The Last Drop Pub, Edinburgh

On Grassmarket, you can find a pub called "The Last Drop," which might pique your curiosity about its name. The explanation becomes clear when you see the sign at the entrance, which includes a gallows alongside the pub's name, and a similar reference on one of the beams inside. In the past, this establishment was where individuals on death row had their final drink, presumably downing it to the very last drop, before they met their fate on the gallows.

The hangings happened “conveniently” close, in Grassmarket square, a small rectangular just a few steps from the pub, which saw a great many public executions in the olden times. Throughout 1661-1668, no less than a hundred Presbyterian opponents to the entry of the Anglican church into Scotland, plus rebels and thieves of various sorts met their end here. The Last Drop pub, in essence, commemorates the last hanging that took place in Grassmarket in 1864, and is the only building in the area to have conserved its bare style and the exterior from that period.

Venturing inside you will find a traditional pub of unique character, famed for its eclectic range of real ales, dully served with a generous measure of proper British hospitality.