SPECTRALWhat happened here
The close is named after Mary King, a merchant's widow who lived and traded there in the 1630s. Like the rest of the Old Town it was crowded, narrow and tall, with families living on top of one another. Plague struck Edinburgh in 1645, and the close is closely tied to that outbreak.
In 1753 work began on the Royal Exchange, now the City Chambers. The upper floors of the close were demolished and the lower parts became the building's foundations, preserving the street beneath. People went on living and working in parts of it into the 19th century.
The legends
The best-known ghost is Annie, a little girl first reported in 1992 by a visiting Japanese psychic, Aiko Gibo, who said she met a sad child who had lost her doll. Visitors began to leave dolls and toys for her, and “Annie's room” is now piled high with them.
Other stories tell of a plague-era family, a phantom dog, and victims walled up in the close to stop the plague spreading — the kind of tale that grows in the dark.
Fact or legend?
The close and its residents are real, and the Annie story can be traced to a single visit in 1992. The legend that plague victims were walled in alive is not supported by the records, which show the city trying to treat and quarantine the sick.
Visiting
The Real Mary King's Close runs guided tours every day, led by costumed guides playing former residents. Book ahead in summer and during the Edinburgh Festival.
