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EDINBURGH - Old Town Tour With a Local Guide — Transcript

by David Wheater · 4,021 words · 674 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00[Music]
0:10Hello and a big thank you for purchasing
0:12my tour of Edinburgh's beautiful and
0:15historic Oldtown. In this tour, I'll
0:17take you down Edinburgh's Royal Mile,
0:20showing you all the highlights on and
0:22off the beaten track alongside some of
0:24my favorite places around the rest of
0:26the old town.
0:28If you're new to my channel, I'm David,
0:30a local guide and photographer. He was
0:32born here over 50 years ago. I know what
0:35you're saying. I can't be that old. If
0:37you're not able to visit just now, I
0:39hope you enjoy discovering this
0:40wonderful part of the city. And if
0:42you're visiting soon, I hope it gives
0:44you lots of ideas and inspiration and
0:47gets you excited for visiting Edinburgh.
0:50All the places we visit are marked on a
0:52map, which I'll put a link to here. And
0:54I've also included the what three words
0:56addresses for each location. Without
0:58further ado, let's get to our first
1:00location.
1:02[Music]
1:05Many of you will be aware of the
1:07fictional boy wizard Harry Potter, who
1:09was a figment of JK Rowling's wonderful
1:11imagination. But I want to tell you
1:13about a very real wizard, at least in
1:15flesh and blood, who lived here around
1:18355 years ago. His name was Thomas Weir
1:21and he was burnt at the stake here in
1:23Edinburgh for witchcraft in 1670 age 71.
1:28Thomas was gared and burnt at the stake
1:30at the top of Leaf Walk. His remains
1:32jibbited at the Galilee, now Pilligri.
1:36Asked to pray for forgiveness, his last
1:38words were, "Let me alone. I will not. I
1:40have lived as a beast and I must die as
1:43a beast." Quite amazing stuff. When his
1:45thornwood stick was thrown into the
1:47fire, it said it made rare turnings in
1:49the fire. It's quite a story, and I do
1:52wonder whether the poor man was actually
1:53unwell rather than someone who was
1:55really guilty of these heinous crimes.
1:58Every time I'm here, I always wonder
1:59whether JK Rowling came across his
2:01fascinating story. It'd be really
2:03interesting to know.
2:10[Music]
2:29[Music]
2:39We're here at the top of Victoria
2:40Terrace to see one of my favorite views
2:43and buildings, George Harriet's School.
2:46[Music]
2:54The school was founded by goldsmith,
2:56jeweler, and money lender George
2:58Harriet, who was born in Edinburgh in
3:001563.
3:02He was famed for being the goldsmith and
3:04jeweler to James V 6 and his wife Anne
3:06of Denmark. And it's reputed that he did
3:08about £50,000 worth of business with
3:11them during his life, which is really
3:13quite astonishing. She really must have
3:14loved her jewels. He died in 1624 and
3:18left a legacy for the founding of a
3:19school for failureless bars. And today,
3:22it's still a very popular private
3:24school. It's worth noting that the
3:26Harriet Foundation still exists to help
3:28children who have lost a parent. And to
3:30date, around 5,700 children have
3:33benefited from the Harriet Foundation,
3:35which is pretty wonderful.
3:38[Music]
4:03We're now in Riddle's Court at one of
4:04the Royal Miles most beautiful and
4:06historic houses. It was built by the
4:09wealthy merchant Bailey John McMorren
4:11around 1590 and is named after George
4:14Riddle who built a tenement here in the
4:1618th century which you can see to the
4:18left. There's lots to admire here but I
4:20particularly like Patrick Getty's motto
4:22above the entrance archway which reads
4:25by living we learn which is so true. I
4:29also love the small garden behind the
4:30Quaker house which I'm sure as a bee
4:33lover and professor of boty Patrick
4:35Gettys would have really liked.
4:40[Music]
4:46[Music]
4:49Yeah.
4:50Heat.
4:58[Music]
5:08[Music]
5:26We're now outside one of the city's
5:28finest Gothic Revival style churches
5:31which was opened in 1845 and known as
5:33the Victoria Hall. The foundation stone
5:36was laid by Queen Victoria in 1842 and
5:39it was originally designed as a church
5:41and a meeting hall for the general
5:42assembly of the church of Scotland which
5:45eventually moved over the road. It then
5:47became the Highland Tolbury St. John's
5:49Church which closed in 1979 when the
5:52congregation merged with Gray Fryers.
