The Jewel of the Lawnmarket Closes
Hidden away behind an archway on the south side of the busy Lawnmarket, Riddle's Court is one of the most historically significant sixteenth-century merchant complexes surviving in Edinburgh. Built in the 1590s by Bailie John McMorran—the wealthiest merchant of his era—the building showcases the domestic grandeur of the Scottish Renaissance.
Walking into the stone courtyard, the noise of the Royal Mile abruptly disappears. Preserved overhead are dramatic corbelled turrets, crow-stepped gables, and external stone stairs known as forestairs. Inside, the Great Hall still preserves its original 16th-century painted timber ceiling, adorned with allegorical symbols, Scottish thistles, and heraldic emblems.
In subsequent centuries, Riddle’s Court became home to Enlightenment philosopher David Hume, who wrote parts of his monumental 'History of England' within its walls. Rescued and restored by the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust, it offers an authentic, uncommercialized glimpse into the living architecture of the Old Town.
"Step through into the second, inner courtyard to admire the picturesque outside forestair and the carved stone heraldry commemorating the philosophers and scholars who lived here, including philosopher David Hume."
In 1598, Bailie John McMorran hosted a banquet here for King James VI of Scotland and Queen Anne of Denmark. In the 1890s, pioneering town planner Sir Patrick Geddes transformed it into a university hall of residence.
