The Great Edinburgh fire of 1824 destroyed Parliament Close and everything below it.

On top they built the magnificent Georgian building that stands today, formally a Police Court with jails for the locals of Edinburgh who had “misbehaved”…

In fact, in the attic of our building we have one of the first water pumps ever built to protect against future fires. A statue of James Braidwood, the founding father of the world’s first fire department stands proudly outside our building.

However, what was left underground is still a mystery and only by looking at maps pre-1824 can we truly understand what was there before and after….

In the old maps we can see Closes, living quarters, taverns and even the Royal Bank.

Steil’s Close regularly features in the maps pre-1824 and disappears thereafter. This is the same with Royal Bank Close and Hangman’s Close. They all led into Old Fishmarket Close which still stands today.

We can’t say for definite which Close we have but we can say it is a Close…why?

It has gradual steps down on foundation stone and leads to a clear arch for those to walk through towards Old Fishmarket Close.