5:55Today it's the offices and ticket office
5:57for the Edinburgh International
5:59Festival. Inside there's a really
6:02beautiful staircase which is beautifully
6:04lit and adorned by over 200 sculptures
6:06from past performances in the
6:08international festival. You can
6:10sometimes see it on open doors days if
6:12you're here at the right time. The clock
6:15in the steeple is by clock makers James
6:17Richie and Sun who have been around a
6:20really long time and I think they're
6:22still actually trading to this day.
6:24Before we go, it's worth noting that the
6:26cross on the spire at 74 m is the
6:29tallest point in the city.
6:34[Music]
6:45Heat. Heat. Heat.
6:56[Applause]
6:58[Music]
7:05[Music]
7:11This wonderful building known as
7:13Boswell's Court behind me was built
7:15around 1595 by the rich merchant Thomas
7:19Lotheian. It's now home to the Witchery
7:21restaurant which has two very beautiful
7:23restaurants to enjoy a meal in. They
7:26also have some really magnificent rooms
7:28and a shop which you can explore too.
7:30It's quite busy up here at Castle Hill,
7:32so if you're coming up here, make sure
7:34that you're prepared for all the crowds.
7:50[Music]
7:54Heat. Heat.
8:04Heat. Heat.
8:06[Music]
8:17[Music]
8:27Oh.
8:31[Music]
8:56We're now outside a bit of a gem hidden
8:59in plain sight. This building behind me
9:02served as one of the city's ragged
9:04schools which was founded in the 1800s
9:07by minister and philanthropist the
9:09Reverend Thomas Guthrie. He has a statue
9:12in Princess Street Gardens which I think
9:14is richly deserved. He was born in Brien
9:17in 1803 and founded the first ragged
9:20schools for destitute children here in
9:22Edinburgh in 1847.
9:25The building is in the Jacabian style
9:28and designed by architect David Rind.
9:31You can see the date above the door and
9:33a carved stone bible which reads search
9:35the scriptures St. John. Thomas Guthrie
9:39was a remarkably kind, sympathetic, and
9:41thoughtful man who set up the rugged
9:43schools to address the overwhelming
9:45poverty of children on the street. Often
9:48coerced into thieving and prostitution
9:50to survive by their parents. The old
9:53town had generated into a slum in the
9:551800s with terrible unemployment and
9:58alcohol addiction leading to horribly
10:00miserable conditions for children who
10:02were often safer on the streets than at
10:04home.
10:06[Music]
10:21[Music]
10:33We're here outside another beautiful
10:35arts and crafts style building called
10:38Ramsey Garden. I think it's probably my
10:41favorite building on the Royal Mile and
10:43really easy to miss even though it
10:45overlooks the castle. It was built by
10:47one of my favorite Edinburgh heroes, Sir
10:50Patrick Gettys, who was born in 1854 and
10:53is probably best known for his work in
10:55town planning around the world. He was
10:58also a respected biologist and botonist
11:01with a very keen interest in bees. His
11:04memorial bust at the Sandaman Trust
11:06Garden is very fittingly placed on a
11:08beehive. Patrick Gettys built Ramsey
11:11Garden between 1892 and 1894 around the
11:14existing Ramsay Lodge, and they lived in
11:16a large 12- room apartment with amazing
11:19views of the castle. Today, these
11:21incredible apartments sell for millions.
11:25Gettys built the apartments not only as
11:27private residences, but also as halls of
11:29residence for staff and students at
11:31Edinburgh University. He commissioned
11:33his friend, painter John Duncan, to
11:35paint beautiful murals in the common
11:38room depicting scenes from Scottish and
11:41Celtic history. And it's worth noting
11:43that he also commissioned John Duncan to
11:45make the witches well memorial on the
11:47castle esplanade. Ramsey Garden is an
11:50architectural masterpiece and a
11:53wonderful blend of architectural styles
11:55not to be missed. If you visit, please
11:58be as quiet and respectful as you can,
12:00as these are still very much people's
12:02homes.
