Dunbar’s Close Garden

In the height of summer thousands of visitors to Edinburgh pass by the close leading to this little-known hidden green gem unaware of the peaceful oasis that is just a few steps away.

Laid out in the manner of the 17^th century town house gardens that once lined the rears of properties along the Royal Mile, it was designed in the 1970s by landscape architect Seamus Filor for the Mushroom Trust.

Following the principles laid down at the turn of the 20^th century by Patrick Geddes, Filor and the Mushroom Trust wished to create a “pocket garden” where passers-by could escape for a time the strains and pressures of their busy urban lives and draw breath and relax in a peaceful and tranquil green space.

In 1978, the Mushroom Trust donated Dunbar’s Close Garden to the City of Edinburgh Council. The City’s Parks Department look after the space today and they commissioned Captured Realities to create the immersive 360° tour below for online visitors to have a wander before visiting in real life, the next time they are passing along the Canongate.