Editing Royal Mile

{{Short description|Collection of streets in Edinburgh}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2017}}
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| name        = Royal Mile
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| caption     = View looking east down the Royal Mile past the [[Tron Kirk]]
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The '''Royal Mile''' ({{Langx|gd|Am Mìle Rìoghail}})<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://parlamaidalba.wordpress.com/tag/gaeilge-na-halban/|title=Gaeilge na hAlban – Duilleag 2|website=Blog Pàrlamaid na h-Alba}}</ref> is the nickname of a series of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the [[Old Town, Edinburgh|Old Town]] of [[Edinburgh]], Scotland. The term originated in the early 20th century and has since entered popular usage.<ref>{{cite book | last=Harris | first=Stuart | title=The Place Names of Edinburgh |year=2002 |publisher=Steve Savage |location=London | page=497 | isbn=1-904246-06-0 }}</ref>

The Royal Mile runs between two significant locations in the royal [[history of Scotland]], [[Edinburgh Castle]] and [[Holyrood Palace]], and has a total length of approximately one mile.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/whats-on/the-royal-mile-how-long-is-edinburghs-high-street-193042 |title=The Royal Mile: How long is Edinburgh's High Street? |work=Edinburgh Evening News |publisher=National World |date=2018-12-07 |accessdate=2024-06-14 }}</ref> The streets which make up the Royal Mile are (west to east) Castlehill, the Lawnmarket, the High Street, the Canongate and Abbey Strand. The Royal Mile is the busiest [[Tourism in Scotland|tourist]] street in the Old Town, rivalled only by [[Princes Street]] in the [[New Town, Edinburgh|New Town]].

The Royal Mile contains a variety of shops, restaurants, public houses, and visitor attractions. During the annual [[Edinburgh Festival Fringe|Edinburgh Fringe]], the High Street becomes crowded with tourists, entertainers, and [[busker]]s. Parliament Square is at the heart of Scotland's legal system, being the home of both the High Court of Justiciary and the Court of Session.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Supreme Courts |url=https://scotcourts.gov.uk/the-courts/supreme-courts |website=Scottish Courts and Tribunals |access-date=22 September 2020}}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:The Royal Mile, Edinburgh.webm|alt=Video of the Royal Mile, Edinburgh|thumb|Video of the Royal Mile, Edinburgh]]
Retreating ice sheets, many millennia ago, deposited their [[glacial debris]] behind the hard [[volcanic plug]] of the castle rock on which Edinburgh Castle stands, resulting in a distinctive [[crag and tail]] formation. Running eastwards from the crag on which the castle sits, the Royal Mile sits upon the ridge of the tail which slopes gently down to Holyrood Palace. Steep [[List of closes on the Royal Mile|''closes'']] (or alleyways) run between the many tall ''lands'' (or [[apartment|tenement]] buildings) off the main thoroughfare. The route runs from an elevation of {{convert|42|m|ft|order=flip}} above sea level at the palace to {{convert|109|m|ft|order=flip}} at the castle, giving an average [[Grade (slope)|gradient]] of 4.1%.

==Castle Esplanade==
The Castle Esplanade was laid out as a parade ground, in 1753, using spoil from the building of the Royal Exchange (now the [[Edinburgh City Chambers|City Chambers]]). It was formalised in 1816 when it was widened and provided with decorative railings and walls. The Esplanade with its several monuments has been Category A-listed by [[Historic Scotland]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/sc-28011-edinburgh-castle-esplanade- | title = Edinburgh Castle, Esplanade, Edinburgh | access-date = 2012-10-22}}</ref> It is the venue of the annual [[Edinburgh Military Tattoo]] at which time specially designed temporary [[grandstand]]s are erected.

