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White Horse Close

A white-harled courtyard of crow-stepped houses at the foot of the Canongate, a 17th-century close rebuilt in the 1960s to look as it once did.

Welcome

Near the bottom of the Canongate, almost at the palace gates, a pend leads off the street into a long cobbled courtyard that looks like a stage set.

White-harled houses crowd round it under red pantiled roofs, their crow-stepped gables at every angle, with outside stone stairs climbing to the upper doors and pots of plants set along the steps. Ivy climbs one wall, and timber upper floors lean out over the court. Step through the pend and the noise of the street is gone at once.

It is a favourite with photographers and painters, but at quiet times, early or late, you may have it to yourself. The houses are homes, so keep your voice down, take your pictures from the cobbles, and then carry on to the palace or back up the Mile.

Before you go

The close is reached through a pend off the Canongate.

The houses are private homes, so look quietly from the courtyard.

Where
Off the north side of the Canongate, near the foot of the Royal Mile by Holyroodhouse.

Did you know

A quiet courtyard of white-harled, crow-stepped houses
Did you know

Older, and newer, than it looks.

The close goes back to the 17th century, but it was restored in 1889 by James Jerdan and rebuilt again in the 1960s by Sir Frank Mears and Partners.

A quiet courtyard of white-harled, crow-stepped houses with an outside stair
Did you know

Mostly replicas.

Much of what you see is brick and harl copies built round sections of the original houses, a 1960s recreation of a 17th-century Edinburgh close.

The stepped gables and outside stair of White Horse Close's white-harled houses
Did you know

A date over the stair.

Above the twin forestair at the far end, a pedimented dormer carries a datestone reading 1623.

The stepped gables and outside stair of White Horse Close's white-harled houses
Did you know

Other names.

Over the years it has also been Davidson's Close and Ord's Close, and its best-known building was the White Horse Inn.

Turreted white houses with red pantiled roofs cluster around a cobbled courtyard, ivy climbing one gable end.
Did you know

A Waverley inn.

Old watercolours of the close are titled the White Horse Inn, and one the Whitehorse Inn of Waverley, after Walter Scott's novel.

Ben Lerwill

From our guide to Edinburgh

The origins of the name might remain something of a puzzle (one almost certainly apocryphal tale states that Mary Queen of Scots’s mare was stabbed here) but there’s no doubting the historical beauty of this courtyard off the Canongate, where a cluster of handsome old buildings stand cheek by jowl over the flagstones.

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A quiet courtyard of white-harled, crow-stepped houses
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Where it is

Off the Canongate near the foot of the Royal Mile, a few steps from the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Close byThe places nearest the close, at the foot of the Canongate.
  1. Palace of HolyroodhousePalace of HolyroodhouseThe monarch's official residence in Scotland, home of Mary Queen of Scots.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. Scottish Parliament BuildingScottish Parliament BuildingThe home of the Scottish Parliament, a campus of boat-shaped roofs by Enric Miralles.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. Antique plates and framed portraits line the walls of a lace-tabled tea roomClarinda's TearoomA tearoom of scones and china cups on the Canongate, open since 1976.Under a mile 1 min by road
  4. Dunbar's Close GardenDunbar's Close GardenA small walled garden off the Canongate, laid out like a 17th-century town garden.Under a mile 1 min by road
  5. The Stones of ScotlandThe Stones of ScotlandA modern stone circle of 32 stones, one from every council area.Under a mile 2 min by road
  6. Scottish Poetry LibraryScottish Poetry LibraryA free library of poetry off the Canongate.Under a mile 3 min by road
Directions
Woven willow flowerbeds and box topiary line a stone garden pathAttractionsPhysic Garden0.2 miles
Turreted towers flank the sandstone façade of Holyroodhouse Palace under a clear skyAttractionsHolyrood Palace0.2 miles
Wrought-iron gates lead to the turreted towers of Holyroodhouse PalaceAttractionsHolyrood Palace0.2 miles
Pink and pale blue hydrangea blooms among dense green leavesAttractionsDunbar's Close Gardens0.2 miles
Roofless nave of Holyrood Abbey, gothic tracery window framing bare stone ruinsAttractionsHolyrood Abbey0.2 miles
Sandstone mansion with tall chimneys and turret, fronted by a lawnAttractionsLauriston Castle0.2 miles
Painted figure of a newsboy shouting above The People's Story signAttractionsThe People’s Story0.3 miles
Canongate Tolbooth's turret and projecting clock rise above Edinburgh's Royal MileRestaurantsThe Tolbooth Tavern0.3 miles
Green shopfront sign reading Cadenhead's, Scotland's Oldest Independent Bottler, established 1842ShoppingCadenhead's0.3 miles
The Daily for 17 October, from Scotland with love. A wide waterfall churns over rock ledges, autumn trees lining the gorge.

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Stay nearby

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

A man walks past Bucken Booths entrance flanked by black lamp postsOld Town Chambers
  • To stay
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from White Horse Close
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 White Horse Close
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 White Horse Close
Check datesWest End Muse
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Edinburgh
  • A mile from White Horse Close
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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