Here are 7 hidden gems in Edinburgh where the city's stories and history can be seek peeking through

By Rachel Mackie

Reporter

Published 26th Mar 2023, 13:02 BST

Updated 26th Mar 2023, 13:02 BST

The stories of our beautiful city are everywhere – though some of them are easier to see than others.

Edinburgh is a city full of stories from the past, that peek out everywhere, even as time passes.

Here are seven history gems to look out for, and the story behind them.

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Gabriel's Road is a small path in the picturesque Stockbridge area of Edinburgh. It is named for a truly horrific crime. In 1717, a man named Robert Irvine took two small children in his charge to this area, which at the time would have been fields and woodland, with Edinburgh's New Town now being built until later that century. He killed them both brutally to punish a young woman he had designs on. The road, thought to be the spot on which the murder took place, was named after the angel who residents said would have travelled that route to collect the children's lifeless bodies and take them to heaven. Robert Irvine was hanged for his crime.

1. Gabriel's Road

Gabriel's Road is a small path in the picturesque Stockbridge area of Edinburgh. It is named for a truly horrific crime. In 1717, a man named Robert Irvine took two small children in his charge to this area, which at the time would have been fields and woodland, with Edinburgh's New Town now being built until later that century. He killed them both brutally to punish a young woman he had designs on. The road, thought to be the spot on which the murder took place, was named after the angel who residents said would have travelled that route to collect the children's lifeless bodies and take them to heaven. Robert Irvine was hanged for his crime. Photo: Google

Captain Porteous was head of the city guard, tasks with keeping the peace at a public execution. When unrest broke out, he ordered his men to open fire, killing civilians. He was duly arrested and charged, and once found guilty was sentenced to death. However, his sentence was over-ruled by Sir Robert Walpole in London. When the public found out that his sentence had been overturned, they rioted, dragging Captain Porteous into the Grassmarket and executing him themselves in a violent and brutal way. The plaque pictured can be found in the Grassmarket, near the spot that marks the gallows.

2. Captain Porteous riots

Captain Porteous was head of the city guard, tasks with keeping the peace at a public execution. When unrest broke out, he ordered his men to open fire, killing civilians. He was duly arrested and charged, and once found guilty was sentenced to death. However, his sentence was over-ruled by Sir Robert Walpole in London. When the public found out that his sentence had been overturned, they rioted, dragging Captain Porteous into the Grassmarket and executing him themselves in a violent and brutal way. The plaque pictured can be found in the Grassmarket, near the spot that marks the gallows. Photo: Wikicommons

So small you might walk by it without noticing, but the Witches Well, found at Edinburgh Castle just as you enter the esplanade, marks a horrific moment in Scotland's history. Witches were tortured and killed at the castle. In the late 16th century, into the early 17th century, between three and four thousand people were accused of witchcraft and executed. The majority of these people were women. The well is a memorial for those who lost their lives.

3. The Witches Well

So small you might walk by it without noticing, but the Witches Well, found at Edinburgh Castle just as you enter the esplanade, marks a horrific moment in Scotland's history. Witches were tortured and killed at the castle. In the late 16th century, into the early 17th century, between three and four thousand people were accused of witchcraft and executed. The majority of these people were women. The well is a memorial for those who lost their lives. Photo: ANDY BUCHANAN

Not so much a small gem here, but it's the car park of this magnificent building that holds a great deal of historical interest. The building is on the site of the old Calton Gaol, and actually, many of the bricks used in the gaol were used to build what is now a Scottish Government building. The car park, was previously the burial site for those hanged within the gaol, including Jessie King, the last woman to be hanged in Edinburgh.

4. St Andrews House

Not so much a small gem here, but it's the car park of this magnificent building that holds a great deal of historical interest. The building is on the site of the old Calton Gaol, and actually, many of the bricks used in the gaol were used to build what is now a Scottish Government building. The car park, was previously the burial site for those hanged within the gaol, including Jessie King, the last woman to be hanged in Edinburgh. Photo: Wikicommons

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