Greyfriars Kirk

The graveyard that inspired a place Godric's Hollow in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter. It's right beside Edinburgh Castle so there's is no reason not to walk through this old and dark pathway.

Bobby's Bar at the Greyfriar Kirkyard is a darling homage to Greyfriar's Bobby, a loyal terrier beloved by many. Leave a token for the pup for good luck! #edinburgh #scotland

Greyfriars Kirkyard

© Paul Cunningham - Edinburgh Photo Guy

This Kirkyard is not haunted but has some history that equally is is unsettling. This place his estimated around over thousand bodies and more underneath the ground. Lots of the graves are unmarked after most of the bodies were moved from the first graveyard of Edinburgh's Old Town, St Giles behind the cathedral were moved to here.

Greyfriars takes its name from the Franciscan friary on the site (the monks of which wore grey robes), which was dissolved in 1559. The churchyard was founded in 1561, then Mary Queen of Scots made the land available for a burial ground, before then it was a herb garden to cure illnesses. St Giles burial ground was running out of room for burials.

In more recent times in history this place was rife for body snatchers, hence the mortsafe protected grave in this image.

Paul

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