==Castlehill==
[[File:The Royal Mile, Edinburgh - High Resoultion.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Castlehill forming part of the Royal Mile. The former Victorian church houses The Hub, an information service for the [[Edinburgh International Festival]]. On the right is The Scotch Whisky Experience and on the left the Camera Obscura tower and shops.]]
From the Castle Esplanade, the first building on the right is [[Cannonball House (Edinburgh)|Cannonball House]] which has a cannonball lodged in the wall facing the Esplanade, often said to have been accidentally fired from the Castle but which actually marks the elevation of Comiston Springs, three miles to the south of the Castle, which fed a [[cistern]] on Castlehill, one of the first piped water supplies in Scotland.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://canmore.org.uk/event/590536/ | title = Civil Engineering Heritage....... | access-date = 2023-05-21}}</ref>

Castlehill is dominated by the former Tolbooth-Highland-St John's Church (on the south side at the foot of this section), now the headquarters of the [[Edinburgh International Festival]] society – [[The Hub (Edinburgh)|The Hub]], and on the north side by the [[Outlook Tower|Outlook Tower and Camera Obscura]]. The [[General Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland|Assembly Hall]] of the [[Church of Scotland]] and [[New College, Edinburgh|New College]] are further down on the same side. The [[Scottish Parliament]] met in the Assembly Hall between 1999 and 2004.

==Lawnmarket==
The Lawnmarket is a separately named part of the High Street. Addresses are a continuation of the High Street numbers. It runs from the West Bow to St Giles Street.

A charter of 1477 designated this part of the High Street as the market-place for what was called "inland merchandise" – items such as yarn, stockings, coarse cloth and other similar articles. In later years, linen was the main product sold. As a result, it became known as the Land Market<ref>{{cite web |url=http://maps.nls.uk/view/74400010#zoom=5&lat=3462&lon=3252&layers=BT |title=City and castle of Edinburgh, William Edgar, 1765 |work=Town Plans / Views, 1580-1919 |publisher=National Library of Scotland |access-date=2015-02-11 }}</ref> which was later corrupted to Lawn Market.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scribd.com/document/57398403/Edinburgh-Street-Names |title=The Derivation of Edinburgh's Street Names |access-date=2019-06-20 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://maps.nls.uk/view/74400070#zoom=5&lat=4745&lon=4785&layers=BT |title=City of Edinburgh, John Ainslie, 1780 |work=Town Plans / Views, 1580-1919 |publisher=National Library of Scotland |access-date=2015-02-11 }}</ref> Located in a close on the south side, Riddle's Court is the well-preserved 16th-century house of a merchant [[John MacMorran]], who was shot by rioting schoolboys in 1595.<ref>Daniel Wilson, ''Memorials of Edinburgh in the Olden Time'', vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1891), pp. 218-219.</ref>

Today, the majority of shops in the street are aimed at tourists. On the north side is the preserved 17th century merchant's townhouse [[Gladstone's Land]] owned by the [[National Trust for Scotland]]. The lower end of the Lawnmarket is intersected by [[George IV Bridge]] on the right (south) and Bank Street on the left (north), leading to [[The Mound]] and the New Town. The view down Bank Street is closed by the [[baroque]] headquarters of the [[Bank of Scotland]].

On the south-west corner of this intersection, with its entrance on George IV Bridge, is the Hotel Missoni, replacing the former Lothian Regional Council offices. This building is of controversial design, winning a [[Scottish Civic Trust]] award and a 2010 [[Royal Institute of British Architects|RIBA]] award,<ref>{{cite web |title=Hotel Missoni, Edinburgh |url=https://www.corranproperties.co.uk/projects/hotel-missoni/ |website=Corran Properties |access-date=7 December 2023}}</ref> but also being nominated for (but not winning) the [[Carbuncle Cup]] in 2009.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Welch |first1=Adrian |title=Carbuncle Cup 2009 Winners News, UK |url=https://www.e-architect.com/awards/carbuncle-cup-2009 |website=e-architect |access-date=7 December 2023 |language=en-gb |date=10 June 2009}}</ref>

