Mary King's Close

Edinburgh, Scotland · Storbritannien · Urban site

Det underjordiske Edinburgh — gaderne der blev forladt under den sorte død i 1645 og nu siges at være hjemsøgte.

Mary King's Close consists of several closes — narrow alleys, originally slim streets lined on both sides with tenements seven storeys high — in the heart of Edinburgh's Old Town in Scotland.

Mary King's Close was abandoned in 1642 or 1645, a period closely tied to a significant outbreak of plague. The Edinburgh plague of 1645 was inseparable from the civil war; soldiers returning from Newcastle upon Tyne brought the pestilence with them to the city.

Mary King's children and her son James all died in 1645, a year after Mary's own death. Craufurd adds that the family — his wife and children among them — were "removed to a better life" as a consequence of the great plague of that year. Soon after the family's death the name Mary King became strongly associated with the plague.

In 1753 the town council resolved to raise a new building — the Royal Exchange, today the City Chambers — on the site. The houses at the top of the closes were demolished, but parts of the lower sections were kept and used as foundations for the Royal Exchange. It is these underground alleys that today form the attraction The Real Mary King's Close.

Mary King's Close has had a reputation for being haunted since the seventeenth century. Several paranormal investigations have been carried out — the best known concerns a little girl called Annie, for whom visitors still leave toys today.

Source: Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_King%27s_Close

FAQ

Hvor ligger Mary King's Close?

Mary King's Close ligger i Edinburgh, Scotland, Storbritannien.

Oplysningerne bygger på lokal folketro og vidneberetninger.

Image: Wikipedia: Mary King's Close (Public domain)