Gladstone's Land

Situated at the top of the Royal Mile, Gladstone's Land provides a unique glimpse of life in the Old Town in the 17th century.

Completed in 1620, this was the home of a prosperous merchant and contains remarkable original painted ceilings. The reconstructed shop booth displays replicas of 17th-century goods and the first floor has been refurbished to show life in this period.

Gladstone's Land is a typical example of a 17th-century tenement building of the overcrowded Old Town, which grew up along the ridge between Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse - the Royal Mile.

The building is the most important example of 17th-century high-tenement housing to survive in Edinburgh. Its site and the extent of its accommodation mark its prestige in terms of mercantile dignity. The cramped conditions of the Old Town determined the width of the lot on which the house was built, which meant that extension was only possible in depth or height.

Visitors can contrast this site with the Georgian House, at 7 Charlotte Square, which shows life in the New Town in the 18th-century.

Gladstone's Land is in the care of the National Trust for Scotland. Admission is free for members and for holders of the Edinburgh Pass.

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