Dunbars Close Garden

Dunbar’s Close on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh’s Old Town is a hidden gem, laid out in the style and character of a 17th century garden.

About Dunbars Close Garden

Dunbar’s Close on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh’s Old Town is a hidden gem. The garden has been laid out in the style and character of a 17th century garden. To enter you travel along a narrow, cobbled close. It opens out into a surprisingly tranquil and elegant parterre of clipped shrubs under a cosy green canopy of trees. Beyond the entrance are further parterres, each with different atmospheres and all are sheltered thanks to high church walls on the west side and clipped hedging on the others. Entrance to the garden is free of charge.

The garden is special, particularly when the trees are in full leaf. It has such an authentic sense of place that you feel like you are one of the few to have discovered it. It is hard to believe that somewhere so peaceful, so city centre, was a building site until 1976 when The Mushroom Trust funded the creation of a new garden by Seamus Filor, landscape architect. The Mushroom Trust handed the garden over to the City of Edinburgh on completion and is still involved in its management.

The close was probably named after David Dunbar, a writer who owned the tenements at the garden’s entrance.

All information (whether in text or photographs) is supplied in good faith but should not be relied upon as being a statement of representation or fact. We take every opportunity to ensure the details for Dunbars Close Garden are accurate, please contact us at hello[@]whatsonnetwork.co.uk if any of the above information is incorrect.

Upcoming Events at Dunbars Close Garden

More Gardens and Parks in Edinburgh

Victoria Park Edinburgh

Victoria Park Newhaven Road , Edinburgh North EH6 5PY

A lovely public park in the Trinity area of Edinburgh. The park has been awarded a Green Flag since 2011, in recognition of it being a quality greenspace.
Read more

Newhailes House and Gardens

Newhailes House and Gardens Newhailes Road , Musselburgh EH21 6RY

Discover 300 years of Scottish history through this magnificent and carefully conserved neo-Palladian villa.
Read more

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

20A Inverleith Row, Stockbridge and Canonmills EH3 5LR

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is a scientific centre for the study of plants, their diversity and conservation, as well as a popular tourist attraction.
Read more

Princes Street Gardens

Princes Street Gardens Princes Street, Edinburgh EH2 2HG

Princes Street Gardens lies at centre of Edinburgh's World Heritage Site, within New Town and Old Town Outstanding Conservation Areas. It is listed in...
Read more

Lauriston Castle

2 Cramond Road South, Edinburgh West EH4 6AD

When you step inside Lauriston Castle, you see it just as it was in 1926, when it was left to the nation by the last private owner, Mrs Reid.The Castle...
Read more

Almondell & Calderwood Country Park

Almondell & Calderwood Country Park Almond Lodge, Broxburn EH52 5PE

Probably the best kept secret in West Lothian, Almondell & Calderwood Country Park is a 220-acre park and 4 star visitor attraction!
Read more

Beecraigs Country Park

Beecraigs Country Park , Linlithgow EH49 6PL

Beecraigs Country Park is a great place to visit. It caters for a wide range of leisure and recreational activities within its 370 hectares (913 acres).
Read more

Granton Castle Walled Garden

23 West Shore Road EH5 1QB , Edinburgh North EH5 1QB

Granton's very own secret garden hidden away on Edinburgh's waterfront and was once attached to Granton Castle.
Read more

Holyrood Park

Holyrood Park Queen's Dr, Edinburgh East EH8 8HG

Holyrood Park is a unique historic landscape in the heart of the city, whose dramatic crags and hills give Edinburgh part of its distinctive skyline.
Read more

Calton Hill

Calton Hill , Edinburgh New Town EH7 5AA

Calton Hill is a hill in central Edinburgh, just to the east of the New Town and is included in the city's UNESCO World Heritage Site.It offers some of...
Read more

All Gardens and Parks listings in Edinburgh

Sponsored Links

Popular Events

Popular Venues