General view
SC 426602
Description General view
Date c. 1940
Collection H D Wyllie
Catalogue Number SC 426602
Category On-line Digital Images
Copy of ED 3290
Scope and Content Lady Stair's House, Lady Stair's Close, Lawnmarket, Edinburgh Lady Stair's House, built in 1622, was formerly called Lady Gray's House after Gidia Smith, widow of the original owner, Sir William Gray. It was bought by their granddaughter, the Countess of Stair, a noted beauty and leader of fashion, in 1719. Under the hexagonal stair tower at ground level is a hole to shelter a pig, once kept commonly in the Old Town to feed on household scraps. The house has an oak staircase leading to a musicians' gallery and a stone stair with steps of uneven height. Stone stairs with steps of uneven height were deliberately constructed as a 'trip' stair or early burglar alarm. Any intruders unfamiliar with the building would stumble on the uneven step and reveal their presence. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/426602
File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap
Attribution: © Courtesy of HES. Photographs by H D Wyllie, photographer, Edinburgh, Scotland
Licence Type: Educational
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