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Sites Anne T has logged on trip number: 153 (View all trips)
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St John's Cross (Canongate)
Trip No.153 Entry No.1 Date Added: 9th Oct 2019
Site Type: Ancient Cross
Country: Scotland (Midlothian)
Visited: Yes on 1st Oct 2019. My rating: Condition 2 Ambience 3 Access 4
St John's Cross (Canongate) submitted by Anne T on 9th Oct 2019. The location of the old St John's Cross (now said to be outside Canongate Kirk). Whilst the location is said to be marked by a white St John's Cross, the paint had almost been worn away, and if I hadn't seen similar circles of pavers in other locations, might not have recognised the spot. Having spotted the circle, a closer look around revealed the plaque describing the cross on an adjacent wall in deep shadow on the south side of Canongate.
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Log Text: St John's Cross, Edinburgh (site of): The site of this cross was one of the clues (no. 6) on the 'Treasure Trail' map for the Old Town Trail. The markings for this cross were very faint indeed. I only recognised the spot by the circle of bricks in the road, as I’d seen similar features before. There is a plaque on the wall nearby.
From the funny, small brass plates in the road and pavement just to the west, at the junction of High Street and Canongate (W-E) and Jeffrey Street-Saint Mary's Street to the east, the cross would have been located just outside the old city walls.
Whilst I've been to Edinburgh on a number of occasions, I have never walked down Canongate before, and it was a great spot for discovering 'old things and old sites'.
Canongate Mercat Cross
Trip No.153 Entry No.2 Date Added: 9th Oct 2019
Site Type: Ancient Cross
Country: Scotland (Midlothian)
Visited: Yes on 1st Oct 2019. My rating: Condition 3 Ambience 4 Access 4
Canongate Mercat Cross submitted by Anne T on 9th Oct 2019. Standing in the NE corner of the courtyard, looking SW to Canongate. The cross looks modern, but then Canmore (and British Listed Buildings) tell us that the octagonal cross shaft is original; the rest are 'modern' replacements.
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Log Text: Canongate Mercat Cross: Again, we found this cross by chance by following the clues on the "Old Edinburgh Town" Treasure Trail, whilst looking for the answers to two clues within the churchyard. I am sure I annoyed my friend by stopping to photograph all the sites of ancient crosses and wells that we came across, as our 2 hour 'trail' took 4 hours (although this included a coffee and cake stop, too).
Never really having explored Edinburgh Old Town, I was really surprised to find out how much, and how historic, Canongate and surrounding area is.
Girth Cross (Canongate)
Trip No.153 Entry No.4 Date Added: 9th Oct 2019
Site Type: Ancient Cross
Country: Scotland (Midlothian)
Visited: Yes on 1st Oct 2019. My rating: Condition -1 Ambience 3 Access 5
Girth Cross (Canongate) submitted by Anne T on 9th Oct 2019. Standing on the pedestrian island at the western side of the roundabout, I had to wait for ages to get a view without traffic whizzing by on either side. The outer wall Scottish Parliament building is on the left hand side of the photograph. This view looks west up Canongate. If I hadn't have known, from our Treasure Trail clues, that this was the site of the cross, I would have passed it by, but it marks the western limit of the Girth of Holyrood, the largest sanctuary in Scotland, and the las...
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Log Text: Site of the Girth Cross, Canongate: Again, we picked this location up from the Treasure Trail, after Clue 15, there is a ‘Did you know?’ box which reads: “Where Canongate meets Abbeyhill look out for the circle of cobbles. This is the site of the ‘Old Girth Cross’ where proclamations and executions took place. In 1600 Lady Warriston was beheaded by guillotine for conspiring to murder her abusive husband”.
This site is at a very busy road junction, west of Holyrood Palace, and at the eastern end of Canongate, where Canongate meets Abbeyhill, Abbey Strand and Horse Wynd.
Not much to see really, apart from a circle of grey pavers