Old City Wall Walking Tour
Old Edinburgh Town Walls
Starting Point of the wall was Edinburgh Castle at David’s Tower
The other end of the wall was below the Calton Hill where the Trinity Church stood, now Waverley Train Station.
In the west under the shadow of Edinburgh Castle St Cuthbert’s Church still stands.
The area flooded to protect the castle from invasion from the north (Nor’ Loch).
King's Wall
The building of the first wall to protect the town started 1427 by order of
James I (1394 – 1437) after
his death it was completed by James II (1430 – 1460).
Edinburgh City Walls Route
Johnstone Terrace
(David’s Tower) Half-Moon Battery
(Granny Green Steps) (King’s Wall Plaque)
Kings Stables Road
Chapel Wynd (Jousting Line)
Grassmarket
(Walter Scott Poem) (Wall Route Stone)
West Port
(Salvation Army Plaques)
Vennel Steps
(Flodden Wall) (Flodden Tower)
Heriot Place
(Telfer Wall)
Lauriston Place
(Heriot’s School) (Old RIE Building)
(Telfer Wall) (Meadow Pillars)
​
Forrest Road
(Oddfellows Hall) (Bristo Gate Plaque)
​
Forrest Hill
(Rifle Brigade Hall)
Bristo Place
(Bedlam - North Road Church)
(Maiden’s School) (Darien Plaque) (Napier’s - City Wall Carving)
Lothian Street
(Darwin Plaque) (Potterrow Tunnel)
West College Street
Kirk O Fields Port (Potterrow Port)
South College Street
(McGonagall plaque)
University of Edinburgh
(Old College) (Statue)
Drummond Street
(JK Rowling Plaque) (RLS Plaque)
(George Davie Plaque) (Old RIE + Gates) (Flodden Wall)
Pleasance
(Flodden Wall and Plaque)
(St Mary’s Port)
Heriots Hospital
(Pleasance) (Cowgate)
(High School Yards)
Cowgate Port
(St Patrick’s R.C Church)
St Mary’s Street
(Boyd’s Entry Carving)
(Improvement Act Plaque)
(White Horse Inn)
Nether Bow Port
(Brass Setts)
Cranston Street
Leith (Lytht) Wynd (Trinity Church)
(Lytht Port)
Jeffrey Street
(View Calton Hill) (Jail Wall) (Wall End) (Nor’ Loch)
High Street
World’s End Tweeddale Court
Fountain Close
New Palace Theatre Hyndford’s Close
South Gray’s Close Toddrick’s Wynd
Melrose Close Cant’s Close
Dickson’s Close
Storytelling Centre
(Nether Bow Plaque) (Nether Bow Bell)
​​Flodden Wall
Building started in 1513 after the defeat and death of the
King, James IV at the Battle of Flodden and completed circa 1560​
Telfer Wall
The building started in 1628 and took circa 8 years to complete.
Named after master mason John Taillefer. This wall was to protect
Heriot’s Hospital (School) as it stood outside the city wall​
The Old Town Walls
The Flodden Wall and Telfer Wall
You can walk the route of the walls of Edinburgh.
The Flodden and Telfer Walls, plus see where the
Ports (gateways) into Edinburgh stood.
The first Edinburgh city wall was erected circa 1427 (The King’s Wall 1450) by James I. A marsh in the hollow below the castle to the north was flooded in 1460 (Nor Loch) which with the wall completed, the defence for the Castle and the
Old Town of Edinburgh was protected.
It was fortified and extended in 1513 after the Battle of Flodden.
A further extension to the Edinburgh city wall was built to include
Heriot’s Hospital (school) circa 1630.
There was also a wall that extended to the Palace of Holyrood to surround the Canongate area, but this was not considered as a protection as the area
was outside the city wall.
The Old Town Walls
The Flodden Wall and Telfer Wall
Edinburgh City Wall
Route of Flodden Wall and Telfer Wall on Google map
Red markers are the Ports (Gates) Black markers - Wall Towers
Blue Line Flodden Wall - Brown Line Telfer Wall
Yellow markers place of interest
which can be seen with history throughout the www.allaboutedinburgh.co.uk.
