Abandoned following the plague in 1645, Mary King’s Close has been a location associated with the paranormal for hundreds of years. In 1685, “Satan’s Invisible World Discovered”, a book that recorded a demonic parade of apparitions which forced locals to flee the Close in terror some years before.
An elderly lawyer, Thomas Coltheart and his wife refused to leave and were almost driven mad by terrifying images of floating limbs, a bodiless phantom of a child and a “grotesque and monstrous form” of a dog that would curl up on a chair.
Now one of Edinburgh’s most haunted attractions the close is known for its variety of ghosts. A tall lady, dressed in a long black gown is often seen walking near the ghost tours that visit the underground caverns and several visitors have caught fleeting glimpses of a short, elderly man who wears a troubled expression.
Richard Jones of the Historical London Walk wrote “The most poignant of its earth bound spirits is that of a little girl, whose lank hair hangs over a pale face that is covered in weeping sores. She was discovered by a Japanese medium, brought here by a television company and who was told nothing of the Close’s history prior to her visit. Stepping into one of the rooms the medium was overwhelmed by a disturbingly depressive aura. As she turned to leave, someone tugged on her trouser leg. Going back into the room she found a dishevelled young girl weeping in the corner, who told her that she had died of “the sickness” in 1645. The distraught child revealed that she had lost her doll and felt very lonely and unhappy as a result. Moved by her plight, the television crew bought her a doll and left it in the room. Ever since, many visitors have also brought gifts for the ghostly child, and a bizarre collection of toys, dolls, books and even coins are now piled in the corner of the room.”
The Ghost Photograph
In 1994 David Roulston spent the night in Mary King’s Close to raise money for the BBC’s Children in Need appeal. Through the night David filmed his stay over, mainly to record his own feat rather than the paranormal.
“I had a camcorder with me in the Close and at one point I felt very cold. I played the video at home and it looked as if there was a head on the wall. To me it looks like the head of a dog – a ghostly apparition. It seems to turn then disappear.”
The video was edited by Richard Adamson who told: “Strange sounds kept appearing and I am convinced the speech and music changed tracks…it only happened round the bit with the ghost.”
