Walk 3 – Southside
This walk combines part of the Old Town with the historic settlements south of the original burgh, an area now dominated by the University of Edinburgh. The walls that once surrounded the medieval city of Edinburgh, such as the Flodden Wall, were generally expanded each time the fortification needed improving, after attack either by English armies or by medieval thieves and general trouble markers. Eventually, they extended past the original Old Town boundaries to include districts such as Grassmarket and ancient streets such as Cowgate.
George square: almost entirely redeveloped by the University of Edinburgh in the 20th Century, George Street originally had uniform mid-18th century town houses. A few that remain can be seen on the west side of the square.
University of Edinburgh: main buildings
George Herriot School: Herriot was jeweller to King James VI, he was a royal hanger-on who left for London to be near to the King. But he bequeathed several thousand to build this school for disadvantaged boys which opened in 1659. Today it is a private school similar in stature to Eaton.
The Vennel: near the top of the steep steps on this footpath (Vennel is Scottish for alley) is a good chunk of the Flodden Wall (marked by a sign) indicating how areas below the castle, such as Grassmarket, were enclosed within a fortified city.
Southside views of the castle:
Grassmarket: This was once a market square and a place of executions. One of the most infamous was of Margaret Dickson. She was convicted for having a bay out of wedlock. After she was duly hung in 1724, her body was escorted to burial when the escorts heard a banging. Maggie had not hung correctly and lived on to see another day.
Greyfriars Kirk: Completed in 1620, the church was built amid a cemetery that Queen Mary proposed because burial space at St Giles Cathedral was exhausted.
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