Beneath the South Bridge of Edinburgh lies a labyrinth of chambers, tunnels, and vaulted rooms that were sealed from the world for nearly two centuries. Built within the nineteen arches of the South Bridge when it was completed in 1788, the Edinburgh Vaults were originally used as workshops, taverns, and storage spaces by the merchants and tradespeople of the Old Town. Within decades, however, the vaults fell into disuse as water seeped through the bridge above, and the dark, damp chambers became home to Edinburgh's poorest and most desperate inhabitants.
The vaults housed the destitute, the criminal, and — according to persistent legend — the body snatchers who supplied Edinburgh's anatomy schools with fresh cadavers. Burke and Hare, the city's most infamous murderers, are said to have used the vaults as staging areas for their grim trade in the 1820s. When the chambers were finally sealed in the mid-19th century, they passed into legend and were largely forgotten until their rediscovery in the 1980s.
Since the vaults were reopened for tours, they have become one of the most prolific sources of reported paranormal activity in Scotland. Visitors have described being pushed, scratched, or having their hair pulled by unseen hands. A figure known as "Mr. Boots" — named for the sound of heavy footsteps that echo through the stone corridors — is the most frequently reported presence. Stones have been thrown in chambers where no one else is present. Photographers have captured anomalous shapes in the darkness, and tour guides report that certain chambers are consistently colder than should be possible given their insulation from the outside air. The vaults have been the subject of numerous paranormal investigations and television programmes.