Whilst the beauty and splendour of Edinburgh is on show for all to see, not many people are aware of what lies beneath Edinburgh and the underground vaults that once provided storage to the cities population.
Back in the 18th century, the population of Edinburgh had risen to dangerously overcrowded levels and the development of the New Town was started on the North of the city. The North and South Bridges which are still part of Edinburghs current fabric were built to improve travel between the New and Old town and for traffic into the city.
The land underneath the bridges was excavated and used by merchants as storage and it is said that some were used as accommodation but eventually the vaults suffered through flooding and became uninhabitable and were filled in and closed off.
Of course, some of the underground attractions have been transformed into restaurants and eateries which has taken some of the mystery away from them but it has opened up the environment to a whole new audience, allowing a unique insight into an area that was long forgotten.
It is also said that the underground vaults are haunted and many visitors have claimed to have seen ghostly apparitions when partaking in the tour but this is all down to the individual. Being rather cynical, I’m not a great believer in the supernatural but either way a tour of the Edinburgh vaults is a fascination insight into what life was like a few hundred years ago.
