Author: Jennevieve Sevilla
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| Mr. Boots’s Stomping Grounds |
When one mentions
Edinburgh, visions of haggis and treacherously cold weather usually come to
mind. However, this fair capital of Scotland boasts more than just culinary
delicacies and chilly nights. Particularly speaking, the city is a Mecca of
paranormal activity, showcasing the existence of ghosts at almost every corner.
From palaces to pubs, there are stories behind all of them—tales that spoke of
the dead who continue to linger in the world of the living. Some of these
beings are sinister, while some merely seek attention. Such a varied spectrum
can be seen in the Edinburgh Vaults, also known as the South Bridge Vaults.
Built in the late eighteenth century, the South Bridge
was meant to help with the city’s widespread transportation problems that
emerged in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. Supported by a wide road
lined with multiple three-story buildings, the Bridge itself consists of
nineteen stone arches; it was these arches that the ‘vaults’—chambers—were
built into for the sake of housing Edinburgh’s downtrodden and destitute
(Wiseman et al. 196). It was not long until the Vaults turned into a dangerous
slum, traipsed by prostitutes, criminals and just about every other degenerate
looking to make a kill—literally.
Such is true for the infamous Burke and Hare, a pair of
serial killers known for murdering their victims in the name of science. Their
exploits were so horrible memory that they have been prey, the duo reportedly
murdered seventeen people and offered up the bodies for sale to an
all-too-eager Dr. Robert Knox. Today, all that remains of the sick business
arrangement is a small bottle containing a cube of brain tissue from the one
and only William Burke—a souvenir from the public dissection that came with the
punishment befitting his crime (Hogg 1).
With the grisly history in mind, it is no wonder that
souls still clamor for attention from within the Vaults. Featuring at least
nine of these restless entities, some are harmless apparitions such as the
young boy called “Jack” who has a penchant for tugging on people’s clothing.
Others are more malevolent in their intents, particularly the Black Lady of
Vault Five who has been known to make prey out of expectant women. However, the
most famous one of these ghosts—and perhaps the most seemingly mobile—is a
specter by the name of “Mr. Boots.” Those who claim to have seen him describe
the sight of a man decked out in a long blue frock coat, a tri-corner hat and
large boots. Those who claim to have been recipient to his presence describe
the scent of whisky on his breath as he blows upon visitor’s faces, all the
while blocking doorways. However, what is interesting is that the very same
blue frocked-figure is also rumored to be found in the cellar of a Whistle
Binkies Bar in Niddry Street, just a few blocks away from his regular haunt in
the vaults underneath Blair Street (Green 3).
It is a curious fascination, indeed—the belief in the
existence of ghosts. As humans, it is only natural that we would want to know
more of those things that lie beyond our comprehension. However, just as a
child pulls its hand away from a burning stove when it gets hurt, we somehow do
the opposite. For some odd reason, a great number of humans tend to go towards
the object of nightmares instead of away from it, hence of existence of ghost
tours and everything else that capitalizes on paranormal activity. And for
what? Boredom? A rush of adrenaline? Either way, something about those things
that go bump in the night entices us and makes us want to know more about them.
Perhaps it is simply the insatiable thirst humans have for knowledge of the
unknown. Whether we actually uncover the secrets of their world—if such a world
even exists—only time will tell.
Works Cited:
"Edinburgh’s vaults." Chambers
Dictionary of the Unexplained. London: Chambers Harrap, 2007. Credo Reference.
Web. 16 October 2012.
Green, Derek.
"Edinburgh, The Haunted Capital." Ghostclub.org.uk. The Ghost Club,
2007. Web. 10 Oct. 2012.
"Hampton
Court Palace." Chambers Dictionary of the Unexplained. London: Chambers
Harrap, 2007. Credo Reference. Web.16 October 2012.
Hogg, Colin. "Delving into the Shadows of
Edinburgh's Grisly past." New Zealand Herald. APN Holdings NZ Limited, 7
Sept. 2012. Web. 10 Oct. 2012.
"Mr. Boots" Famous Stomping Grounds.
N.d. Photograph. Paranormal Explorers.com. Paranormalexplorers.com, 2004. Web.
15 Oct. 2012.
Wiseman, Richard, Caroline Watt, Paul Stevens,
Emma Greening, and Ciaran O'Keefe. "An Investigation into Alleged
'hauntings'" British Journal of Psychology 94.2 (May 2003):
195-211. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Oct. 2012.
Links for
further research:
Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures. “Edinburgh Vaults”
Aww this is making me want to go back to Scotland. And I live near enough to visit. I love exploring creepy and abandoned places :) Isn't it fascinating to learn how people used to think - the idea of housing the poor inside a bridge?
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