{Edinburgh} The Real Mary King’s Close
I took the boys to visit ‘The Real Mary King’s Close’ today. It’s one of my favourite visitor attractions in Edinburgh, I’ve been to see it at least three times over the past 15 years. But up until now they’ve been too young to go.
Mary King’s Close is a historic close (the name given to the small alleyways in Edinburgh’s Old Town), which is now hidden beneath buildings on the Royal Mile. It is named after Mary King, a merchant burgess who lived there in the 17th century. There are many urban myths and legends of plague victims being walled and left to die below ground when old closes were covered over, but in reality Mary King’s Close was partially demolished and built over due to the Royal Exchange being built in the 18th century. But the close and what’s left of the homes below the current street level still remain, and it’s these that a tour with ‘The Real Mary King’s Close’ allows you to see.
The hour long tour actually leads you through a warren of four closes, Mary King’s being one of them and the best preserved. The tour is brought to life by costumed guides, who take on the characters of some of the close’s former residents – ours today was maid Agnes. Along the way you learn about how people lived back then in cramped and filthy conditions; stories about some of the specific historical people that presided there, including a visit from Mary Queen of Scots; and about the spread of the plague and the work of the plague doctor. You’ll get to see the remnants of historic hand painted wallpaper, saw maker Andrew Chesney’s workshop and ‘thunderbox’ toilet’, and a shrine of toys dedicated to the ghost of a little girl (we left her some coins, just to be on the safe side…)
What I really like about Mary King’s Close, is that aside from the roles playing of the tour guides, the stories and information shared about the closes are all factual. There are other tourist attractions in Edinburgh that like to embellish or distort some of the historical details (like the afore mentioned plague victims being walled in alive), but at Mary King’s Close you will learn real history. It’s therefore also important to note that it’s not a ghost tour or intended to be in anyway spooky, it’s first and foremost a history tour. And a very good one as such.
Having said that, my 8 yr old did feel a little nervous as we started to descend below street level, and my 12 yr old felt spooked a couple of times too, simple because the low light levels made it feel a bit eery. And there were a few occasions where the tour guide unexpectedly stamped her foot, which made everyone jump and my little one was not happy with that. Some of the details about the plague were pretty gross too. The story about the ghost of the little girl haunting the close, however, did not freak them out in the slightest.
But both boys afterwards said that overall they enjoyed it (my younger boy gave it a rating of 9/10 and the older one rated it 8.5/10 – he’s actually the more jumpy one out of the two). They had heard about the ‘secret underground city’ before, and had been very interested to see it. They’re also very used to going on guided tours, e.g. at museums, so I knew they would be fine with the tour format even though it wasn’t particular aimed at children or families. Tickets are sold for ages 5+ (no under 5s allowed) and it completely depends on the individual child of course, but personally I would probably advise a minimum age of 8.
The entrance to ‘The Real Mary King’s Close’ is located at 2 Warriston’s Close on the High Street, Royal Mile. It’s a popular visitor attraction that often sells out, so it’s advised to book in advance to avoid disappointment. I was actually surprised we managed to get tickets on the day. At the time of writing, Adult tickets were £19.50 and Children’s tickets £12.95, though we got a 25% discount which was a special January offer for local residents.
Check out The Real Mary King’s Close website for up to date details on opening times, admission prices, and accessibilitys.
