One of the many closes perpendicular to Edinburgh’s historied Royal Mile is Roxburgh Court. On this small square, you can find a plaque that lists the scientific names of four trees along with years. These plaques commemorate a bit of Old Town history. One of the most notable features of Edinburgh’s Old Town is the density of tightly packed tenements separated by narrow alleys called “closes.” As the city has grown and changed, some of these closes have been lost or changed. Roxburgh’s Close was likely named for John Roxburgh, a…
