Canongate Walking Tour
Edinburgh Walking Tours
Each Tour gives a map and route with what can be seen in each named Street plus a picture of the attraction and the history 11 tours are available
Canongate
Canongate Royal Mile Edinburgh is named after the canons of Holyrood Abbey and the Scots word gait meaning “road”. The Canongate was a small district outside the Edinburgh City Walls. The lands and village of Herbergare, where the Abbey of Holyrood was built was given to the monks by King David I in 1128 and a road that extended from Herbergare, to the St John's Cross, this was known as Canon gait. Houses soon were built on both sides of the road and in time the name of Herbergare was lost and the name Canongate was taken in its place. The Canongate had walls around the town which was to define the town with gates that were closed at night. However IT was no protection against invaders. The Canongate area was burnt to the ground on several occasions first by Richard II circa 1380 then 1544, 1642, 1649, finally by Cromwell and his army in 1651.
Saint John’s Cross
Border of Old Canongate and Edinburgh
The cross of St John marks the spot on the Royal Mile Canongate Edinburgh where the boundary between Edinburgh and the Burgh of the Canongate was and also marks where the original St. John’s Cross was positioned. Moved to allow carriages which were becoming more popular to pass up and down the street.
St Mary (Wynd) Street Edinburgh
St Mary’s Wynd was widened and became a street. The First House to be built under the Improvement Act of 1867 was
No 2 St Mary Street and a wall tablet was placed above the door and unveiled by the Lord Provost of Edinburgh the right honourable William Chambers of Glenormiston a publisher, politician and brother of Robert Chambers Author and publisher both were born in Peebles in the Scottish Borders are were influential in Edinburgh’s History. St Mary’s Wynd was built on an old Roman road and was named after the Cistercian nuns of St Mary and a chapel and hospital dedicated to St Mary both built on the west side of the Wynd. The Mary’s Wynd was first mentioned circa 1360 when men to Edinburgh up Mary’s Wynd after returning from battle. A Wynd changed its name to street when widened to allow carts to use it.
No 2 St Mary’s Street
Boyd’s Entry Boyd’s Inn
Boyd’s Entry is where the first passenger coaches arrived from London. This is where the stables and buildings to house the coaches stood at the foot of Gullan’s Close next to the White Horse Inn (previously Boyd’s Inn), at the head of the Canongate. The Flodden wall once stood on the west side of the Street prior to the present housing. There was gates at both ends of the St Mary’s Wynd, at the Cowgate and Pleasance and the Nether Bow Gate which were the only ways into Edinburgh,
The White Horse Inn
The White Horse Inn is the oldest Inn in the Canongate Edinburgh with the stables at the rear with entry from Gullan’s Close. The coaches left from what was known as Boyd’s Inn. The other entrance for the coaches and horses was from Boyd’s Entry a short distance down St Mary’s Wynd, Boyd’s Inn, was the starting point the long journey by coach to London. The main dropping off point for the coaches from London was Boyd’s Close off Boyd’s Entry, at the back of the White Horse Inn.
The White Horse Inn was the place that runaway couples from England came to be married and many weddings were carried out here. Boyd’s Inn consisted of a house for entertainment, stables for over 100 horses and sheds for over 20 carriages and rooms for the guests. This was the first 5 star lodging in Edinburgh the proprietor being James Boyd. James Boyd sold the White Horse Inn in 1776 to retire.
Gullan’s Close
Gullan’s Close at the side of the White Horse Inn was the fourth close on the south side of the Canongate prior to 1869 when the first three closes of the Canongate were demolished under the improvement Act of 1867 replaced by a tenement.
Gullan’s Close was previously Halliburton’s Close and James Boyd the Innkeeper owned property on the west side of Halliburton’s Close (White Horse Inn). James Boyd the Innkeeper was a gambler and was about to lose everything when he had good fortune with a run of winnings on a white Horse hence where the name The White Horse Inn derived. It was also the Start and finish to the coach trip to and from London. Gullan’s Close named after James Gullan. The close led to the Stables where the coaches and Horses for the London coach journey where stabled. (100 horses and 20 carriages).
Canongate Walking History Tour
below are the sites of the Canongate you will see.
The history can be found on these links
Canongate South
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Gibb’s Close
Pirrie’s Close
Chessel’s Court
Weir’s Close
Old Playhouse Close
James Laidlaw Maxwell Plaque
St John’s Cross
St John’s Pend
Smollett Thomson
St John’s Land
Lodge Canongate Kilwinning
Saint John’s Lodge
Moray House
Summer House
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Sugarhouse Close
Huntley House
Museum Of Edinburgh
Bakehouse Close
Acheson House
Wilson’s Court
Cooper’s Close
Crichton’s Close
Scottish Poetry Library
Bull’s Close
Milton House School
Nisbet of Dirleton’s House
Reid’s Close
Dynamic Earth
Vallence’s Entry
Scottish Parliament Building wall
Queensberry House
Canongate Parliament Wall Plaques
Horse Wynd
Scottish Parliament
Abbey Brewery Lothian Hut
King’s Gallery Old area map
Abbey Strand
Holyroodhouse Unicorn
Holyrood Abbey
Sanctuary Fountain
Thomson’s Court
Psychic Garden
Bath House
Canongate Kirk
Holyrood Abbey
Fergusson Statue
Canongate Cross
Inside the Kirk
Graveyard and Graves of the Famous
Canongate North
Watergate
Russell House
Girth Cross Maiden Guillotine
White horse Close
William Dick Ord’s Inn
Galloway’s Entry
Forsyth’s Close
Whitefoord House
Jenny Ha’s
Brown’s Close
Golfer’s Land
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Campbell’s Close
Reid’s Close
Lochend Close
Panmure Close
Panmure House, Cadell House
Dunbar’s Close and Gardens
Canongate Kirk
Kirk Graveyard
Graves of, Riccio, Fettes
Smith Fergusson Clarinda
Old Tollbooth
The People’s Story Museum
Gladstone’s Court
Bible Land
Shoemaker Land
Sibbald Walk
New Street
Morocco Land
Mid Common Close
Cranston Street
Leith Wynd
Canongate Christian Institute
Nether Bow Port
World’s End