City of the Dead Ghost Tour
Posted on Sunday, August 08 @ 10:49:07 PDT by poster |
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Anonymous writes "Overriding emphasis is the fright factor.
Edinburgh is a city renowned for its refined culture and aesthetic beauty. It wasn't always this way. Brace yourself, for Black Hart's City of the Dead Tours will take you into the murky surroundings of Auld Reekie's infamous past. Commencing at Edinburgh's Mercat Cross, a spirited Guardian meets and greets us before transporting us beneath Edinburgh's civilised veneers, back to macabre depths of punishment, plagues and poltergeists.
In dramatic style our guide begins by outlining the grisly nature of historical Edinburgh's local entertainment. Public hangings, and blood curdling tortures were the popular theatre back then. The multitudes gathered at the Mercat Cross to witness the accused go through their ghastly physical tests, frequently ending in death.
Mrs Balfour, one luckless victim of the witch hunting, was dropped from a lofty height in what could only be described as a bad bungy jump. When the rope is too long to yank the victim back up, you can imagine the end result. It ain't pretty. Other witches were subjected to the "sink or swim" game in the Nor loch - (now Princes Street Gardens). Sinking got them a watery ending, if they floated they were deemed a witch, and burnt on Castle Rock. Oh we were a civilised bunch!
As our trusty guide brings death to the surface, she measures her anecdotes with reassuring aplomb, utilizing vocal dynamics effectively to create a strong sense of foreboding. Next on the trail is a brief jaunt down Fleshmarket's Close where a lighter verbal load in the form of gardyloo, is showered on us.
Incidents from Edinburgh's hideous past are spine tinglingly told. Entering Greyfriars Kirkyard our frivolous notions of Greyfriar's Bobby are soon shattered. Cautiously treading from one set of graves to the next, we shiver hearing of King Charles II's advocate, George "Bluidy" McKenzie, and his sadistic pleasure in torturing the Scottish Covenanters (Presbyterian dissenters from Charles II's episcopal form of Protestantism). Still dreaded today is the poltergeist of the Black Mausoleum who bears McKenzie's ignominious name. By way of Burke and Hare, child killers and shallow graves, our guide paves the way for the grand finale beyond the gates of the Black Mausoleum. In here nightmares can honestly become a reality!
There are a variety of tours available in Edinburgh. If you're after scares, then this is the one for you. Successfully blending history with humour, the overriding emphasis is the fright factor. These guides are sure masters in manifesting blood-boiling fear to the very surface and beyond. I will say no more.
Company - Black Hart Storytellers.
Contact details - 40 Candlemaker Row, Edinburgh, EH1 2QE, UK.
Email: storytelling@blackhart.uk.com Website
Further information Tel/fax: + 44 (0) 131 255 9044 .
Times - Tours nightly at 8.30pm and 9.15pm.
Starts from - St Giles Cathedral, Mercat Cross, on Edinburgh's Royal Mile.
Duration - 1 and a half hours approximately.
Cost - £6 (£5 concessions).
Reviewer - David Stanners.
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