'Heartbreaking' pictures show historic Edinburgh close destroyed by graffiti

One of Edinburgh's most historic closes and courtyards has been destroyed by vandals.

Milnes Court, which dates as far back as 1690, was once home to lavish luxury living in the Capital's Old Town and was saved from demolition after centuries of neglect through donations from Harold Salvesen and Philip Henman.

The building is owned by the University of Edinburgh and let out as postgraduate student accommodation.

Despite its history, vandals have targeted the close as a location for graffiti.

The sight of the close, covered in graffiti, was described as 'heartbreaking' by former council leader, Donald Anderson.

He said: "This is heartbreaking. It’s terrible to see this kind of wanton damage anywhere, but to see it on historic buildings like these is genuinely heartbreaking.

"Graffiti like this can be removed, but it’s expensive and can sometimes damage the stone.

"There’s been some fantastic work done at Jacob’s Ladder on Calton Hill and it would be great if that could be rolled out across the city. If it’s not tackled, it will simply encourage and normalise vandalism."

City centre councillor Joanna Mowat labelled the damage "absolutely awful".