Fleshmarket Close was historically the residence of
Henry Dundas, Viscount Melville. In 2003, Edinburgh Councillor Donald Anderson stated, "
It is such an important route between the Old Town and the railway station. We have got a responsibility to make sure it is kept up to a high standard." The street gave the title to the fifteenth crime novel by
Ian Rankin,
Fleshmarket Close, published in 2004. The street was also used in filming for
J.J Abrams’ 2025 movie “
Ghostwriter”, starring
Glen Powell,
Jenna Ortega,
Emma Mackey and
Samuel L Jackson.
'The Jingling Geordie' The Jinglin' Geordie bar was named after the 17th century money-lender and goldsmith,
George Heriot, who left a bequest for the creation of a hospital for "fatherless bairns." It went on to become a leading independent school,
George Heriot's. The bar itself was hugely popular with staff of both the
Evening News and sister paper
The Scotsman until they relocated to the Holyrood area in 1999.
Ian Bell the Scottish newspaper columnist and author (biographies of
Bob Dylan and
Robert Louis Stephenson) was known to frequent the bar. == References ==