12:05[Applause]
12:13[Music]
12:27[Music]
12:35[Music]
12:41[Music]
12:46[Applause]
12:49It's so easy to miss really interesting
12:51bits of history as you discover the
12:53city. We're now standing in front of a
12:55marriage stone dating from 1637
12:58which thousands of people walk past
13:00every day. In the 16th to the 18th
13:03centuries, it was a custom to record a
13:05marriage and ownership of a house by
13:08commissioning a marriage stone which
13:10would contain the initials of the
13:11betrothed and the date. In this case, we
13:14can just make out the initials HIV and
13:17the date 1637.
13:19It would have been placed above the main
13:21entrance to the original house which has
13:24disappeared in the midst of time and has
13:26been reused by a mason to make this
13:28wall. It's quite a survivor and a little
13:31reminder of a couple that were once
13:33living out their lives here together.
13:35There's another great example of a
13:36marriage stone actually in situ at
13:38Cannonball House near the castle
13:40espanade dedicated to Alexander Mure and
13:43Margaret Nams in 1630. It really pays to
13:47keep your eyes peeled in Edinburgh for
13:48these fascinating bits of history hiding
13:50in plain sight.
13:52[Music]
14:15Amongst all the big visitor attractions
14:17and iconic buildings in Edinburgh, there
14:20are wonderful little details that are
14:22very rarely noticed. One of them is this
14:25delightful cat on one of the gables of
14:27Ramsey Garden. It was one of three
14:29gargoyles commissioned by Patrick
14:31Gettys, the builder of Ramsey Garden,
14:33and this is now the only one left. The
14:36original three were a sphinx, an angel,
14:38and this cat, which was actually
14:40originally designed as a devil with
14:42upstretched wings, and a barbed tail.
14:45The writer Ian Ranken famously caused a
14:47bit of confusion when he posted a photo
14:48of it online, and people thought it was
14:50a real cat standing on the roof. Gettys
14:52had a great interest in Celtic mythology
14:54and the cycle of life. And the symbolic
14:57triad are thought to signify the riddle
14:59of life itself. It's a wonderful little
15:01detail, which I've always loved since I
15:03was a child.
15:05[Music]
15:21[Applause]
15:22[Music]
15:25We're now at New College, one of
15:27Edinburgh's most impressive Gothic style
15:29buildings, which was designed by William
15:32Henry Playfair. The foundation stone was
15:34laid in 1846 by Dr. Thomas Chammers who
15:38when placing a bottle as a time capsule
15:41is thought to have accidentally broken
15:42it and not owned up to it at the time.
15:45The college was originally built for the
15:47free church of Scotland after the great
15:49disruption of 1843
15:52and today New College is home to
15:53Edinburgh's University School of
15:55Divinity and the Assembly Hall of the
15:57Church of Scotland. Today, the School of
16:00Divinity is one of the top ranking
16:01centers for the teaching of theology and
16:03religious studies in the world and has a
16:06very impressive library.
16:08The college celebrated its 175th
16:11anniversary in 2021 with the
16:14installation of a beautiful clock which
16:16was left out originally when the project
16:18went greatly over budget. A wonderful
16:21tapestry was also commissioned which
16:23shows two students holding the new
16:25college coat of arms and a Latin motto
16:28meaning seek and you shall find. If you
16:31look closely at it, you'll see a couple
16:32of mice at the bottom which is really
16:34really cute. There are lots of wonderful
16:37architectural features to admire here,
16:39but I love that there's a hidden well
16:41under the flag stone which may have been
16:43there when the site was occupied by Mary
16:44Deiza's palace. The remains of the
16:47palace were demolished in 1845 to make
16:50way for New College. This is an amazing
16:52place to visit and a really popular
16:54venue during the Fringe. You might just
16:56be able to see behind me that they're
16:58setting up for the Fringe Festival now.
17:01[Music]
17:16[Applause]
17:18[Music]
17:25[Music]
17:41Outside the writer's museum is a
17:43wonderful court called Macker's Court
17:46which celebrates the lives and work of
17:48some of Scotland's greatest writers and
17:50poets including John Mure, Dame Muriel
17:54Spark, John Barber and Robert Henry.
