Did you know? · Edinburgh
Edinburgh fun facts
Things you might not know about Edinburgh. Every fact comes from an official or primary source, named alongside it.
Updated October 2026
A gun at one o’clock
Edinburgh Castle is home to the One o’Clock Gun, as well as the Honours of Scotland and the medieval gun Mons Meg (edinburghcastle.scot).
A street beneath the street
The Real Mary King’s Close calls itself Edinburgh’s only preserved 17th-century street, hidden beneath the Royal Mile.
Two World Heritage Sites
The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh are one World Heritage Site; the Forth Bridge, a few miles west, is another, inscribed in 2015 (whc.unesco.org).
The largest horses in the world
The Kelpies at the Helix in Falkirk, a short drive west, are the world’s largest equine sculptures, the Helix says.
Run by artists since 1826
The Royal Scottish Academy, on the Mound, was founded in 1826 and is still run by artists for artists, in its own words.
Black cabs since 1925
City Cabs has run licensed black cabs in Edinburgh since 1925, in its own words.
One family since 1896
The Guildford Arms, a Victorian bar off Princes Street, has been owned and run by the Stewart family since 1896, in its own words.
Questions and answers
What is the One o’Clock Gun?
A gun fired from Edinburgh Castle at one o’clock (edinburghcastle.scot).