Hidden underneath Edinburgh’s iconic Royal Mile lies an abandoned world, eager to tell its story. Mary King’s Close was once vibrant and bustling with life, filled with traders and Old Town residents.
When the plague arrived during the 1640s, the street’s close quarters made a perfect breeding ground for infection, permeating its homes and affecting the lives of the residents.
Today, The Real Mary King’s Close is one of Scotland’s top tourist attractions, inviting curious souls to journey underground, encounter fascinating former residents, and relish in secrets and stories never told before.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the attraction – 20 years of shedding light on Edinburgh’s dark past and teaching us about the extreme living conditions and harsh effects of social hierarchy during the 17th Century.
To commemorate this milestone, here are 20 things you didn’t know about The Real Mary King’s Close:
- The Real Mary King’s Close has welcomed over 3.5 million visitors since opening its doors in 2003.
- The Real Mary King’s Close currently runs 13,000 tours per year.
- Since 2003, The Close has produced over 250,000 hours’ worth of tours.
- Every year, since 2019, 32,000 people have taken home a souvenir photo to remember their time visiting The Close.
- In 2022, 46% of The Real Mary King’s Close’s guests were international visitors, with 15% of all guests being American in 2022.
- In August 2022, The Real Mary King’s Close launched a new audio guide app for foreign visitors, which now has over 9.5K downloads on the Apple Store.
- The Close was named Mary King’s Close in 1694 after Mary King, who lived there for ten years between 1635 and 1645. During her own time, it was still known as Alexander King’s Close.
- Mary King died in 1645, the same year as the eleventh and final outbreak of the plague in Edinburgh.
- Edinburgh’s last Plague Doctor, George Rae, was a common sight on The Close during the 1645 outbreak of the plague. To protect himself from infection, he wore a striking costume made up of a large cloak and beak-like mask.
- In the 17th-century Mary King’s Close, ran between The Royal Mile and the Nor’ Loch – a man-made lake that was eventually drained to become today’s Princes Street Gardens.
- Contrary to popular belief, Mary King’s Close was never abandoned. The last family to live on the street remained in their home right up until the late 19th century.
- In 1993, the renowned Japanese psychic, Aiko Gibo, visited The Close and communicated with the spirit of “Annie”, a small child who is said to haunt
sthe site’s preserved 17th-century house. Visitors have been leaving dolls where Annie was discovered ever since.
- Since then, The Close has collected almost £100,000 in donations from Annie’s room. This money goes to local charities chosen by the team. In recent years, the team has donated to Cash for Kids Scotland, LGBT Youth Scotland, Make a Wish Scotland, Stonewall, Strut Safe and The Edinburgh Children’s Hospital, among others.
- Mary Queen of Scots spent her last night in Edinburgh, before she abdicated in June 1567, on Stewart’s Close, which runs parallel to Mary King’s Close and can be visited on the tour today.
- During the Second World War, the site was used as an air raid shelter by members of the council.
- One of Mary King’s neighbours was Dr Arnott, a local physician who specialised in internal medicine. He typically had to drink urine in order to assess the health of his patients!
- In June 2003, Kind Charles III
,visited The Real Mary King’s Close for its opening year. He also gifted a wooden chest which, up until last year, sat at the foot of Annie’s doll pile to collect donations for local charities. The Close now has the King’s box displayed in its Admissions Office on The Royal Mile.
- The Operations Management team – which includes the Operations Manager, two Operations Duty Managers and the Tour Guide Team Leader – were all previously Tour Guides at The Real Mary King’s Close.
- The Real Mary King’s Close has had its own tartan since 2013, which was designed by Kinloch Anderson. All the Guests Services team members wear the tartan as part of their uniforms.
- During its peak seasons, The Real Mary King’s Close team expands to around 65 people from its core team of 30 full-time employees, who work at the attraction all year round.
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, The Real Mary King’s Close is hosting ‘Underground Unlocked’, an exclusive event where guests will have the opportunity to roam the hidden streets beneath The Royal Mile at their own leisure.
Visitors will come face-to-face with thirteen fascinating former residents, including Mary King herself and Dr Arnott, who was one of the wealthiest residents of The Close.
With a flair for the nitty gritty, Dr Arnott had some rather unique methods of diagnosis, his favourite technique being to analyse his patients’ urine for its colour, smell and…TASTE!
Paul Nixon, General Manager at The Real Mary King’s Close, said: “Back in 2003, we opened our doors under Continuum Attractions to reveal the real stories of Mary King’s Close and its former residents. Since then, it’s been such a huge part of Edinburgh’s historical tourism sector for the past 20 years.
“We wanted to celebrate by giving our customers the chance to explore it like they’ve never seen it before, and immerse themselves in the rich history Edinburgh has to offer.
“At The Real Mary King’s Close, we are passionate about storytelling and creating unforgettable experiences that transport our visitors back in time. We can’t wait to welcome them to ‘Underground Unlocked’ and give them our most immersive experience yet.”
The special ‘Underground Unlocked’ experience will be running on Thursday 25th May from 18.30 until 21.00. Tickets are £29 per person. Spaces are extremely limited, so pre-booking is highly recommended.
For more information and bookings please visit:
https://bookings.realmarykingsclose.com/book/underground-unlocked/207
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