History of Castlehill

We love Cannonball House. It is filled with history, and we’re proud to be a part of it.

The Scotsman have recently published an article featuring the buildings on the Royal Mile.

“Cannonball House
This rather quaint-looking building dates from 1630 and is famous for the cannonball which protrudes from its gable end. Local tour guides might tell you that it was embedded into the wall during the Jacobite siege of 1745. However, a far more likely, albeit significantly less romantic, explanation is that the cannonball was knowingly placed by city engineers to mark the gravitational height for the reservoir on the opposite side of the street. Cannonball House stands at the top of Castle Wynd, a steep set of stairs which once ran continuously down to the Grassmarket prior to the creation of Johnston Terrace in the 1830s.”

To read more of David McLean’s article please go here!