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Still-Mysterious Gilmerton Cove

This Halloween, we visited the Gilmerton Coves, a series of well-thought out and established caves right under an intersection of Edinburgh.

A smithy named George Patterson claimed he built it all by himself over the period of five years in the 1700s in his spare time. With the amount of sheer sandstone carved into the system, it’s unlikely it could have been accomplished by a single man as a hobby.

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Left: Modern staircase down into the tunnels. Right: Hallway through the tunnel system. There’s now a metal grate covering the old drainage system for safety.

Interestingly, the origin of these caves is a complete mystery, although there are many theories on what it has been used for, including:

A fun family hideaway for George Patterson, his wife, and kids.

Multiple rooms/"bedrooms" exist in the tunnels.
Multiple rooms/”bedrooms” exist in the tunnels.

A secret pub.

Doesn't it look like a tavern/bar?
Doesn’t it look like a tavern/bar?

A storage area for a blacksmith.

The cave system is literally right under the streets! You can see the floorboards of the house that sits atop them in parts. These were likely useful openings in the construction of the tunnels as places to haul away the rock. The back stairwell/entryway leads to the streets as well.
The cave system is literally right under the streets! You can see the floorboards of the house that sits atop them in parts. These were likely useful openings in the construction of the tunnels as places to haul away the rock. The back stairwell/entryway leads to the streets as well.

A meeting place for witches where they committed nefarious acts. Though it seems there would be a few places perfect for sacrifices, there has been absolutely no trace of blood in the entire cave system (it’s been studied!).

A Victorian era attraction. This was an actual use, as the Victorians were quite interested in the supernatural and mysterious.

They've scanned the ground around the tunnel system, but with so many buildings in the way the scans didn't reveal anything. Hopefully with new technology they can see improved scans soon.
They’ve scanned the ground around the tunnel system, but with so many buildings in the way the scans didn’t reveal anything. Hopefully with new technology they can see improved scans soon.

A meeting place for the Knights Templar.

An old Druid site.

The druids worshipped trees, and the etchings in the rock (right) do look like tree bark...
The druids worshipped trees, and the etchings in the rock (right) do look like tree bark…

A Masonic vault. There are a few Masonic symbols, but these could have been etched in the rock by the Victorians.glimmerton-6

A hideaway for the Covenenters (hence why the name “Cove” has been passed down). The Covenenters were Scots who disagreed with the Stuart king’s assertion that he alone was the head of the Church of Scotland. As a persecuted religious group that questioned the monarch’s authority, an escape route seems like a good idea.

Center: The cutout in the rock could have been a great place for a religious statue.
Center: The cutout in the rock could have been a great place for a religious statue.

Even after years of study, experts don’t have all the answers. In fact your guess is as good as theirs!

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5 Comments

  1. Patty Crowe Patty Crowe

    This is such a great blog article with nice photos. You both look so good in your red hard top hats. I vote for the Covenanters’ refuge, although a drinking man-cave wouldn’t be so out-of-line for the day, I wouldn’t think. There’s also smuggling as a possible use for such a large labyrinth of tunnels. Fascinating. I would love to see it.

    • Aw thanks 🙂 Yes, even though such a small town had 24 pubs, it’s said Patterson still DID use it as a tavern! It absolutely could have been used to smuggle things as well! It is a legitimately wonderful site.

  2. eve eve

    I read about it before and did not know is still available to visit. I agree with Patty it could have been use for smuggling. Love your blog it gives me an opportunity to visit wonderful places through your writing.

    • Oh cool that you heard about it before! Thanks for reading <3

  3. Barbara Crowe Barbara Crowe

    Wonderful post – made me curious enough to google it.

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