Royal Mile Area

Previously featured as a scanned print, but the scanned negative is higher quality. These enamelled signs have long since disappeared.

Waverley Cameron and their enamelled signs advertising pens. There was also a metal merchant nearby who sold nuts, bolts, screws and sheet metal. Photo updated - negative rescanned 2005.

Cockburn Street Arcade before years of neglect made the ceiling rather less attractive than it appears here.

About 30 years have elapsed since the previous photo. The interior of the dome has been renovated with concealed lighting.

Johnston Terrace was closed to traffic and pedestrians but it was possible to get closer to the workers near the top of the steps from the Grassmarket.

The bearded man supervises as his colleague removes the plant life from the rock face. The red flowers look nice but their roots could help open up cracks in the rock.

The abseilers' ropes have protective yellow sleeves to protect them from abrasion by jagged rocks where necessary.

This is in the High Street near the World's End pub and the Museum of Childhood, opposite John Knox's house. Originally a cinema, it was McGoo's in the 1960's when I saw The Who perform there.

Graffiti outside the public library on George IV Bridge. Observe the alteration of grammatical tense from present to past. Photographed in the late '70s after the LSD trial.

Part of Edinburgh's Royal Mile, guarded by a traffic warden. The pavements are considerably narrower and the road wider than today, not nearly so pedestrian-friendly.

The temporary home for the Scottish Parliament as seen from the Mound Place entrance. A statue of John Knox is on the left.

A marble wash-hand-basin and brass tap inside a corridor in the Assembly Halls.

It's Open Day and visitors are not confined to the upstairs gallery, but can have a closer look at where Members of the Scottish Parliament conduct their debates.

One of the world's earliest multi-storey buildings.

The Assembly Halls at the top of The Mound.

May sunshine accentuates the texture of the stone work.

One of the numerous closes off the High Street. This leads down to the Cowgate. In the early '60s the steps at the corner once led to Bungy's Beat Club.

The entrance to Ramsay Garden. Some of the residents may time their holidays during the Edinburgh Military Tattoo to avoid the noise.

Near the top of the Royal Mile at the corner of the Lawnmarket and Bank Street is this famous pub. This was a favourite haunt of mine in the '60s.

At the corner of Johnston Terrace and Castlehill. A former church is now The Hub, a sort of visitor centre. The coloured paving slabs caught my eye.

Photograph taken on my first digital camera, a Nikon Coolpix. It only had 1.2 Megapixels but its wide angle lens was equivalent to a 24mm lens on a 35mm film camera.

A different view of that building in Cockburn Street. February morning sunshine is adding a golden glow. Best of all, there are no parked cars ruining the effect.

Looking rather attractive after a good paint job is this bull's head over the shop doorway at the corner of St Mary's Street and Boyd's Entry.

"I'm a nun from Lesmahagow" 2 unsuspecting victims are unaware that they're about to be hassled about Gouranga.

Primal Body Piercing (ouch!) and bings of bongs.

A wide format picture of the very attractive wrought iron metalwork and sign, complete with assorted aquatic creatures. The colours of the seven different fish show up well.

This shot shows more detail of the close. The steps on the left led, in the sixties, to Bungy's Beat Club which I used to frequent.

Another view, photographed in February 2006. The steep hill leads down to the Cowgate.

Photographed in March 2006, looking north up the hill towards the Royal Mile. Pentax *ist camera with 10mm fisheye lens.

Taken a few moments after the previous picture, looking back down from the Royal Mile.

The February sunshine lights up this High Street close, just downhill from Old Fishmarket Close but separated by Borthwick's Close.

Dummies. Not just any old shop window dummies. These ones are apparently representative of today's 'yoof', featuring pierced tongues and leering expressions.

Looking down Anchor Close from the High Street to Cockburn Street.

Fleshmarket Close starts in the High Street then crosses Cockburn Street before continuing down the steps to Market Street and Waverley Station.

The top section of Fleshmarket Close leading up to the High Street from Cockburn Street.

This is the view looking down towards Market Street and Waverley Station.

Prompted by the grafitti saying ART MY ASS, I gave the picture an arty treatment.

