What are Edinburgh's Blair Street Underground Vaults?

Descend into the secrets of the city’s past on an Edinburgh history tour of the Blair Street Underground Vaults.  

Is there really an underground city beneath Edinburgh? Sort of, but not as you might think.  

Edinburgh does have an underground world. People did once live down there. And Edinburgh’s true subterranean story is certainly the equal of any strange legend.

The underground vaults beneath Edinburgh’s ancient, cobbled streets are the result of the city’s remarkable topography. Scotland’s capital sprang up in an area of steep hills and precipitous valleys, the formidable Edinburgh Castle standing tall at its heart.  

Hemmed in by a medieval city wall, space was always tight. Every square foot had to be built on. And, as the city expanded, the irregular camber of the land made for a very peculiar development. 

  

A Rabbit Warren of Underground Vaults 

Towering tenements were built cheek-by-jowl on steep hillsides; huge bridges spanned deep ravines; roads were raised to level-off sharp inclines.  

Edinburgh’s hills seemed to disappear in places under this rash of unorthodox development. Meanwhile, out of sight, a rabbit warren of underground vaults, chambers and passageways spread like roots beneath the city’s undulating streets.  

We take our visitors to the infamous Blair Street Underground Vaults beneath Edinburgh’s 18th century South Bridge. The old bridge spans the deep Cowgate valley and originally it stood alone, its huge arches open on both sides so people could pass freely beneath it.  

That quickly changed, however, as new buildings went up on either side, sandwiching the bridge and enclosing the arches. Within the enclosed arches, floors and ceilings were then added, creating a series of vaulted chambers down there, two, three, four storeys deep. 

Watch below as Storyteller Linda takes you on an introductory guided tour of these Edinburgh vaults.

 

Haunt of Edinburgh’s Criminal Underworld 

Originally, these hidden chambers were used as storage areas and workshops for merchants and shopkeepers who had businesses on the bridge above. But that was never going to work. Too damp and gloomy, they were quickly abandoned.  

That’s when Edinburgh’s criminal underworld moved in: its thieves, prostitutes, bootleggers and body snatchers. 

But not all their residents were criminals: the poorest of families sought refuge in their dark corners until the vaults were forcefully emptied in the mid-1800s. 

 

The Most Haunted Places in Scotland 

Today, the Edinburgh vaults are considered to be one of the most haunted places in Scotland. Their long, dark history lends itself well to ghost stories.

Some say the restless souls of the ne’er-do-well criminals inhabit the underground vaults to this day. Others enjoy the vaults solely for their historical and archaeological merit. We'll let you decide which to believe.

 

Want to uncover Edinburgh’s darkest secrets for yourself? Descend into the Blair Street Underground Vaults on an Edinburgh history tour and uncover their dark past.