17:57This is very much an evolving literary
17:59monument and new inscriptions are added
18:01from year to year. It's worth taking a
18:04moment or two before you go into the
18:06writer's museum to peacefully read some
18:08of the inscriptions and to reflect on
18:10their meaning. My favorite is from John
18:13Mure. I care to live only to entice
18:16people to look at nature's loveliness,
18:18which comes from his wilderness essays
18:20in 1874.
18:29[Music]
18:31This beautiful building which you can
18:33see behind me is called Lady Stair's
18:35House and was built in 1622 for city
18:39merchant William Gray and his wife Gada
18:41Smith. And you can still see their
18:43initials above the door with the
18:45inscription fear the Lord and depart
18:47from evil, which was to become quite
18:50prophetic for a future resident, Lady
18:52Stair, which I'll tell you more about
18:54later. It fell into great disrepair in
18:57the 1800s and was refurbished by the
18:59fifth Earl of Rosebury in 1897 who added
19:03the impressive Scots Baronial Tower.
19:05Today the building is a free museum
19:07dedicated to three of Scotland's
19:09greatest writers, Robert Louis
19:11Stevenson, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert
19:13Burns. Each has a floor dedicated to
19:16them where you can learn about their
19:17lives and work and see many amazing
19:20personal possessions, including Walter
19:22Scott's childhood rocking horse, Robert
19:24Burn's writing desk, and a lock of
19:26Robert Louis Stevenson's hair. It's
19:29really quite remarkable what's been
19:31preserved here in this museum, and the
19:32museum really does a wonderful job of
19:34bringing these wonderful writers lives
19:36to life.
19:41Heat.
19:45[Music]
20:03Heat.
20:07Heat.
20:19Heat.
20:25[Music]
20:33[Music]
20:38James Core behind me is often a place
20:41people pass by. But it not only has some
20:44interesting history and buildings, but
20:46also some notable past residents,
20:48including philosopher David Hume, the
20:51lawyer and diarist James Boswell, and
20:53one of my personal Edinburgh heroes, Sir
20:55Patrick Getty's, often known as the
20:57father of town planning. The first
20:59iteration of the court was built by
21:01James Brownhill in 1723
21:04to provide homes for wealthy,
21:06well-healed citizens of the old town. He
21:08built a huge double tenement which took
21:11advantage of the steep slope with five
21:13stories to the front and eight to the
21:15back. The tenement was replaced after a
21:17fire in 1857. And you can still see the
21:20big difference in height from North Bank
21:22Street which is at the back of this
21:24tenement here.
21:26[Music]
21:33Heat. Heat. Heat.
21:39[Music]
21:43Heat. Heat.
21:46[Music]
21:54Yeah.
21:55Heat.
21:57[Music]
22:08[Music]
22:20We're here in the heart of the old town
22:22at a spot which is highly significant
22:25but rarely noticed. People literally
22:27just walk right over it. These three
22:29brass plaques record the spot where
22:31George Bryce, known as the Ratho
22:33murderer, was executed in 1864 in front
22:37of a large being crowd. He was the last
22:40person in Edinburgh to be publicly
22:42executed. Although reports from the time
22:45show that the crowd didn't agree, given
22:47that he was hidden behind a black
22:48curtain after being dropped on a long
22:50rope. George's story is a really tragic
22:53one, not least for his poor victim, a
22:56young nursery maid called Jeannie
22:58Seaton, whose throat he savagely cut.
23:00This is a particularly interesting story
23:02given it happened in the village where I
23:04now live, close to the airport.
23:07[Music]
23:21[Applause]
23:27This impressive statue over my shoulder
23:30in Parliament Square stands over 10 ft
23:33high and is in memory of Walter Francis
23:35Belu who was the fifth Duke of BLU. He
23:39was born in 1806 and died at his Bohill
23:41estate in the Scottish borders age 78.
23:45He's dressed in the robes of the order
23:47of Garter and there's lots of
23:49interesting details which are worth
23:51noting. On the base you can see six
23:53bucks rampant which hold the arms of all
23:56the families that were allied by
23:58marriage to the Bclus. There are also
24:00six relief panels showing significant
24:03events in the BLO family history and
24:05panels showing personal highlights from
24:07the fifth juke's own life, including
24:10receiving Queen Victoria at Dalke Palace
24:12in 1842 and the building of Granton
24:15Harbor in 1835.