Between Bank Street and St Giles Street, marking the end of the Lawnmarket, the [[High Court of Justiciary]], Scotland's [[Supreme court|supreme]] criminal court, is housed in the [[Justiciary Building, Edinburgh|Justiciary Building]].<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|num= LB27598|desc= High Court (Former Sheriff Court), 413-431 Lawnmarket, Edinburgh |access-date=26 December 2022}}</ref>

==High Street==
[[File:The High Street, Edinburgh.JPG|thumb|270px|Looking down the High Street towards the [[Tron Kirk]], the section rebuilt in 1828 following the [[Great Fire of Edinburgh (1824)]]]]
On the south side, about one-third of the way down from the Castle toward the Palace is [[Parliament Square, Edinburgh|Parliament Square]], named after the old [[Parliament House, Edinburgh|Parliament House]] which housed both the law courts and the old [[Parliament of Scotland]] between the 1630s and 1707 (when its existence was ended by the [[Act of Union 1707|Act of Union]]). Parliament House now houses the [[Court of Session]], [[Courts of Scotland|Scotland's supreme civil court]]. [[St Giles' Cathedral]], the High Kirk of Edinburgh, also stands in Parliament Square.

By the West Door of St Giles' is the [[Heart of Midlothian (Royal Mile)|Heart of Midlothian]], a heart-shaped pattern built into the "setted" road, marking the site of the [[Old Tolbooth, Edinburgh|Old Tolbooth]], formerly the centre of administration, taxation and justice in the [[burgh]]. The prison was described by [[Sir Walter Scott]] as the "Heart of Midlothian", and soon after demolition the city fathers marked the site with a heart mosaic. Locals have traditionally spat upon the heart's centre as a sign of contempt for the prison. On the north side, opposite St Giles', stand [[Edinburgh City Chambers]], where the [[City of Edinburgh Council]] meets. On the south side, just past the High Kirk, is the [[Mercat Cross, Edinburgh|Mercat Cross]] from which royal proclamations are read and the summoning of Parliament announced.
[[File:Heart of Midlothian and brass marker.jpg|thumb|left|160px|The [[Heart of Midlothian (Royal Mile)|Heart of Midlothian]]]]
The whole south side of buildings from St Giles to the [[Tron Kirk]] had to be rebuilt or refaced in the 1820s following the [[Great Edinburgh Fire]] of 1824. This was done in a Georgian style, stepping down the hill.

The central focus of the Royal Mile is a major intersection with the Bridges.  [[North Bridge, Edinburgh|North Bridge]] runs north over [[Edinburgh Waverley railway station|Waverley station]] to the New Town's Princes Street. [[South Bridge, Edinburgh|South Bridge]] (which appears at street level to be simply a road with shops on either side—only one arch is visible from below) spans the [[Cowgate]] to the south, a street in a hollow below, and continues as Nicolson Street past the [[Old College, University of Edinburgh|Old College]] building of the [[University of Edinburgh]].

[[File:Netherbow tablet in the High Street, Edinburgh.jpg|thumb|120px|Tablet marking the site of the Netherbow Port]]
At [[John Knox House|John Knox's House]] the High Street narrows to a section of the street formerly known as the Netherbow, which, at its crossroads with Jeffrey Street (north) and St Mary's Street (south), marked the former city boundary. At this point stood the [[Edinburgh town walls|Netherbow Port]], a [[fortified gateway]] between Edinburgh and [[the Canongate]] (until 1856 a separate burgh), which was removed in 1764 to improve traffic flow. The [[Scottish Storytelling Centre]] is a modern extension to John Knox House, owned by the Church of Scotland. It opened in 2006, replacing the former Netherbow Arts Centre, which itself replaced the Moray-Knox Church in the 1960s. Following the English victory over the Scots at the [[Battle of Flodden]] in 1513, a city wall was built around Edinburgh known as the [[Flodden Wall]], some parts of which survive. The Netherbow Port was a gateway in this wall and [[brass]] studs in the road mark its former position. On the corner of St Mary's Street is the World's End Pub which takes its name from the adjacent World's End Close, whimsically so named because this was in former times the last close in Edinburgh before entering the Canongate.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.edinburgh.org.uk/STREETS/part1/w.htm | title = The Derivation of Edinburgh's Street Names | access-date = 2012-09-10 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120808221222/http://www.edinburgh.org.uk/STREETS/part1/w.htm | archive-date = 8 August 2012 | df = dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/52328/details/edinburgh+high+street+world+s+end+close/ | title = Edinburgh High Street, World's End Close | access-date = 2012-09-10}}</ref>

