Visiting Tweeddale Court on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile

Visiting & exploring Tweeddale House & Court on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.

The entrance to Tweeddale court is located opposite John Knox House. It contains Tweeddale House which is a great example of the townhouses Edinburgh's wealthier residents built, away from the hustle & bustle of the Royal Mile.

As you enter the court through the close, you’ll see an impressive wall on your right. This is believed to be a remnant of the ‘King’s Wall’ of 1450, eventually replaced by the ‘Flodden Wall’ which used to enclosed the whole of the old medieval town.

The original house was built around 1576 for Neil Laing, Keeper of the Signet and his wife, Elizabeth Danielstune. Dame Margaret Kerr left it to her grandson, the first Marquess of Tweeddale who’s given the house and court its name. It's known that the house had a magnificent avenue of lime-trees leading all the way down to the Cowgate. Indeed, most mansions had beautifully landscaped gardens, which can be seen from early maps of the city.

The house was once the head office of the British Linen Bank, which moved to St Andrew’s Square, and then became the offices of the printers & publishers, Oliver & Boyd. They were based here for over a hundred years, and you can still see their name above the door and a small crane that was used to lift paper to the 1st floor of the building.

The house was extensively restored in the 1980’s and used to be home to the Scottish Poetry Library which now has a wonderful new home in Chricton’s Close further down The Royal Mile.

Another lovely feature is the lamp post, in front of the house, which was one the earliest gas lights in the city (the oldest that I know of, that’s in its original position, is located in New Calton Burial Ground).

The court is the scene of one of Edinburgh's most notorious and unsolved crimes. Bank worker, William Begbie, was found murdered in the close. He had been stabbed and robbed of £4,392, a lot of money for the time. The culprit was never found, but most of the money was found in an old wall near Drummond House.

The city's smallest listed building is located here - a stone built sedan chair house. The wealthy elite much favoured being carried around the city during the 1700’s and I wouldn't blame them, given the filthy streets! It's remarkable it still survives.

This location will be very familiar to Outlander fans.