What is now Princes Street Gardens and Waverley Station, in a pretty green vale below the crag, was once full of water and was called the Nor' Loch. Accused witches were often thrown in with their hands and feet bound. You know the story: if they drowned, ah, they must've been innocent. If they survived: must be witches; burn or hang them on the castle hill.

Fortunately people returned to their senses, and much later, in 1894, a small monument called the Witches' Well was installed near the castle to commemorate these victims. You can still visit it today.

Generations

Three aspects of Edinburgh Castle to show the changes over the past 200 years or so. 

Top c1780 Naysmith

Middle c1842 Greenwood, C. J

NOR LOCH.

It literally means North Lake. But where is the Lake in the above picture? Well, here is the story.

During the middle age, Edinburgh was just the Royal Mile and the buildings around it. The Royal mile was built from the castle and on either side land was sold to local people at extremely cheap price. The castle of Edinburgh was built on a hill and this road goes does hill from the castle. In the North was the North Lake which marked the boundaries of Edinburgh.

“Gardyloo”- It is French for “Watch out for water”. Edinburgh back then had no sewage or drainage system. At particular time of the day, everyone opened their window and screamed “Gardyloo” and threw out all domestic waste and sewages. As it rained almost every day, this got washed away downhill and into North Lake. This went on for years till the upper class people decided to move away. They moved to the other side of the lake and built themselves an “Elite” place which the poor people weren’t allowed into.

In the 19th century, this lake was drained into the sea and converted to what we today call “Princess garden” The above picture is of exactly the same place where the Nor Loch flowed.