Whitehorse Close takes its name from the White Horse Inn, which was one of the best known coaching inns in Edinburgh, before it closed in the late 18th century. Nowadays the close is home to a collection of beautiful domestic dwellings and is possibly the most attractive and most photographed close in the city. Although the immediate feeling is that you are stepping back in time here, the fact is that the houses here are a tad more modern than first glimpses suggest as the close was heavily restored in the 1960s, enhancing the typically Scottish features such as crow-stepped gables, forestairs and pantiled roofs. Whereas the resulting effect was described by one architectural historian as “…so blatantly fake that it can be acquitted of any intention to deceive”, the fact is that to the ordinary punter, the close is very attractive indeed and, in my opinion, well worth a look.

I almost didn't want to write a review for this because the people who live here must hate the tourists flocking into their tiny courtyard and I do not want to be the cause of more people coming to disturb their peace! It's just a cute , quiet courtyard - excellent for a picture and then quietly depart. If I lived in old town Edinburgh - this is where I'd want to be!