Edinburgh

Advocate's Close

A steep, narrow close from the Royal Mile down to Cockburn Street, framing the Scott Monument at its foot.

Welcome

Step off the Royal Mile a few doors down from St Giles' and the ground falls away beneath you.

Advocate's Close drops steeply between tall stone tenements, a narrow run of steps and landings under a high arch, and framed at its foot, above the roofs of the New Town, rises the dark Gothic spire of the Scott Monument. The view has changed little since the 1800s.

The close is five centuries old, and its walls still carry the marks of the people who lived here: carved lintels over the doorways, dates and initials and old blessings cut into the stone. Today the restored buildings hold homes, offices and small businesses, and the close is a busy shortcut between the High Street and Cockburn Street. Come early in the morning, or on a foggy evening when the lamps are lit, to have it to yourself.

Before you go

The close is open at all hours and free to walk, a steep run of steps between the High Street and Cockburn Street, a few doors from St Giles' Cathedral.

Top: On the High Street, the Royal Mile, near St Giles'.
Foot: On Cockburn Street, a short walk from Waverley station.
Care: Steep steps, slippery when wet.

Did you know

A weathered plaque for Advocate's Close listing its historic residents, mounted beside a numbered oval sign

Did you know

Named for the Lord Advocate.

The close takes its name from Sir James Stewart of Goodtrees, Lord Advocate through the Revolution and on into the Union, who lived here.

A monochrome view through an archway onto a narrow Old Town close, a lamppost and the Scott Monument's spire beyond.

Did you know

A merchant's house of the 1540s.

The close dates from about 1544. Its oldest house belonged to Andrew Bertram, a merchant who wanted to be on the doorstep of the city's trade.

An archway framing a close where pedestrians walk beneath a hanging lamp

Did you know

A marriage over the door.

Above one doorway, dated 1590, are the initials CC and HB: Clement Cor, a merchant, and his wife Helen Bellenden. Stones like this marked a couple's home.

Three people walking up a narrow close towards a hanging lamp and rooftops beyond

Did you know

Found in 2009.

An inscription above Clement Cor's door, Blessed be God and all his gifts, was only rediscovered in 2009, during the restoration of the close.

A narrow close framing a distant spire, a lamppost standing at the foot of the steps beyond the archway.

Did you know

Hope of another life.

Another carving here reads Spes altera vitae, hope of another life, with ears of corn growing out from between crossed bones: a sign of rebirth.

A figure walking down a stone close towards the Scott Monument, shown in black and white

Did you know

An award for the rebuild.

A £45 million redevelopment gave nine old buildings new life as homes, offices and shops, and won a Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland award in 2014.

Ben Lerwill

From our guide to Edinburgh

Leading off the Royal Mile, this narrow, 500-year-old close is notable among other things for the fine views it affords over the Scott Monument and Princes Street. It’s named in honour of Sir James Stewart, a former Lord Advocate of Scotland in the early 18th century.