24:22[Music]
24:31[Music]
24:34As a guide and Edinburgh enthusiast, I'm
24:36always keen to show you interesting
24:38things which people can literally walk
24:40over without noticing here in Edinburgh.
24:43>> This is definitely one of them. The
24:45heart of Midlotheian just outside St.
24:47Giles Cathedral, which I'll show you
24:49just now. This heart mosaic made out of
24:52cobblestones marks the entrance to the
24:54infamous and much feared Toll Booth jail
24:57which was demolished in front of Sir
24:58Walter Scott in 1817.
25:01It stood in this location from 1561 to
25:041817 in various different guises and you
25:08can still see the outline of the
25:09building's foundations marked by brass
25:11sets in the adjacent roadway.
25:17Oh.
25:19[Music]
25:53[Music]
25:59We're now outside St Giles Cathedral in
26:01the Royal Mile, which is one of the old
26:03town's most popular attractions. As a
26:06guide, it's always really difficult to
26:08tell you all about the Kirk's incredible
26:11history and stories because there's just
26:13so much to cover. But in this video,
26:15I'll focus on sharing with you some of
26:17my own personal highlights inside and
26:19outside the church. The cathedral is the
26:21High Kirk of Edinburgh and was founded
26:24in the 1130s. It's named after St.
26:26Giles, who was a 7th century hermit
26:29living in France. Legend has it that he
26:32saved his only companion, a deer, by
26:34stopping an arrow in his hand from
26:36hunters. And you can see this scene
26:38depicted in the relief above the door as
26:40you go in.
26:42Oh,
26:46[Music]
26:56[Music]
27:05heat.
27:06[Music]
27:25We're now in Victoria Street in the
27:27heart of the old town, which is easily
27:30one of Edinburgh's prettiest streets.
27:32It's easily found between the Royal Mile
27:34and the Grass Market, and it contains
27:35some excellent independent shops, cafes,
27:38and restaurants. Some say the street was
27:41JK Rowling's inspiration for Dagen
27:43Alley. And given that the cafe she used
27:45to write in is just around the corner,
27:47who knows? Sadly, it burnt down. And
27:49there's a new one actually in Victoria
27:51Street, which you can visit. The street
27:53was built by architect Thomas Hamilton
27:55between 1829 and 1834 under the city's
27:581827 improvement act. It replaced the
28:01west bow, a steep thorough affair which
28:03connected people with the grass market
28:05and castle hill. He also repurposed the
28:07arches which are a main feature of the
28:09street. It was named Victoria Street
28:11when Queen Victoria came to the throne.
28:13There's lots of great independent shops
28:15in Victoria Street. Harry Potter fans
28:18will love the gift shops museum context
28:20and boy wizard art lovers the Red Door
28:22Gallery and cheese lovers IG Melis. If
28:25you fancy a pie in a pint, I love the
28:27Bow Bar Pub. But the shop I really
28:29missed from childhood is Robert
28:31Cressers, which was an incredible brush
28:33shop where you could just about get any
28:34brush you wanted in the world. It's
28:37actually now where the Harry Potter shop
28:38is. Don't forget to climb the steps to
28:41the terrace above the actual street for
28:43fantastic views and photo opportunities,
28:45especially of George Harriet School.
28:50[Music]
29:07Belonging to the Church of Scotland,
29:09this wonderful old town church and
29:12graveyard is easily located next to the
29:14National Museum of Scotland, just a few
29:16minutes walk from the grass market. The
29:18kirk is very beautiful and the graveyard
29:21is the resting place of some of
29:22Edinburgh's most prominent citizens
29:25including architect Robert Adam, James
29:27Hutton and Mary Erskin. It's also one of
29:30the few places you can see an original
29:33copy of the national covenant in the
29:35excellent Kirk Museum which was famously
29:37signed right here at the Kirk in 1638.
29:41It's also very popular with Harry Potter
29:43fans who can discover the graves of Tom
29:45Riddle and McGonicle and the others that
29:47inspired JK Rowling all those years ago.
