Thursday 8 May 2014

My Local History- Edinburgh #BEDM

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 Edinburgh has so much history that it's hard to know where to start and finish. It has been the capital of Scotland since the year 1437 and it gained status as a city in the year 1889.
This photo above shows a part of Edinburgh's vaults which are a series of chambers formed in the nineteen arches of the South Bridge. These are so interesting as they were used to house trades people and were reported to store illegal materials. Reportedly bodies were kept down here too for experiments. The Vaults started to flood and because of the damp conditions, businesses moved out and poor people moved in. During an excavation in 1985 this secret underground world was discovered and objects and artifacts were found.

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 Mary King's Close is fascinating and has been shrouded in mystery. It's a tour in Edinburgh that you can learn interesting facts about the people who lived in these underground streets. It was said that the people who had the plague lived under the Edinburgh town and the rest of the city was built above them. I would love to go on this tour and learn all about it.

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 Burke and Hare murdered people  in Edinburgh in the year 1828. They sold the corpses of the 16 bodies to Doctor Robert Knox who dissected them for his lectures and were reported to have taken place in the vaults mentioned previously. The Burke and Hare film was out in cinemas in 2010 and is based upon the true stories that took place.

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Edinburgh Castle is no doubt one of the most well-known structures in Scotland, dominating the skyline of Edinburgh atop volcanic Castle Rock. A royal castle has existed on the site since the rein of David I in the 12th century, and over the centuries Edinburgh Castle has come to be one of the most important fortresses in Scotland. It has been involved in many historical conflicts, from the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 14th century to the Jacobite Rising of 1745. Despite its location, it has been besieged successfully." Quoted from Edinburgh History.

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The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is performed annually, in August,  by the Commonwealth, British Armed Forces and International Military bands. 

There's so much History in Edinburgh that I could write a book about it. However I have aimed to show you a few snippets of the city instead. The city is fascinating and there is so much to learn.

Love Laura xoxo

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