The hill is home to an interesting collection of monuments, including the folly, 'Edinburgh's shame' Edinburgh used to be refered to as the 'Athens of the North', and it was decided to make that reference more literal by building a replica of the Parthenon, to commemorate the fallen of the Napoleonic Wars.

Work began in 1826 and ground to a halt three years later when the money ran out, leaving the unfinished monument that's there today. The Old Calton Burial Ground on the hill was split in two by the construction of a 'ceremonial entrance' to the city, including Waterloo Place, Regent Bridge and Regent Road. Evicted residents were given spots in the New Calton Burial Ground nearby.

It's said that witches of old would dance nightly upon Calton Hill, with a fairy boy from Leith as their drummer, and modern witches and pagans still do, once a year on Beltane. It was also home to Calton Jail. Calton Jail was built when it was decided the old Tolbooth was obstructing the Royal Mile. After the last public hanging it was decided that further hangings would take place behind closed doors, with a black flag raised outside once the death had taken place.

At least eight murderers are buried in unmarked graves on Calton Hill. Originally this would have been within the grounds of the jail itself, their intitials and the date of execution carved into the wall - but when the jail was knocked down the stones were removed and no doubt used as part of some other building in Edinburgh.