Mary King's Close

In front of you is Edinburgh's City Chambers, but the story lies underneath. A 'close' is one of the narrow, steep alleys that run down from the Royal Mile. From 1753, when the Royal Exchange (today the City Chambers) was built here, the upper storeys of several closes were demolished and what remained was used as foundations. Whole houses and streets of the 17th century were sealed in.

1A real woman

Mary King existed: she was a widow who traded in cloth and held the status of a burgess of the town. She lived in the close in the 17th century and died in 1644. The following year plague struck Edinburgh. The name of one doctor survives, George Rae, hired by the town to treat the sick.

Legend says the authorities walled up the close with the plague victims inside. There is no evidence for it: the sick were quarantined in their homes and the town brought them food.

2Little Annie

The most famous ghost story is very recent. In 1992 a Japanese psychic, Aiko Gibo, visited with a television crew and said she had sensed a sad little girl who had lost her doll. Ever since, visitors have left toys in one of the rooms. It's a modern tradition, not a historical fact. The streets opened to the public as an attraction in 2003.

3What to look out for

• The courtyard arcades: the buried closes lie beneath this building.
• The statue of Alexander and Bucephalus, by John Steell.
• The slope of the neighbouring closes, which gives you an idea of the one that was buried.