A vertically orientated view of Fleshmarket Close. The tiny takeaway offers flesh in the form of kebabs and hot dogs. For many years these premises housed the smallest pet shop I've ever seen.

Avalanche is the name of the record shop. On the right, a gentleman climbs up the steps from Waverley Station carrying a leather bag resembling what used to be called a Gladstone Bag.

This rather seedy entrance is the last picture in this sequence of shots. Handheld at a quarter of a second with no flash.

A more conventional view of the closes at the top of Cockburn Street, photographed in November 2010. At the left of the picture part of Tron Kirk is visible.

A different day and a different sequence of 4 pictures. Looking straight up its length in this shot, about 110 metres not including the height.

Higher up here. Above the pub some old signwriting on the stone tenement has not faded much, maybe because it's facing north.

The pub is presumably called the Halfway House as it's halfway up (or down). Being a Free House, it's not owned by a brewery.

Almost at the top, next to Cockburn Street. The close continues across the road and ends at the High Street.

Another picture of the curving canyon of Cockburn Street.

Peeking round the corner of the High Street and Saint Mary's Street from the top of an open-top double-decker bus. Architecture in the Scottish Baronial Style.

A close-up view of the sign outside The People's Story exhibition in the Canongate.

A pair of ornamental painted metal dragons adorn the entry to Wardrop's Court off the Lawnmarket at the top of the Royal Mile.

This band have their own unique style with four drummers and a piper playing the bagpipes in an innovative fashion.

In this shot I've zoomed in on the piper

The piper by himself. He who pays the piper (and the rest of the band) may buy a CD

Since an Australian waitress was killed by falling masonry there's been some worries about the state of some of Edinburgh's buildings.

The promise of free WiFi has brought a bit of a crowd to the resource centre at the top of Victoria Street. The prospect of free cash has brought one person seated with a blanket.

Looking out onto Victoria Terrace. This cyclist could (in theory) be fined £40 for cycling on a footpath, as could the convoy he was leading.

Looking more like an urban slum in some desolate part of the former Soviet Union, this is the view that greets visitors who take a stroll down Johnston Terrace at the south side of Edinburgh Castle.

November 2009 and little has changed. This slightly wider view shows Kings Stables Road in the foreground.

At the top of Johnston Terrace is the Castle Hill School building.

An unusual stone sculpture perches high overhead on the north side of Cockburn Street.

T-shirts with "Don't Panic! I'm Islamic", "Barbie is a Slut" and "Nobody knows I'm a Lesbian". The dummy on the left vaguely resembles Johnny Depp.

Council building near the bottom of the street.

The jumble of buildings between Market Street and Cockburn Street.

Old architecture at the top of the Mound to the left of the Assembly Halls. The steps lead to the Lawnmarket (top section of the Royal Mile) quite close to the entrance to Edinburgh Castle.

Further up the steps into Milne's Court. Here we can see through the short tunnel.

At the top end of the tunnel mentioned above, looking back down to Mound Place.

Previous Parliament pictures were mostly views from Salisbury Crags. Now we're up close, I've put these photos in the Royal Mile section.

A sign warns 'Any items attached to railings, posts or the fabric of the building will be removed by the police'.

Any items attached to railings, posts or the fabric of the building will be removed by the police.

Seen from street level, the view of the new parliament is one of neat rows of portacabins in two storeys.

A closer view from a different angle reveals the curved shape that is likened to upside-down boats on a beach.

Further redevelopment a little further up Holyrood Road. Two views, the first one showing more of the restored stonework of what is now a pizza restaurant.

This shot shows the design of this copper and glass building more clearly. This whole area has largely changed beyond all recognition in recent times.

From left to right the streets here are Jeffrey Street, Canongate, St Mary's Street and High Street.

Niddry Street is the one-way street on the immediate left, running parallel to South Bridge, the northern end of which is just beyond the Bank Hotel. Beyond that is the Tron Kirk.

Traditional granite setts (cobbles) in the foreground - except that they're glued into place with epoxy resin, and they were imported from China.

As seen from the 35 bus stop in the Canongate, near the top of New Street.

The new building at the corner of the Lawnmarket and George IV Bridge is now complete and this is the view from the corner across to Deacon Brodie's and Bank Street.

