Gladstone's Land

Gladstone’s Land stands on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh’s Old Town, a six-storey tenement built in 1620 for Thomas Gledstanes, a prosperous merchant. The house occupies a narrow plot between Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyrood, a position that once reflected its owner’s wealth. Its upper floors housed Gledstanes and his family, while lower floors were let to merchants, a knight, and a guild officer. The building’s height came from extending upwards rather than outwards, a common solution in the crowded Old Town. Painted ceilings from the 17th century were plastered over and later restored, revealing intricate designs. The house offers a rare view of Edinburgh life across centuries, from the 17th to the 20th. Tenants included merchants who ran shops and taverns on the ground floor, selling goods like sugar, cinnamon, and clay tobacco pipes. William Struthers, a minister at St Giles Cathedral, lived here during the witchcraft trials of the 1630s. After years of neglect, the National Trust for Scotland saved the building in 1934 and restored its original features. The work uncovered renaissance ceilings and recreated a merchant’s shop with replicas of 17th-century wares. Visitors today find a museum on the first three floors, with displays on merchants, tradespeople, and workers. The ground floor holds an arcade, a café, and an ice cream parlour, while holiday flats occupy the upper floors. Guided tours explore themes like food, tea, medicine, and intimate lives in the Old Town. A curved stone forestair leads from the street to the first-floor entrance, marked by a sign with the date 1617 and a hawk emblem. The building contrasts with the Georgian House in Charlotte Square, showing how Edinburgh’s social life shifted to the New Town.