Jamie Graham

This is an extract from an Edinburgh ghost tour speech I wrote recently.

The Nor’ Loch was no ordinary Loch. It didn’t contain any mythical monsters and it was created by Royal appointment on order of King James III in 1460 who wanted the land between the Castle and Princes Street to be flooded. The idea was that it would strengthen the Castle’s defences.

Initially it was common for the fine people of Edinburgh to set float in a boat on the moat but then over the years like a lot of Edinburgh’s streets, it became a dumping ground for human waste and the decision to drain it was eventually taken almost 300 years later in 1759.

Almost another 300 years on and the smell of methane gas that used to plague the many nearby Closes has finally subsided!

Now, you may be wondering how the Nor’ Loch got its name. I can assure you it had nothing to do with stock cubes. I can just picture King James’ men stirring the water with paddles to make a tasty broth! Seriously though, the name comes from the abbreviation of north, as the Loch lay to the north of the Castle.

Now, which of you can tell me what douking means? Well, the Nor’ Loch was also the scene of many drownings in the 16th Century. Suspected Witches would be dunked or douked twice into the water and if they sank and drowned they would be found innocent and if they stayed afloat then a worse fate awaited them as they would be deemed a Witch and burned at the stake! This was the original ‘no win situation’.

As we can see in front of us now, where the Nor’ Loch once was, lies the peace and serenity of Princes Street Gardens. These gardens are an oasis of calm from the nearby bustling shops on Princes Street itself. There’s not a witches scream or cackle to be heard, just the sound of birds singing happily in the trees.