About Us

Underground Edinburgh is a collaboration of two of Edinburgh’s most stylish and imaginative purveyors of entertainment: Marlin’s Wynd and Mercat Tours  Individually we offer the best in banqueting, themed experiences and event management. Together we provide sheer pleasure in a setting that is, quite simply, unique.

History

Edinburgh's Old Town is a fascinating mix of ancient and modern - cobbled streets, medieval tenements and 16th century closes are now home to stylish cafes, bars and boutiques. Yet, for years, tourists flocking to this enchanting place have been unaware of the little pocket of history hidden beneath their feet.

In the 16th century Edinburgh had two main thoroughfares - the High Street and the Cowgate - and linking these two streets a labyrinth of closes and wynds where rich rubbed shoulders with poor. Then, at the end of the 18th century, under pressure from a booming population, gracious new living was provided for the rich to the north, in the elegant terraces of the New Town, and to the south, towards the University.

The birth of Georgian Edinburgh had a dramatic effect on the city's landscape.
To provide safe passage for horse and carriage the massive North and South Bridges were built, with the original structure of the South Bridge creating a series of vaults. Over time, as new housing pushed up and up on either side of the bridge, so the vaults gradually disappeared from view. For nearly 40 years, until the early 19th century, these by now dark, inhospitable and wretched caves became home and workplace to the city's poorest.

Today, after 200 years, the original stone vaults of the Old Town have been magnificently restored to create a truly dramatic setting for every conceivable event - party and celebration, ghost tour and murder mystery, Victorian banquet and Scottish ceilidh.