Canongate House

Position

Cannonball House is at the top of the Royal Mile.  It stands beside a flight of steps leading down from the castle esplanade to Johnston Terrace (off this picture to the right hand side).

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 It is the last building on the left hand side of the Royal Mile before reaching Edinburgh Castle Esplanade.

This view looks across the Royal Mile to the north-facing frontage of Cannonball House.  The building is named after a cannon ball that has been built into its western gable end.  The cannon ball is said by some to have been fired from the castle,

Cannonball House is numbered 386 at its western end.  Presumably it originally comprised numbers from around 370 to 386.  

The paragraph above on house numbering is included in response to a comment in the EdinPhoto Guest Book on 12 July 04, about a birth at 382 Castlehill.

Reconstructions

Cannonball House was originally built in the 16th century, though has been the subject of remodelling and reconstruction in the 17th century, 18th century and most recently in 1913 to become an annexe to Castlehill School.  Castlehill School beside it was opened in 1889, but has since become the Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre.

[The Buildings of Scotland, Edinburgh:  John McKean et al.]