29:50William McGonicle was regarded as
29:52Scotland's worst poet and it's worth
29:53looking up his poems to see what you
29:55think. I don't think they were very
29:57good. The Covenanters Prison is
29:59particularly atmospheric and well worth
30:02exploring the history of. And it's worth
30:03noting that the Kirkyard is home to some
30:05of the best documented paranormal
30:07activity in the world. I'm a bit of a
30:09skeptic, but I do keep an open mind. The
30:12graveyard is also the final resting
30:14place of one of the most famously loyal
30:16dogs in the world, Gray Fry's Bobby.
30:19Bobby was a small black sky terrier who
30:21worked for an Edinburgh policeman called
30:23John Gray. They developed a very strong
30:26bond, resulting in Bobby keeping vigil
30:28to his master's grave for an astonishing
30:3114 years until his own death in 1872.
30:35There's a bronze statue of Bobby near to
30:36where he was buried, located just
30:38outside the Kirk, which is very popular
30:40with animal lovers from all around the
30:42world. If you want to find out more
30:44about Bobby's life and even see his
30:46collar, then head for the Museum of
30:47Edinburgh in Huntley House on the Royal
30:49Mile. Bobby's story is very touching and
30:52an enduring testament to the
30:53extraordinarily strong bond that can
30:56exist between man and dog.
31:01Heat.
31:05[Music]
31:12Heat.
31:14[Music]
31:22[Music]
31:50Oh.
31:55[Music]
31:59We're now in the historic grass market,
32:02which has a long and fascinating
32:03history. When it was being developed a
32:06few years ago, a team of archaeologists
32:08found the area was in use by humans over
32:103,000 years ago. In the 1600s, it became
32:13the official spot for public executions
32:15in Edinburgh. And you can still see
32:17evidence of this at the Covenanters
32:19Memorial. There's even record of a
32:22hangman himself being executed here for
32:24murdering a poor beggar. My favorite
32:27story, however, is that of Maggie Dixon.
32:30Maggie was charged with murder in 1724
32:33and condemned to hang in the grass
32:34market after she hid an illegitimate
32:37pregnancy and the subsequent still birth
32:40of her child. It's a really sad story.
32:42Amazingly, after being hung and thought
32:44dead, she inexplicably woke up in her
32:47coffin on her way to be buried and went
32:50on to live a long and full life. It was
32:53famously concluded that she couldn't be
32:55tried again for the same crime under
32:57Scots law, and one of the pubs in the
32:59grass market is now named after her.
33:07[Music]
33:29[Music]
33:35The venel is a wonderful step to
33:36passageway joining the grass market and
33:38Harriet Place. It's very easily missed
33:41by visitors, which is a shame as it
33:43offers one of the most photogenic spots
33:45in the city, especially of the castle.
33:47The entrance from the grass market is
33:49opposite the Fiddler's Arms Pub, where
33:51the grass market meets the West Port.
33:53Please note that the steps are fairly
33:55steep, and anyone with mobility problems
33:57would be advised to approach from Kier
33:59Street off Larston Place at the top. The
34:01views of the castle on a fine day are
34:03superb, and it's one of the best angles
34:04for shooting the castle's half moon
34:06battery. If you're keen for a great
34:08shot, wait until evening for the old gas
34:10lamp posts to light up and use the
34:12staircase as a leading line down to the
34:14grass market. If you continue to the top
34:16of the Venel, you'll find a really
34:18interesting tower and wall called the
34:20Flaaden Wall, which was built after the
34:22Battle of Faudin in 1513 to protect the
34:25city from a much feared English
34:26invasion, which never actually
34:28materialized. The Battle of Laden was a
34:31complete massacre for the Scots with
34:32over 10,000 souls lost. Check out the
34:35arrow slit windows for bow and arrows
34:37called Balastraia and the blocked up old
34:39windows in the wall. Today you can
34:41follow the remains of the flooden wall
34:43up from the grass market and around
34:44Greyfire's kirkyard and the old town.
34:49[Music]
34:58[Music]
35:14Thanks so much for watching, especially
35:16if you got this far. If you've enjoyed
35:19it, I'd be really grateful if you could
35:21subscribe. It's a lot of work creating
35:23these, and with AI about to dominate, us
35:25humans need all the help we can get.
35:27I'll be posting more tours of the city
35:29on my personal website. And if you'd
35:31like to be notified of them, you can
35:33sign up for my newsletter at
35:35www.davidweter.com.
35:38Thanks so much for watching and see you
35:40again soon.
35:46[Music]

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