PAISLEY CLOSE

Originally owned by George Henderson of Fordell, who sold the land to Henry Paisley (aka Paislie) in 1711.

On the Sunday morning of November 24th, 1861, the adjacent 250-year-old tenement in Bailie Fyfe's Close collapsed, killing thirty five people.

The image sculpted at the entrance to the close is that of Joseph McIver, a young survivor of the tradgedy, who was pulled to safety after rescuers heard his call of "Heave awa‚ chaps, ah'm no‚ deid yet'.