Slum life in Victorian Edinburgh history tour 

Greyfriars Kirkyard and Greyfriars Bobby

The story of Greyfriars Bobby, the loyal little Skye Terrier, is one of Edinburgh’s most famous tales, but on this tour, it’s one of the most problematic stories.  We’ll reveal why and we’ll tell you a rarely told story that kicks off this private Edinburgh tour with genuine emotion.  And all of these stories are told almost literally in the shadows of the Edinburgh Poorhouse.

The Grassmarket lodging-houses

Welcome to the Victorian Grassmarket - often portrayed as Edinburgh’s ‘sin-city’ for our poorest citizens.  As ever, with Victorian eyewitness accounts, opinions on morality come thick and fast.  We love this area, and we love the stories that highlight some of the few moments of fun and enjoyment for some of the poor.

The Bowhead and the Improvement Act

Robert, your Edinburgh tour guide, will explain why the iconic Bowhead House was demolished and why this may have been a massive mistake.  You’ll also learn about Edinburgh’s Ragged Schools and what it was like to be a child in the Victorian Old Town.

The people who history forgot

Throughout this tour, your guide will use eyewitness accounts to describe the lives and living conditions of Edinburgh’s poorest people.  Although many of these testimonies will have been written by people who weren’t poor and who were ‘slumming it’, you will hear some actual quotes from the people who lived in the slum areas of Victorian Edinburgh.

From 'Wynd' to 'Street' - The worst of the slums

The last part of this tour will take you right into two of the very worst streets in the Old Town slum.  Blackfriars Wynd and St Mary’s Wynd are now very respectable and comfortable areas of the Old Town.  Still, we will reveal what they once looked like, and we’ll share some of the most shocking stories about extreme poverty in Victorian Edinburgh.

'Little Ireland'

Although the Victorian Edinburgh tour is our most emotionally ‘hard-hitting’, we have some truly inspiring and positive stories.  One of the most positive and constructive events from ‘Little Ireland’ was the founding of Hibernian Football Club.  We’ll look at this story with you and others, which show the optimistic spirit of many who lived in Edinburgh’s Victorian slums.