Hidden Scotland
Sign in
The Baked Potato Shop's own sign marks a corner beneath a turreted stone building on a cobbled street.
Edinburgh

Cockburn Street

A curving Victorian street of turreted tenements, built in the 1850s to carry the Royal Mile down to Waverley station.

Welcome

From the Royal Mile near St Giles', Cockburn Street swings down the hillside in a long, slow bend, lined on both sides by tall sandstone tenements with turrets, gables and carved stone, and cobbles underfoot.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

From the top you look out across the valley towards the New Town; from the bottom, the street climbs away round the corner and out of sight.

It is a lively street, with small independent shops, bars, cafés and galleries at street level, and Stills, the city's centre for photography, among them. In December, when wreaths and lights hang from the shopfronts and the crowds are wrapped up against the cold, it is at its most cheerful, and a favourite street for photographs. It makes the easiest walk up to the Royal Mile from the station, and a good place to linger on the way down.

The Daily

Arrives at 5am every day.

A free morning email to see what’s on this week, catch up on what’s happening in Scotland and find somewhere new to go.

The Daily for 14 November, from Scotland with love. A red kayak beached on a loch shore beneath sunlit rocky hills, Sutherland

Before you go

Cockburn Street runs down from the High Street, near St Giles', to Market Street and the Waverley station entrance, lined with shops, bars and cafés.

Top
The High Street on the Royal Mile.
Foot
Market Street, by Waverley station.

Been here? Tell others what you know, and the best go on this page with your name.

Add your review

Did you know

A curving cobbled street lined with tall turreted tenement buildings, shop signs including "The Baked Potato Shop" on the corner and a car parked further down the hill.
Did you know

A road to the railway.

The street was made by the High Street and Railway Station Access Company, under the Railway Station Acts of 1853 and 1860, to give the Old Town a way down to Waverley station.

The Baked Potato Shop's own sign marks a corner beneath a turreted stone building on a cobbled street.
Did you know

Curved for the horses.

Its long serpentine curve keeps the slope no steeper than 1 in 14, gentle enough for the traffic of the day to climb.

A curving cobbled street lined with tall turreted tenement buildings, shopfronts including "The Baked Potato Shop" on the corner and cars and pedestrians further along.
Did you know

Hidden from Princes Street.

The curve had a second purpose: to hide the diagonal line of the new street from the view across the valley on Princes Street.

A turreted sandstone tenement rises at the bend of a cobbled Old Town street, shops and a parked car lining the pavement below.
Did you know

Named for a conservationist.

It takes its name from Lord Cockburn, a champion of saving Edinburgh's old buildings, who died in 1854. For a short time it was called Lord Cockburn Street.

A crowded Edinburgh street in winter, pedestrians in coats and hats passing shopfronts and a red postbox.
Did you know

New, made to look old.

The Victorian builders gave it turrets, crow-stepped gables and Scots Baronial detail on purpose, to keep the antique character of the Old Town around it.

Pedestrians walk along a cobbled street lined with tall sandstone tenements and Gothic gables, shopfronts and Christmas decorations visible along the way.
Did you know

A hotel for the station.

The turreted corner at the foot of the street was built as the Cockburn Hotel, handy for the station at a time of 'a great want of hotels'. A carved profile of Lord Cockburn is set over the door.

The Baked Potato Shop's own sign marks a corner beneath a turreted stone building on a cobbled street.
What is on

What is new across Edinburgh, day by day.

New places, news and stories, as we find them.

What is on in Edinburgh
01 / 07

Where it is

Between the High Street on the Royal Mile and Market Street by Waverley station, in the Old Town.

Close byThe places nearest the street, in the Old Town.
  1. Gloved hands hang black and white photographic prints on a darkroom lineStillsEdinburgh's centre for photography on Cockburn Street since 1977, with free exhibitions.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. The MilkmanThe MilkmanA small coffee shop full of character, a few minutes from Waverley station.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. Advocate's CloseAdvocate's CloseA steep, narrow close from the Royal Mile down to Cockburn Street, framing the Scott Monument.Under a mile 1 min by road
  4. The Real Mary King's CloseThe Real Mary King's CloseHidden streets under the Royal Mile, bringing 400 years of the city's history to life.Under a mile 2 min by road
  5. St Giles’ CathedralSt Giles’ CathedralFounded in 1141, where the ceremonies of the Order of the Thistle take place.Under a mile 2 min by road
  6. The Heart of MidlothianThe Heart of MidlothianA small heart set in the cobbles of the Royal Mile.Under a mile 2 min by road
Directions
The blue front of Stills on Cockburn Street.AttractionsStillsautomatA step away
Mimi's shopfront with award chalkboards for Scottish Bakery and Café of the YearCafeMimi's BakehouseA step away
Marble café table with iced coffee, latte art and a cameraCafeGordon Street CoffeeA step away
Visitor views two gilt-framed portraits of women in a galleryAttractionsCity Art CentreA step away
Wooden benches line a gallery hall hung with abstract paintings under a skylightAttractionsThe Fruitmarket GalleryA step away
The old sweetshop front of The Milkman on Cockburn Street, CONFECTIONS cut in the stone above.CafeThe MilkmanA step away
CafeBrewhemiaA step away
Sandstone turrets and arched windows rise against an overcast skyAttractionsThe Scotsman StepsA step away
Walker Slater on Victoria Street, Edinburgh: the dark green shopfront at numbers 44 and 46ShoppingWalker Slater, Edinburgh0.2 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

Places to stay near the street, and when each is next free.

A hotel studio room with a beige fitted kitchen unit and stainless sink beside a bed dressed in white and teal cushions, a wall of black-framed pictures above a patterned headboard.Old Town Chambers
  • To stay
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from Cockburn Street
Check datesA round table and chairs stand before tall curtained windows looking onto stone buildings, a sofa and mounted television to the right.Moment George IV Bridge
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from Cockburn Street
Check datesWest End Muse
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from Cockburn Street
Check datesA turreted sandstone building with conical spires catches the evening light above rooftops, a large pine tree standing beside it.The Scott Hotel
  • A hotel
  • In Edinburgh
  • A mile from Cockburn Street
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in EdinburghAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
Hidden Scotland, the magazine

Scotland, in print.

We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.

Get Issue 13Read it here

Read on

The collections it is in and more in Edinburgh.

CollectionThings to Do in Edinburgh on a ShoestringCollectionHarry Potter Locations in Scotland
More in Edinburgh

Find out more

For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .