Walking Down Castlehill and Lawnmarket - Edinburgh, Scotland

???? Castlehill and Lawnmarket: Edinburgh’s Summit of History (4,037 characters)

The journey through Edinburgh’s Old Town begins at its geographical and historical zenith: the stretch of the Royal Mile known as Castlehill and the adjoining Lawnmarket. This ground, situated on the ancient volcanic spine sloping away from the Castle Rock, is where the city's power, commerce, and darkest dramas converged for centuries.

I. The Hill of Grim Justice

Castlehill, the highest and oldest section of the main thoroughfare, stands as a physical preamble to Edinburgh Castle. While the fortress above housed the monarchy and the nation’s treasures, the space just outside its gates was reserved for public justice—often of the most brutal kind.

The 16th and 17th centuries were scarred by the terrifying Scottish witch hunts. This small rise was the most active execution site for alleged witches in the entire country. Historians estimate that up to 4,000 people were tried for the crime of witchcraft in Scotland, and a tragic number—over 300 people, predominantly women—were strangled and then burned at the stake right here on Castlehill.

This harrowing history is memorialized, though inadequately, by the Witches' Well. Tucked into the wall just below the Castle Esplanade, this ornate cast-iron fountain, commissioned in the late 19th century, is a small, sobering monument. It serves as a powerful reminder that this ground, which today offers magnificent views of the city, was once witness to one of the most violent and paranoid chapters of Scottish history.

II. The Vertical City and the Lawn Market

Moving eastward, the street widens slightly into the Lawnmarket. Its name is a direct relic of its original function: the open-air market where merchants traded linen cloth, or "lawn," along with other essential goods like butter and cheese.

In the 17th century, the Lawnmarket was the commercial heart of what became one of Europe’s most densely packed cities. Confined behind the city’s defensive walls, residents solved the problem of space by building vertically. Towering tenement buildings, known as 'lands,' could reach ten or twelve stories high. These structures housed all strata of society: the wealthy merchant on the lower, more convenient floors; tradesmen in the middle; and the poorest families crowded into the upper lofts.

The architecture here is instantly recognizable. Many surviving buildings feature an outward projection of the upper levels over the street below—a practice called 'fore-shotting.' This was a pragmatic and profitable solution for owners seeking to maximize precious floor space and rental income.

The Lawnmarket is an essential architectural showcase, featuring key structures like:

Gladstone's Land: This meticulously restored 17th-century tenement is one of the Old Town's finest examples of a merchant's dwelling. Notice the large, arched stone arcade at street level, a feature once common here, which would have housed ground-floor shops.

Riddle's Court: Step into one of the narrow, alley-like passages, or 'closes,' and you enter a private world. Riddle’s Court, for example, was an exclusive residence of the wealthy elite. Its grandeur was such that the powerful merchant John McMorran rebuilt it in the 1590s, and it famously hosted a banquet for King James VI and his wife, Anne of Denmark, in 1598. These quiet, cobblestone courtyards were the hidden estates of the Scottish aristocracy.

III. Gateway to the Enlightenment

The Lawnmarket marks a critical intersection that defined movement and thought in the city.

Looking left, the West Bow steeply descends, linking the Royal Mile to the Grassmarket. Historically, this zigzagging road served as a main artery for people and goods—and tragically, as the final procession route for those condemned to the gallows at the base of the hill.

Looking right, you confront the modern bridge that crosses the valley: George IV Bridge. Before its construction, the land here dropped sharply, revealing the natural terrain of the city and hosting the 'courts' that would become centers of revolutionary thought.

James' Court, though largely rebuilt after a fire, was a crucial hub for the Scottish Enlightenment. It was here that the foundational philosopher David Hume lived and held court with his intellectual peers, challenging the very premises of Western thought. The famous author and lawyer James Boswell, known for his biography of Samuel Johnson, also resided nearby.

The eventual departure of these influential residents—as they moved to the more spacious, planned layouts of the New Town in the late 18th century—symbolized a permanent shift in Edinburgh’s fortunes. The Royal Mile transitioned from a universal residential hub to a place increasingly dominated by commerce, the law, and administrative functions.