==Entertainment for the wedding of Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1558==
There was a triumph or show at the Salt Tron and other locations on the Royal Mile to celebrate the marriage of [[Mary, Queen of Scots]], and [[Francis II of France]], on 3 July 1558. The [[Wedding of Mary, Queen of Scots, and Francis, Dauphin of France|wedding itself took place in Paris]] on 24 April 1558.<ref>Lucinda H. S. Dean, 'In the Absence of an Adult Monarch', ''Medieval and Early Modern Representations of Authority in Scotland and the British Isles'' (Routledge, 2016), pp. 155-158.</ref> The Edinburgh entertainment was written and produced by [[William Lauder (poet)|William Lauder]] and William Adamson.<ref>[[James David Marwick]], ''Extracts from the records of the Burgh of Edinburgh: 1557-1571'' (Edinburgh, 1875), p. 26.</ref> [[Walter Binning]] painted the "play cart" for actors portraying the signs of the seven planets and Cupid. Artificial "summer trees" decorated with fruit made from tennis balls covered with gold foil or leaf were placed on four stages.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/edinburghrecords01edinuoft/page/n319/mode/2up Robert Adam, ''Edinburgh Records: The Burgh Accounts'', vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1899), pp. 269-271]</ref> The seven planets had been portrayed in a show in Paris after the wedding.<ref>Sarah Carpenter & Graham Runnalls, 'The Marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots', ''Medieval English Theatre'', 22 (2000), pp. 145-161.</ref>

Other 16th-century royal entertainments at the Tron and on the Royal Mile include the [[Entry of Mary, Queen of Scots into Edinburgh|Entry of Mary, Queen of Scots]] (1561), the [[Entry of James VI into Edinburgh|Entry of James VI]] (1579), and the [[Entry and coronation of Anne of Denmark|Entry of Anne of Denmark]] (1590).<ref>Giovanna Guidicini, ''Triumphal Entries and Festivals in Early Modern Scotland'' (Brepols, 2020): Douglas Grey, 'The Royal Entry in Sixteenth-Century Scotland', S. Mapstone & J. Wood, ''The Rose and the Thistle'' (Tuckwell, 1998), pp. 10–37: Clare McManus, ''Women on the Renaissance Stage: Anna of Denmark and Female Masquing in the Stuart Court, 1590–1618'' (Manchester, 2002), p. 72.</ref> In July 1598, scholars from [[Royal High School, Edinburgh|Edinburgh High School]] put on a satirical play at the Tolbooth. Costumes were made for the characters of a Pope, two Cardinals, and several friars. After the performance the costumes were donated to the poor.<ref>T. H. Vail Motter, ''The school drama in England'' (Port Washington, 1968), pp. 296–7: Anna S. Mill, ''Mediaeval Plays in Scotland'', pp. 205–206.</ref>

==Murders of note==

Several infamous murders have taken place on the central section of the Royal Mile:

*[[George Lockhart, Lord Carnwath]], murdered by John Chieslie in 1689.
*[[James Mackcoull]], murdered William Begbie in 1806 in the close leading to Tweeddale Court.
*[[World's End Murders|World's End Close]], double murder in 1977 by Angus Sinclair.

==Canongate==
[[File:Anchor-close.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Anchor Close at twilight looking towards Cockburn Street from the Royal Mile.]]
[[File:The time is 1884 (40498302805).jpg|thumb|left|Canongate Tollbooth Clock]]
{{main|The Canongate}}
Beyond the crossroads, the Royal Mile continues down the Canongate, meaning literally "the canons' way" when it was used in former times by the [[Canons regular#Canons Regular of Saint Augustine|Augustinian]] canons of [[Holyrood Abbey]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.edinburgh.org.uk/STREETS/part1/c.htm | title = The Derivation of Edinburgh's Street Names | access-date = 2012-09-10 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120808230712/http://www.edinburgh.org.uk/STREETS/part1/c.htm | archive-date = 8 August 2012 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> The street continues downhill past [[Moray House School of Education#Old Moray House|Moray House]] (now the main academic offices of [[Moray House School of Education]] of the University of Edinburgh), the [[Canongate Tolbooth]] (now a museum of social history called [[The People's Story Museum|The People's Story]]), the [[Kirk of the Canongate]] (the Canongate's parish church and a thriving congregation of the Church of Scotland) and the new [[Scottish Parliament Building]] to Holyrood Palace and the ruined abbey. Until 1856 the Canongate was not merely a street, but the name of the surrounding burgh, separate from Edinburgh and outside the Flodden Wall.

==Abbey Strand==
This street is the short approach to the Palace of Holyroodhouse at the foot of the Canongate. One of the buildings On the north side, the building to the east was the house of Lucky Spence, a notorious brothel madam, remembered in [[Allan Ramsay (poet)|Allan Ramsay]]'s poem, ''Lucky Spence's Last Advice''.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://digital.nls.uk/broadsides/broadside.cfm/id/15904 | title = Broadside ballad entitled 'Lucky Spence's Last Advice' | access-date = 2012-09-13}}</ref> The building to the west was described as a new "Great Mansion" in 1570.<ref>Dennis B. Gallagher, "Holyrood Abbey: the disappearance of a monastery", ''PSAS'', 128 (1998), p. 1095.</ref><ref>''Inventory of Monuments in Edinburgh'' (Edinburgh: HMS0, 1951), pp. 156–157.</ref> [[Scottish Renaissance painted ceilings|Renaissance painted ceilings]] were salvaged from the building in 1967. Some of the timbers were felled in the 1560s. During 20th century restorations by the [[Ministry of Works (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Works]], other painted beams found at [[Midhope Castle]] and [[Caroline Park]] were inserted into the buildings.<ref>Michael Bath, Anne Crone, Michael Pearce, ''[https://www.engineshed.org/publications/publication/?publicationId=535234b2-8dc1-42f8-8d1b-a73600c76fee The Dendrochronology and Art History of 16th and 17th century Painted Ceilings]'' (Historic Environment Scotland, 2017), pp. 7, 13, 16.</ref>

On the south side is the [[King's Gallery, Edinburgh|King's Gallery]], used to exhibit items in the Royal collection, in the shell of the former Holyrood Free Church and Duchess of Gordon's School. There are also the remains of the gatehouse of Holyrood Palace built by [[Walter Merlioun]] for [[James IV]], with a carving of the royal coat-of-arms of [[James V]] set in the wall.<ref>John G. Dunbar, ''Scottish Royal Palaces'' (Tuckwell: East Linton, 1999), pp. 57-9.</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of closes on the Royal Mile]]
*[[Moubray House]]
*[[Museum of Childhood (Edinburgh)|Museum of Childhood]]
*[[Royal Mile police box]]
*[[Writers' Museum]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk City of Edinburgh Council]
*[http://www.eota.org.uk Edinburgh Old Town Association]

{{Transport in Edinburgh}}
{{Streets and Squares in Edinburgh|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Royal Mile| ]]
[[Category:Old Town, Edinburgh]]
[[Category:Streets in Edinburgh]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Edinburgh]]
[[Category:Busking venues]]