High Street is closed to traffic gives opportunities for street performers and traders.

The view down the Royal Mile past John Knox's house towards the Firth of Forth. Aberlady Bay is about 20km to the east.

Edinburgh's narrow closes and tenements off the High Street are ideal for capturing with an ultrawide lens.

There's a small plaque on the wall beside the street lamp. It states Gladstone's Land. Lady Stair's Close is the light coloured building directly in front.

The ultrawide lens used for these shots is a Sigma 10-20mm zoom which is equivalent to a 15-30mm zoom on a 35mm film camera. The wide angle lenses I used in the '70s and '80s were 24mm and 17mm.

The Lawnmarket (part of the Royal Mile) is just through the passageway. Deacon Brodie's pub is on the left as you exit.

A traditional wooden Indian stands outside the Cigar Box tobacconist shop in the High Street. One of the few remaining such establishments.

The text on the bronze plaque is clearly legible so I shan't repeat it. There's a glimpse of the Scott Monument behind the lamp further into the close.

Under the lamp mentioned above, looking out of the close into the High Street. The first occupants wouldn't have had the convenience of a door entry system.

A bit further down the High Street is Anchor Close which leads down to Cockburn Street.

Previously photographed more than once - but it was looking rather splendid today, so I couldn't resist another picture.

Wider, straighter and longer than many of the High Street closes. It leads down to Jeffrey Street, next to its junction with East Market Street and almost under North Bridge.

Part way down, an interesting restored house entrance.

I forgot to look at the name of this close, and haven't been able to figure it out by looking at Google Street View. If you're certain you know it let me know...

Opposite the World's End Pub. A solar powered parking ticket machine stands next to a historic building that's up for sale.

The view south east from the Camera Obscura roof. Arthur's Seat is on the left. McEwan Hall and other university buildings are on the right.

St Giles Cathedral is just right of centre and Salisbury Crags are in the distance on the right. An open-topped double decker tour bus is emerging from Johnston Terrace into the Lawnmarket.

Facing north, looking over Princes Street and the New Town towards Fife. The Scott Monument is visible behind the Assembly Hall.

Looking more north east now. Inchkeith Island can be seen in the Firth of Forth behind the Scott Monument.

The west view is Edinburgh Castle with the espanade in front. The triangular metal construction is the start of the annual rebuilding of the seating for the tattoo.

A vertigo inducing view of the streets below: Castlehill leading to the castle and, to the right, past the Tartan Weaving Mill & Exhibition, Ramsay Lane leads to Mound Place.

To the south east, the dome of McEwan Hall catches the April sunshine.

The triangular shape of North Berwick Law can be seen on the horizon 33km away. To its right are the steeples of Tron Kirk and St Giles Cathedral.

The green bus waiting at the traffic lights is in Lawnmarket and headed straight down into High Street. Traffic from Bank Street on the left and George IV Bridge on the right is crossing over.

Much evidence of the stonemasons' craft on display in this view towards Waverley Bridge.

To get an idea of scale, have a look at the top of the third chimney from the left. There's a pigeon perched on top.

Here you can see permanent ladders discreetly attached to the tall stone chimneys. In the background is Princes Street.

Leith has a Ferris Wheel visible between the tower blocks of Persevere Court and Citadel Court.

Part of Ramsay Garden. I would guess that some of the occupants might go traveling when the Edinburgh Military Tattoo is underway.

The entrance to Edinburgh Castle seen from the Camera Obscura.

A golden finish - which I'd like to think is real gold leaf.

Most of my Victoria Street photos are in the Grassmarket pages but this is closer to the High Street.

A unicyclist entertains crowds outside the Edinburgh Festival fringe shop in July 2010.

Such a tall unicycle needs assistance to get on, but once he was going he was able to move about and change direction.

He's facing to the right in this shot which also gives a glimpse of the Tron Kirk beside Hunter Square.

Further up the High Street on this July afternoon were a couple of guys playing music while their female companion posed prettily.

Pedal power for ferrying visitors around the town centre.

We revisited Camera Obscura, keen to sample the psychedelic eye and brain candy therein. This is the mirror maze.

Looking down from the rooftop I noticed this little nature colony on a chimney top.

