History in Edinburgh

Discover 21 places to experience unusual history in Edinburgh.

Edinburgh, Scotland

The Wave of Translation

A plaque commemorates a Victorian scientist's monumental discovery about waves.

The Black Castle in South Queensferry, Scotland.

Edinburgh, Scotland

The Black Castle

This severely painted building has a twisted connection to the witch hunts of the 1640s.

15 London Street

Edinburgh, Scotland

15 London Street

Inside this home, the Icelandic national anthem was born.

Old Wooden Water Pipes

Edinburgh, Scotland

Medieval Water Pipes

These wooden pipes were crucial to providing water to Medieval Edinburgh.

Condemned Cell Door of Calton Jail

Edinburgh, Scotland

Death Cell Door of Calton Jail

Many of Edinburgh's more unsavory characters spent their final days behind this door while awaiting their executions.

Netherbow Gatehouse.

Edinburgh, Scotland

Luckenbooths

Brass bricks outline the locations of Edinburgh's lost, lively market stalls.

Pavilion.

Edinburgh, Scotland

Moray House Garden Pavilion

This unassuming shed was the stage for a monumental event in British history.

The bell.

Edinburgh, Scotland

Netherbow Bell

The bell that once tolled atop a lost Edinburgh gate now hangs for all to see.

Edinburgh, Scotland

Jougs Collar of Duddingston Kirk

A medieval device used to punish and shame wrongdoers still hangs outside the village church.

Edinburgh, Scotland

Sciennes Jewish Burial Ground

This tiny weathered plot is one of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in Scotland.

The restored kilns in 2013.

Edinburgh, Scotland

Portobello Bottle Kilns

The last remaining bottle-shaped kilns in Scotland stand alone in an Edinburgh suburb.

The Millennium Clock Tower

Edinburgh, Scotland

Millennium Clock Tower

The dance of this huge clock is a magnificent and eerie commentary on good and evil in the history of humankind.

Tweeddale Court.

Edinburgh, Scotland

Tweeddale Court

This 16th-century close preserves an unusual piece of Edinburgh's transportation history.

The New Calton Burial Ground watchtower.

Edinburgh, Scotland

New Calton Cemetery Watchtower

Overlooking the burial ground is a tower designed to prevent thieves from snatching the recently deceased.

Riddle's Court.

Edinburgh, Scotland

The King's Chamber

This was once a hall in which a 16th-century royal banquet was hosted by King James VI of Scotland.

One of the stones.

Edinburgh, Scotland

Sanctuary Stones

A series of three shiny letters mark the boundary of an old refuge for those being pursued by debt collectors.