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The Heart of Midlothian

A heart of granite setts in the Royal Mile outside St Giles', marking the door of the Old Tolbooth, pulled down in 1817.

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Outside the west door of St Giles', where the High Street opens into Parliament Square, the grey setts of the Royal Mile are broken by a heart picked out in darker granite.

Thousands walk over it every day without looking down.

It marks the doorway of the Old Tolbooth, which stood against the north-west corner of St Giles' from the 14th century until it was pulled down in 1817. In its time the Tolbooth housed the town council, the Parliament of Scotland and the law courts, as well as the city's prison, and it was known to everyone as the Heart of Midlothian, after the old county that Edinburgh belonged to.

Walter Scott gave the name to one of his novels, The Heart of Mid-Lothian, published in 1818, the year after the building came down, and the capital's football club, Heart of Midlothian, took it too. The heart in the street marks where the Tolbooth's door once stood.

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The Daily for 14 November, from Scotland with love. A red kayak beached on a loch shore beneath sunlit rocky hills, Sutherland
Round the cornerDeacon Brodie's TavernA Royal Mile pub named after Deacon William Brodie, cabinetmaker and councillor by day and burglar by night, hanged in 1788.1 min by roadSee itDeacon Brodie's Tavern

Before you go

The heart is set into the street by the west door of St Giles', where the High Street meets Parliament Square, and can be seen at any hour.

Where
The High Street, beside the west end of St Giles' Cathedral.

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Where it is

In the Royal Mile outside St Giles' Cathedral, at the corner of Parliament Square.

Close byThe heart of the Royal Mile.
  1. Advocate's CloseAdvocate's CloseA steep, narrow close from the Royal Mile down to Cockburn Street, framing the Scott Monument at its foot.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. St Giles’ CathedralSt Giles’ CathedralThe High Kirk of Edinburgh on the Royal Mile, under its crown spire.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. The dining room at Luckenbooths, leather banquettes and framed pictures under warm light.LuckenboothsAn all-day restaurant on the Royal Mile, opposite St Giles'.Under a mile 1 min by road
  4. Gold handprints set in pavement, engraved "J K Rowling 2008J. K. Rowling’s HandprintsEdinburgh Award winners' handprints in the City Chambers courtyard.Under a mile 1 min by road
  5. Makars’ CourtMakars’ CourtA courtyard off the Lawnmarket with Scotland's writers cut into its flagstones.Under a mile 1 min by road
  6. Pedestrians walk along the Grassmarket, with Biddy's pub sign visible on the rightMercat CrossThe market cross beside St Giles', where proclamations are still read.Under a mile 3 min by road
Directions
A lamb shank in gravy on mash beside a haggis stack topped with neeps, on a wooden table at Makars Mash Bar.RestaurantsMakars Mash BarA step away
A flight of whiskies and their bottles on a table in a stone vault at the Lost Close, a chandelier behind.AttractionsThe Lost CloseA step away
ShoppingWalker Slater, EdinburghA step away
A plate of crispbreads and pâté at Angels with Bagpipes.RestaurantsAngels with BagpipesA step away
Stone colonnade with arched ceiling and windows along a covered walkwayRestaurantsSignet LibraryA step away
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.EdinburghOld Town ChambersPlace to stay · A step away
Black and white "Mary King's Close" sign mounted on sandstone buildingAttractionsThe Real Mary King's CloseA step away
Deacon Brodie's Tavern sign on the Royal Mile, hanging baskets in bloom belowRestaurantsDeacon Brodie's TavernA step away
Guide in a black hooded cloak holds a candle in a stone vaultAttractionsHaunted UndergroundA step away

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the heart, 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 the heart
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 the heart
Check datesWest End Muse
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from the heart
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 the heart
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in EdinburghAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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