Mary King was a prominent merchant who traded in fabric and the close was named after her. However, during the construction of the Royal Exchange in 1760, the close was partly demolished and buried beneath the new building's foundations. Closed to the world, it became the subject of ghost stories and urban legends.
Why was Mary King's Close buried? For centuries Mary King's Close was just like any other street, any close or wind in the old town. But by the 18th Century it was very derelict and so the city authorities decided to build on top of it. But rather than (...1...) the whole street they only (...
Thomas Coltheart, a respected lawyer, and his wife moved into the Close in 1685. Their maidservant fled the place almost immediately, claiming the house was haunted. Later, Coltheart and his wife saw a man's disembodied head floating through the house.
A well known Japanese medium visited the close when it was reopened to the public, and she contacted Annie, the little girl ghost of Mary King's Close. The medium felt a tug on her coat as she left one of the rooms. As she looked back, she saw a small girl crying in the corner.
During The Real Mary King's Close tour there are no actors dressed up as ghosts or people there to frighten you. Visitors will be shocked by the humidity of the place and the spine-chilling stories based on real people that lived, worked and died in the Old Town.
Edinburgh's HIDDEN Streets - The Real Mary King's Close
What is the history of the real Mary King's Close?
Mary King's Close and its surrounding streets were not always underground. In the 1600s, they were open to the skies and filled with residents and market traders. Mary King was a prominent merchant who traded in fabric and the close was named after her.
Plan your visit to The Real Mary King's Close. Get ready for your tour of Edinburgh's only preserved 17th century underground street. The Real Mary King's Close is one of Scotland's most unique historic sites. Open throughout the year, the warren of underground spaces can be accessed from the Royal Mile.
La Llorona is often closely associated with children. In some stories, she is said to wail for her own lost or dead children; in many of these stories, she killed her own children when she was alive and is doomed for her actions to be a wandering ghost.
George Rae, survived thanks to an early hazmat suit. In the summer of 1645, Dr. George Rae took over as plague doctor. Unlike Paulitious, he survived the outbreak—thanks to his now-infamous leather plague suit.
Rickard also appears as the head of Sir Humphrey Bone – A Tudor nobleman who accidentally decapitated himself in 1575 after being mistakenly accused of his French wife Sophie's plot to assassinate Elizabeth I. He struggles with his body (played by Yani Xander) dropping his head and failing to pick him up.
(400 YEARS TO BE PRECISE) The Real Mary King's Close is hidden beneath the characteristic and lively streets of Edinburgh's busy thoroughfare – the Royal Mile. Step down below the Royal Mile and back in time with one of The Close's former residents…
The Real Mary King's Close has been named the Best Visitor Attraction in the UK by Tripadvisor in its 2024 Travellers' Choice Awards! Book your tour to visit one of the top 1% of things to do worldwide.
Due to uneven surfaces and some steep inclines, sturdy footwear is strongly recommended. Many areas are dimly lit, and some guests may experience disorientation or claustrophobia.
Explore the depths of Mary King's Close and immerse yourself in the secrets and mysteries that have been preserved for centuries. This hidden gem offers an unforgettable journey into the heart of Edinburgh's underground history.
Descend into a section of Edinburgh's legendary Underground City, where a population once lived in utter misery. Forgotten for centuries and only recently unsealed, this part of the vaults is known as Damnation Alley.
Did Mary Queen of Scots stay in Mary King's Close?
On the 15th of May 1567 was a turning point in Scottish history. Mary Queen of Scots married her third husband, James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell. It led to a series of events that would bring the Queen to one of the closes now part of The Real Mary King's Close.
A plague doctor was a physician who treated victims of bubonic plague during epidemics in 17th-century Europe. These physicians were hired by cities to treat infected patients regardless of income, especially the poor, who could not afford to pay.
Other retellings say that her husband may have left her for a wealthier or lighter-skinned woman. Out of jealousy, rage, or despair, she is said to have lured her sons to a nearby river and drowned them before drowning herself after realizing what she had done.
Robert the Doll is a reportedly haunted doll exhibited at the East Martello Museum in Key West, Florida. He was once owned by painter, author, and Key West resident Robert Eugene Otto.
A banshee (/ˈbænʃiː/ BAN-shee; Modern Irish bean sí [bʲən̪ˠ ˈʃiː], from Old Irish: ben síde [bʲen ˈʃiːðʲe], "woman of the fairy mound" or "fairy woman") is a female spirit in Irish folklore who heralds the death of a family member, usually by screaming, wailing, shrieking, or keening.
Closes were named after the most prominent citizen or the most commonly found business to be on the close. Documents show that Mary King was a prominent businesswoman in the 1630s. At that time she was a widow and a mother of four, who traded in fabrics and sewed for a living.
Generically such an alleyway is termed a close /ˈkloʊs/, a Scots term for alleyway, although it may be individually named close, entry, court, or wynd. A close is private property, hence gated and closed to the public, whereas a wynd is an open thoroughfare, usually wide enough for a horse and cart.
