Beneath the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Hides a three hundred years old secret, a place of legends and Ghost stories, of hauntings and it has recently been re-opened for the general public to explore, Mary Kings Close is the name and hauntings are the game.

Mary Kings Close is said to be one of the most haunted places in Britain and it has become a very popular visitors attraction as people from all over the world come in the hope of seeing a spirit as they take a stroll down the infamous close.

Mary Kings Close dates back to the 16th Century, and Mary King whom the close was named after lived there in the Mid 17th century, she was the daughter of a wealthy advocate called Alexander King who was the owner of the property.

During the 1700s leith docks was a busy place and goods from all over the world were imported there, the ships brought with them black rats which began to over run in side streets such as Mary Kings Close. With the black rats came disease and finally the black plague.

In an attempt to contain the plague, the local council sealed off Mary Kings close and all of the entrances were blocked up, it is thought that some of the residents of the close were sealed in and left to die.

A few years later Mary Kings Close had to be reopened because the population of Edinburgh saw a massive increase and housing became hard to find.

The City Chambers

100 years after the plague part of Mary Kings close was demolished to make way for a new construction, The Royal Exchange was built over the site which in recent years has become the City Chambers.

Although parts of Mary Kings Close Were demolished the lower parts were left untouched and used in the foundations of the new building, The remnants of the closes were left beneath the building, dark and ancient dwellings steeped in mystery.

A Great deal of research has gone in to Mary Kings Close, including the details of the people who once lived on the site and of course archaeologists have played a great part in uncovering some of the secrets from the past.

When you take the tour of Mary Kings Close you will get a realistic view of how people lived in the 17th Century as you wander around the authentic period housing, meet some of the people who lived there, visit the home of a 17th century grave digger who will reveal to you what exactly the town Council did to control the plague, and you also get to look around a 17th Century sawmakers workshop.

Your guide will reveal dramatic episodes and extraordinary apparitions from the past, including ghost stories over 300 years old.

Your character guide will reveal the fascinating and emotional stories of human life as you are shown around this strange, dark, underground site, a time capsule of 4 closes with real town houses, streets and rooms that date back to the 1600s.

Photography is allowed in Mary Kings Close, but don't be at all surprised if your pictures don't come out or if you find something strange in the pictures as many visitors have discovered before you.

The Most Haunted Team paid a visit to Mary kings Close in Edinburgh on Halloween night 2007, although there were many strange noises and stones thrown at Carl Evyette and the rest of the team there was little real evdence found that would prove once and for all that the close was haunted. although the show had viewers rivited to their seats from start to finish and evyette claimed that it was one if not the scariest show that she had ever made with the Most Haunted Team.