°57′01″N3°11′25″W / 55.95028°N 3.19028°W / 55.95028; -3.19028

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