South Bridge Vaults

"The Blair Street Vaults were formed in the late 1700’s, when Edinburgh’s South Bridge was completed. The arches underneath the bridge created many chambers, which businesses started using as their workshops and store houses. Unfortunately, these dark vaults experienced frequent flooding causing many of the businesses to move out and a much more squalid clientele to move in. The area soon turned into a sordid underworld filled with illegal activities including brothels, gambling and unlicenced taverns. It even provided housing for some of Edinburgh’s most exceptionally poor residents, with at one time, an estimated 3000 people living in these unsanitary and disease-ridden slums. During the mid-19th Century the vaults were sealed off to prevent any further access and the underground network was all but forgotten, until, due to a chance excavation they were rediscovered in the1980s. To gain access you must book one of Edinburgh’s many guided vaults tours, which will take you into what are now said to be the city’s most haunted spaces. Your guide will take you deep within the caverns, guided only by candlelight whilst immersing you in the horrid historic tales which these walls enclose. It is even believed that in the 1800’s the infamous murderers Burke and Hare would pray on their victims in these vaults. All this makes for a fascinating and totally spooky experience, which can be quite unnerving at times! Tip: If you enjoy exploring underground, make a visit to The Real Mary King’s Close. An experience where you are transported back to medieval Edinburgh and are able to discover a warren of underground streets which have been frozen in time. "

"Did you know that a series of underground caverns lies beneath the city of Edinburgh? Discover more about the underworld of Edinburgh with tours run daily by local provider Mercat Tours. "