Gladstone's Land

Gladstone's Land is a six-storey tenement on the Lawnmarket, one of the oldest buildings on Edinburgh's Royal Mile, bought and extended in 1617 by the merchant Thomas Gledstanes, whose golden hawk still hangs over the arcaded front. Saved by the National Trust for Scotland in 1934 when it faced demolition, it was refurbished in 2021 as an immersive visit through three centuries of Old Town life: a 17th-century merchant's lodging with hand-painted ceilings of 1620, an 18th-century draper's shop and a 1930s boarding house, telling the stories of the people who lived and traded behind the stone frontage. Downstairs is an ice cream parlour and coffee shop inspired by the building's trading past, where well-behaved dogs on a lead are welcome. Reviewers praise the friendly guides on each floor and say the cafe is a calm refuge from the Royal Mile. Tips from visitors: visits are self-guided until mid-afternoon with a guided tour at three, the stairs are a steep and uneven turnpike, and there is no parking, so come on foot from Waverley.