GLADSTONE’S LAND

WHERE IS IT? Tucked away in the Lawnmarket on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.

WHY SHOULD I VISIT? Gladstone’s Land may just be the world’s first skyscraper. A 500-year-old tenement building once owned by the merchant Thomas Gladstone (hence the name), it towered over Edinburgh’s Old Town upon construction and was one of the grandest structures in the city. Today it serves as an astonishing six-storey recreation of life in the 1600s, with faithful reconstructions of several state rooms as well as a kitchen where servants would have toiled and a cloth merchant’s booth – a sort of 1650s version of Topshop.

One of the first buildings ever acquired by the National Trust for Scotland, which rescued it from demolition back in 1934, Gladstone’s Land is often overshadowed by more famous Edinburgh attractions such as the castle and Mary King’s Close. Yet its attention to detail and evocative displays make it worthy of a trip in its own right.

INSIDER TIPS? Keep an eye out for the servant’s fold down bed in the kitchen, and the gilded hawk hanging outside the building. The property only does tours in advance, so make sure you phone first.

Gladstone’s Land, 477b Lawnmarket (Royal Mile), Edinburgh. Open 10am-5pm every day until October 31. £7 per adult. Members go free. All tours must be booked in advance. Call 0131 226 5856 to book.