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| Advocates Close | |
|---|---|
| Name | Advocates Close |
| Location | Old Town, Edinburgh |
| Type | Alleyway |
| Coordinates | 55.9490°N 3.1883°W |
| Construction | 15th century (origins) |
| Notable | Advocates Library, Scott Monument, St Giles' Cathedral, Royal Mile |
Advocates Close is a narrow medieval alleyway in the Old Town of Edinburgh, linking the upper reaches of the Royal Mile near the Scott Monument and Princes Street to lower thoroughfares toward South Bridge and Cowgate. The Close developed in the late medieval period as an urban lane serving legal, residential, and commercial functions tied to nearby institutions such as the Advocates Library and the University of Edinburgh. It remains a densely built historic fabric noted for surviving tenements, wynds, and vaults that illustrate connections to figures and institutions like Sir Walter Scott, James Craig (architect), David Hume, and the Scots Law community.
The Close originated in the 15th century amid Edinburgh's expansion following charters issued under James I of Scotland and James II of Scotland, when burgage plots were subdivided adjacent to the Royal Mile. Its proximity to the Parliament of Scotland precincts and the Court of Session fostered occupation by advocates, clerks, and trades servicing legal elites, linking the Close to the Advocates Library and the literati community around George Buchanan and Adam Smith. Over successive centuries the Close witnessed urban pressures of the Industrial Revolution, slum clearance debates contemporaneous with the work of reformers such as John Ruskin and later municipal planners influenced by Patrick Geddes. In the 19th century figures like Sir Walter Scott and antiquarians from the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland drew attention to Old Town topography while later 20th-century conservationists including proponents from Historic Scotland and the National Trust for Scotland campaigned over proposals affecting the Close's fabric.
The Close preserves a vertical ensemble of tenements and stairheads typical of medieval Scottish urbanism, with narrow courts, pend entrances, and vaulted undercrofts that reflect building practices documented by architects such as Robert Adam and surveyors from the Ordnance Survey. Buildings display stone masonry, crow-stepped gables, and corbelled turrets echoing styles recorded in inventories alongside works by William Adam and later modifications influenced by John Soane. The Close's plan is punctuated by several chambers and galleries inserted in the 18th and 19th centuries during phases of infill tied to initiatives by the Edinburgh City Council and private developers whose projects intersected with carriageway and sewer improvements championed by engineers linked to the Industrial Revolution paradigm. The juxtaposition of slender vertical blocks and deep vaults has been a subject of study by urbanists from the University of Edinburgh and heritage scholars affiliated with the Courtauld Institute of Art.
Key structures include historic tenements once occupied by members of the legal profession connected to the Faculty of Advocates and the nearby Court of Session, as well as the remnant stair tower facing the Royal Mile which has been associated in guidebooks with literary figures such as Sir Walter Scott and philosophers like David Hume. Nearby landmark institutions visible from the Close include St Giles' Cathedral, the Scott Monument, and the former site of the Advocates Library. Archaeological investigations have revealed medieval cellars and merchant vaults comparable to finds at Mary King's Close and excavations overseen with input from specialists from the National Museums Scotland and conservation architects who have worked on projects for Historic Environment Scotland.
The Close has been evoked in literary and cultural contexts tied to the Scottish Enlightenment and Romanticism, attracting attention from writers and historians associated with Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and later novelists who set scenes in Edinburgh's wynds and closes. It features in walking tours organized by cultural bodies such as the Royal Mile Festival and theatrical productions staged during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, frequently referenced by performers and scholars from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and groups highlighting urban folklore documented by the Scottish Storytelling Centre. Annual events and guided archaeology open days have been coordinated by organizations including Historic Scotland and local civic societies with contributions from academics at the University of Edinburgh.
Conservation efforts have involved agencies like Historic Environment Scotland, the National Trust for Scotland, and local planning authorities within City of Edinburgh Council that negotiated restoration works balancing adaptive reuse and archaeological integrity. Restoration campaigns in the late 20th and early 21st centuries engaged conservation architects influenced by precedents from projects on Cowgate and Canongate, drawing expertise from heritage consultancies with project histories collaborating with bodies such as the Heritage Lottery Fund and European conservation networks. Interventions have aimed to stabilize stonework, reveal vaulted cellars, and reinstate traditional finishes guided by charters and methodologies advocated by the International Council on Monuments and Sites.
Access to the Close is pedestrian, linking the Royal Mile near the Scott Monument and Princes Street Gardens down toward South Bridge and Cowgate, with public transport nodes including tram and bus stops on Princes Street and Waverley station within walking distance. The Close is incorporated into heritage walking routes promoted by the Edinburgh World Heritage organization and is serviced by pedestrian wayfinding coordinated by the City of Edinburgh Council and visitor information centres that also reference nearby transport hubs like Waverley Station and the Edinburgh Trams network.
Category:Streets in Edinburgh Category:Old Town, Edinburgh