Beneath Edinburgh's Royal Mile lies Mary King's Close, a network of underground streets and chambers sealed off from the world above since the 18th century. Once a bustling residential close, it was partially demolished and built over when the Royal Exchange (now the City Chambers) was constructed on top in 1753. The buried rooms and passageways have been associated with hauntings ever since.
The close's dark reputation is intertwined with Edinburgh's plague history. During the devastating outbreaks of the 17th century, Mary King's Close was one of the worst-affected areas of the city. Legend holds that infected residents were walled up alive inside their homes, though historians dispute this claim. What is not disputed is that hundreds died in these cramped, lightless dwellings, and the close was eventually abandoned and forgotten.
When the underground chambers were rediscovered and opened to visitors, reports of paranormal activity surged. The most famous ghost is "Annie," said to be the spirit of a young girl abandoned by her plague-stricken family. Japanese psychic Aiko Gibo reportedly sensed the child's presence in a small room in the 1990s, and visitors have since left thousands of toys and dolls as offerings. Other reported phenomena include cold spots, phantom touches, shadow figures moving through the stone corridors, and the sound of footsteps in sealed chambers where no living person could be. The close is now one of Edinburgh's most popular visitor attractions, regularly cited as one of Scotland's most haunted locations.