Victoria Street
Victoria Street, otherwise known as J K Rowling's inspiration for Diagon Alley...supposedly, (The York Shambles also holds this title), is a must for any Potter fan or even those looking for tourist hotspots within Edinburgh.
Part of Edinburgh's Old Town, the street is cluttered with shops and most of them are multicoloured. But the buildings the colourful residents are housed within are all Flemish in style, with arched facades and and gothic structures. The street connects George IV Bridge to Grassmarket which is one of the oldest parts of Edinburgh. It was built in 1829 and construction continued until 1834, designed by Thomas Hamilton (like much of Edinburgh it seems, he also designed the George IV Bridge), the architect went out on a limb and chose the Flemish style for these buildings instead of the Neo-classical style he'd used elsewhere. This meant that this section of Edinburgh stood out among the classical/gothic architecture of the city and was notable for the trade sector that these roads were already known for. Several houses were demolished within the area to make way for carriages to make the area more accessible and which considering the nature of the area (being for trade) made sense.
Originally named Bow Street, the street was renamed in 1837 following Queen Victoria taking the throne. Also interestingly, a real wizard lived in West Bow, Major Thomas Weir confessed to using sorcery and was hung in the 17th century. So that is two wizarding connections to the street, one with a happy ending and one without.
Also famed on this street is Bertie's Fish & Chip shop. This is where you can taste for yourself a deep fried Mars bar. We did exactly that and our health is no better for it. Legend has it each deep fried Mars Bar takes 15 minutes off your life, having tried this sweet treat we reckon that is probably correct. As lovely as it was, we felt the calories increase our waistbands, you wouldn't be able to eat many of these without being sick that's for sure. We shared one and that was enough for us, yummy, comforting, but majorly sweet. Our teeth hurt just thinking back to it! We'd recommend trying one in a heartbeat though, so now you know where to get one!
We also hit John Kay's bookshop while we were there and had the BEST time. Yogi was adored by the shopkeeper, Ren got her special souvenir book to remember the trip (she chose a nice edition of Jekyll & Hyde), and we found someone else to research with John Kay himself.
Is this street haunted? Well although it isn't a historical landmark within its own right, only piggybacking off Old Towns protected status, the street has seen its fair share of history during its time. One of the ways to get to the castle and into the centre of town, the street has no doubt seen some gore within its time. The Marquis's of Montrose and Argyll no doubt marched through this street before being murdered and executed. So to answer the question, yes, we think it is haunted. We think that Victoria Street is home to the spirits of Edinburgh who have no name. Stuck in their daily tasks as time moved on. A sad but wise thought, but we can picture it. Once all the tourists have gone home for the night, the spirits walk the cobbled stones with their brooms and carts, talking amongst themselves like nothing ever changed. Sweet.
DISCLAIMER: Now for the official bit. This blog does not receive any paid promotions from the places mentioned above. We have not been approached to promote or act as spokespersons for any attraction mentioned within this post and this is simply a post intended to act as a day in the life of a couple on a cute date. All photos included are taken by ourselves and as such the rights for these images our ours, no links, brands, or companies mentioned otherwise belong or are associated with Phantom Adventures UK. We are responsible only for this blog. Opinions are our own and not influenced by any third party source..
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