The low autumn sunshine picks out the texture of these old stone walls. Calton Hill is in the distance, to the right of what is now Museum on the Mound.

Mel Gibson seems to be soliciting the visitors with his bottle of Coke and yellow bucket, both of which somewhat detract from his William Wallace makeover.

A slightly different view to Camera Obscura 39 showing the familiar clock tower of the Balmoral Hotel.

Zoomed in for a closer look at the dome of Museum on the Mound. Fife lies beyond the Firth of Forth. Calton Hill Observatory is on the right.

Outside Deacon Brodie's pub on the Royal Mile waiting for the victory parade for the Olympic medalists including Chris Hoy.

"Don't make our city EdinbURGH!" proclaims this officially sanctioned graffiti with innovative use of an exclamation mark. I wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment.

"Doesn't everyone have a cellphone?" could be the cry here. Obvously not - because the centre phone box is in use.

An old sign is still partly visible on the left wall. (It wasn't I who wrote 'check this out' on the wall.)

Precautions have been taken to prevent accidents caused by falling rock.

A closer look at the safety fence. On top of the red and white barrier a smaller fence separates pedestrians from traffic.

How it looks from close up. It looks gloomy behind that extra strong fence. It's angled inwards at the top so that bouncing rocks might be deflected away from the road.

That wire looks tough enough to contain any rocks that might fall. PLEASE USE OTHER FOOTPATH states the yellow sign behind the fence.

Looking up at the castle.

Further up Johnston Terrace is this view of the seating for the tattoo as seen from below. It contrasts nicely with the accidental floral display underneath.

A straight-on view of the tattoo seating on the castle esplanade.

GIRLS is carved in stone on the archway over the school gate near the top of the street.

At the corner of Lawnmarket and Bank Street (outside Deacon Brodie's pub) people wait to cross the road. It's funny how most (but not all) clothes appear pale grey when photographed in infrared.

Apologies to Robert Crumb for adding this cartoon to the picture. It's from Johnston Terrace at the back (south side) of Edinburgh Castle and shows the ugly building that is Argyle House.

An eyecatching musical instrument, decorated with thousands of tiny coloured beads. In the reflection you can see the Scotsman building in Cockburn Street.

This wacky window has caught my eye before: here and here. They sell all sorts of daft stuff, seeming to specialise in clobber for bold attention seekers.

So often photographed by visitors I had to wait until they'd passed in order to get my shot.

Even in October there are still street perfomers in Edinburgh's Royal Mile. Unlike those who juggle chainsaws and burning torches whilst balancing on tall unicycles, this performer remains perfectly still.

I'm not a fan of cars but I do admire craftsmanship.

Very few cars will have such a clean, shiny engine as this.

A side view with the City Chambers in the background.

The owner has gone to some trouble so he can justifiably say his car's got balls.

High above the shops in Cockburn Street, a cat-like gargoyle with big feet lurks overhead.

The corner of the High Street and Cockburn Street illustrates more interesting architecture.

For no apparent reason there were 2 pig models outside a shop. A passing 'hen party' sat on one and pictures were taken on phones.

The grubby faced man in costume was leading a party on a guided walk, crossing the road to Deacon Brodie's pub.

A view showing 2 tour buses coming up past John Knox's house towards the Tron.

Having already photographed the Holyrood Palace gates from the Radical Road I did so from up close.

Sturdier than the usual bollards are these on the pavement in the Canongate part of the Royal Mile beside the Scottish Parliament.

A fisheye view of Cockburn Street at Jackson's Close. Crew offer drugs advice and help. The Scotsman newspaper moved from this area a long time ago.

A regular wide angle view of the same scene.

A short history lesson about New Assembly Close off the south side of the High Street section of the Royal Mile.

A wide angle picture of the Camera Obscura building. It's amazing what they can pack inside this comparatively small place.

At bottom left of this picture is a real creature - a falcon - which is better than a fibreglass pig. This view is down the Royal Mile past St Giles Cathedral and the Tron Kirk.

Many visitors will photograph Ramsay Garden if walking up the steep cobbled streets of Mound Place and Ramsay Lane to Edinburgh Castle.

