*The golden “gled”, Scots for hawk – perhaps the meaning of Gledstaine*

Recently I went on a guided tour of the National Trust for Scotland’s Gladstone’s Land on the Royal Mile. My tour guide was David, our informative and enthusiastic volunteer . He gave us fascinating facts, stories and insights as we walked through this 17^thcentury tenement.

The Royal Mile in the 1600s

*Arches from the 1600s. You reach the apartments via the stairway on the left.*

We started the tour outside, under Edinburgh’s only surviving 17^thcentury arched store frontage. It’s quite something to imagine the hustle and bustle of Edinburgh in the 1600s. People would along the markets on the mile and buy their wares from under these arches. There was a quality grocer and a cloth shop on the ground floor. The basement housed a tavern – I suppose the equivalent of our coffee shops today – especially people thought beer was safer than water!

My first discovery was just how crowded the Royal Mile was at that time. It was very much des res for the wealthy, at least on the middle floors, with the poorer taking up the top and bottom floors. Gladstone, however, built his land for rich tenants, as you can see by its opulent décor. The extensions along the narrow closes were testament to the shortage of housing and the desirability of the area. This six-storey building was once considered a skyscraper. Later, buildings of thirteen storeys extended down the steep banks towards what is now Princes Street gardens. The difference in population density between the upper and lower halves of the Royal Mile is quite stunning. People wanted to live near the Castle, in the Lawnmarket, because it was within the city walls. Down towards Holyrood Palace was the Canongate, and it wasn’t part of Edinburgh City.

*The Royal Mile – the black vertical lines are the buildings along the closes – quite a contrast to the leafy suburbs of the Canongate!*

When merchant Thomas Gladstone built his tenement block for rental, it was not only a sign of his commercial success (and fortuitous marriage!) It also qualified as a very Nice Little Earner! Edinburgh was at one time the most densely populated city on Earth!

*The wooden shuttered half windows show the high price of glass at the time*

Stepping back in time

*Vivid, sumptuous ceiling beams – perhaps with hidden meaning?*

Inside the building, the painted ceiling beams are vivid and clear after many decades hidden from daylight by plaster coverings. There are still a few wall drawings to see (found underneath 14 layers of paint!) The NTS has made some new impressions to give a better idea of the surroundings.

*Walls would have been decorated in this style*

The number of people living in such small spaces is hard to conceive of by today’s standards, especially given the lack of running water and sewage facilities. The stories of “Gardyloo” give a quite different meaning to Edinburgh’s nickname of “Auld Reekie”.

Changes as the New Town develops

There’s also a room that goes “forward” in time to the 1800s. Most of the wealthy had decanted to the New Town to the North of Princes Street, but some still kept a pied-a-terre for business purposes. Quite a change in lifestyle – but not for the poor who were left in the Old Town as it became more and more cramped and squalid.

*Painting from the 1800s. As was the custom for rich people of the time, the artist came and painted the landscape directly on to the wall.*

How to visit

*Interesting footwear – and more practical than they seem!*

I’ll not steal David’s thunder by telling his stories. But finding out about Witch Prickers, open plan loos and strangely designed footwear are just some of the reasons to visit Gladstone’s Land. There’s also a link to the Darien Company, whose failure led to the 1707 Act of Union between Scotland and England. Thank goodness the National Trust for Scotland rescued this building from demolition in 1934!

Gladstone’s Land is a short 19 minute stroll from Anthemion Apartment Edinburgh, or you can go by bus in 13 minutes by taking the 23 or 27.

Visits are free for National Trust for Scotland members. In high season, it’s worth booking your tour in advance, as places are taken up very quickly.

Poppy Day

Anyone visiting Scotland (and indeed the UK in general) between now and 12 November will no doubt notice that many people are wearing red poppies. The Answer is Poppy Day.

Remembrance Sunday is the nearest Sunday to the anniversary of the end of the First World War, when Armistice was declared in 1918 on the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month.

Why Poppies?

As a symbol, they come from the 1915 poem “On Flanders Field” by Canadian Lt Col Dr John McCrae. He saw the poppies popping up as the first signs of life on the muddy battlefields of Ypres. The poem inspired Moina Michael, an American teacher, to have disabled ex-servicemen make and sell silk poppies. A member of the French YWCA, Anna Guerin, saw how these poppies could support ex-servicemen and families affected by the war. She spread the idea to Canada, New Zealand and Australia. In 1921 she met Field Marshall Earl Haig, and persuaded him to adopt the poppy for the British Legion.

Poppies move to Britain

The Legion ordered 9 million poppies for the first Poppy Day in November of that year. The poppies sold out almost immediately. The demand was so high that Scotland did not see many of these poppies for sale, and in 1926 Earl Haig’s wife set up a poppy factory in Edinburgh for Scottish sales.

The Edinburgh Connection

When you walk along the Royal Mile, look out for Panmure Close. The entrance has wrought ironwork poppies on top. This close was the location of the poppy factory from 1931 to 1965. The factory has now moved to Warriston in Edinburgh, and poppies are still made there by hand by disabled ex-servicemen.

The photo shows the entrance to Panmure Close. On the left, the plaque to the poppy factory. On the right is a plaque to the Adam Smith, pioneer of political economy, who lived in Panmure House for 12 years! Edinburgh does indeed have a multi-layered history.

Tag: Royal Mile

Gladstone’s Land – Travelling through time in the Royal Mile