Anchor Close Travel Guide

Anchor Close dates back to approximately 1521, making it one of Edinburgh's oldest surviving passageways. The close takes its name from the Anchor Tavern, which operated at the top of the close from 1714 onwards. This historic establishment became the meeting place of the Crochallan Fencibles, a convivial club for gentlemen founded by William Smellie, the printer who created the Encyclopaedia Britannica. The tavern served excellent food at affordable prices and attracted some of Edinburgh's most distinguished men, including the poet Robert Burns, whose first Edinburgh edition was printed by Smellie in 1787. Allan Masterton, who composed music for Burns's songs, was also a member of this celebrated club.

The close features two prominent 17th-century buildings on its eastern side, originally constructed as four-storey structures that exemplify the dense urban development of Edinburgh's medieval Old Town. A doorway on the western side bears a 17th-century inscription reading "LORD BE MERCIFUL TO ME," which marked the entrance to Dawney Douglas's Tavern, where the Crochallan Fencibles held their meetings. The sandstone construction typical of Edinburgh's Old Town allows for intricate carved details and decorative stonework that characterise the area's architectural identity. Before Cockburn Street was constructed in 1856, Anchor Close ran as a continuous passageway from the High Street all the way to Market Street, serving as one of the original lanes that connected Edinburgh's upper and lower levels.

The construction of Cockburn Street in 1856 fundamentally altered Anchor Close's geography, dissecting it into two separate sections. Despite this division, the close remains accessible from both the Royal Mile and Cockburn Street, preserving its role as a pedestrian thoroughfare through the Old Town. The close continues to attract visitors interested in Edinburgh's medieval history and literary connections. Its narrow confines, historic stonework, and atmospheric character make it a quintessential example of the closes that define Edinburgh's Old Town experience. The preservation of its original buildings and historical plaques ensures that visitors can still sense the presence of the figures who once gathered here, from Burns to Scott's family, making it a tangible link to Edinburgh's cultural past.