Gladstone's Land, Edinburgh

Gladstone’s Land is a tall surviving tenement, restored as a furnished visitor attraction by the National Trust for Scotland. The building began in 1550 and was bought and rebuilt by merchant Thomas Gledstanes in 1617, with the work finished in 1620. Above the entrance, the sign shows 1617 beside a hawk with spread wings.

The emblem echoes “gled”, a Scots term for a kite or hawk that gave rise to the family name. Look at the painted ceilings within: plaster once concealed them, but restoration brought these elaborate decorations back into view. The house also preserves the compressed urban life of its period, with accommodation stacked through six storeys. At street level, an arcade and recreated shop booth evoke the merchants who once sold goods here, while a curved stone forestair rises to an upper doorway.