A closer look at the attractive steps leading up to the first floor. Some residents may go elsewhere during the noisy tattoo and rent out their Edinburgh home for a high price.

A letterbox shaped photo of a street performer in the High Street.

I believe the entertainment included poking sausage shaped balloons down his throat, sword-swallower style.

Even if you're from Edinburgh it can be interesting to go on one of these tours.

Abbeymount continues uphill to Regent Road / Montrose Terrace / Easter Road. A right fork under the bridge takes traffic along Abbeyhill to Spring Gardens and Royal Park Terrace.

The Lawnmarket was very busy on August 1 2016.

Further down the Royal Mile in the High Street crowds watch a street performer.

The street performer seems to threaten a bystander with a knife.

Not sure if he's a sword swallower. I saw him throw and catch a flaming torch.

The new catchment area / landing zone for falling castle rocks in Johnston Terrace.

This safety zone takes up some road space.

Coaches must park further up where the road is less narrow.

A visit to Johnston Terrace wouldn't be complete without capturing the view south.

A closer look at the fine view.

Young People’s Award - 1000 yellow figures

1000 yellow figures

I previously photographed the New Palace Cinema in the 1970s. It's the 8th image in this gallery. This picture taken in 2017.

Barnet's Shoes opposite the World's End pub.

Just an experiment, this photo of the bollards on the Canongate pavement near parliament.

TV interview in front of the parliament building.

A closer look at the TV interview in front of the parliament building.

Bicycle racks in the shape of metal puzzles

Looking back down to the TV crew from the Radical Road.

3 InfraRed photos taken at the top of the Royal Mile.

It's strange how most clothes appear white or pale grey.

Deacon Brodie's Tavern

A marching band heads towards the palace gates on 18th May 2017.

These were the next to take their place in line.

The first piece of music was short, sharp and synchronised to a millisecond.

They responded as one to the senior officer's barked commands.

Photographed from the Radical Road where I could hear them playing James Bond theme tunes.

Late June means there will be street performers in the High Street.

This street performer was doing things with fire.

A long shot shows the refraction of the hot air above his flaming torch.

Photographs of Victoria Street are a bit of a cliché but it was looking good today for the fisheye lens on my action camera. This section was clear of cars for once!

A convincing looking ripoff of the Harry Potter thing.

Looking back down from Victoria Terrace

Wild flowers beside the Scottish Parliament near to Queens Drive

At the back runners head south down Abbeyhill towards Horse Wynd and past Parliament.

Adjacent to Holyrood, the road leads to Abbeyhill area.

Abbeymount continues uphill to Regent Road / Montrose Terrace / Easter Road. A right fork under the bridge takes traffic along Abbeyhill to Spring Gardens and Royal Park Terrace.

The corner of West Norton Place and Montrose Terrace. Easter Road is in the distance behind the buses on London Road.

Behind the railway bridge is this tenement building, still sporting its faded paintwork advertising Cranston's Temperance Hotels.

The bridge no longer carries any trains and Abbeyhill Station has long since closed. The tenement building at Brand Place remains the same.

A ScotRail train passes by in this view south across the street called Abbeyhill.

A vertical composition taken from the same spot on Abbeymount.

The same gentleman a few paces further on in this shot.

This line is fully functional as it's the main east coast line. Arthur's Seat and Salisbury Crags can be glimpsed between the electricity wires that power trains.

This is the site prior to construction, looking north towards London Road. The name of the shop on the ground floor of the tenement building is Pretty Woman.

Built on the ground where the suburban railway station used to stand is this crescent shaped edifice with copper panels.

A closer look at the contrasting surfaces of this block of flats / apartment building, illuminated by low winter sunshine.

The same copper-clad building as seen from Lower London Road. On the corner of Comely Green Place on the left is a pet shop with tropical fish and reptiles.

Montrose Terrace continues downhill to London Road. Abbey Street affords this view south to Arthur's Seat.

Looking west from Meadowbank to Abbeyhill. In the far distance the Nelson Monument can be seen on top of Calton Hill. On the left side of the railway line are the tenements of Royal Park Terrace.

Looking down through a wide-angle lens on Restalrig village. Yashica SLR and 17mm lens.

Looking towards Arthur's Seat from outside the Scottish Parliament