The Tron Kirk has a prominent position on the corner of the High Street and South Bridge in Edinburgh and has traditionally been the focus of Edinburgh's New Year celebrations. A well-known landmark and Grade 'A' listed building, it was built between 1636-47 by John Mylne. A peculiar mixture of Gothic and Palladian architectural styles, the church features a fine hammerbeam roof of an unusual latticed truss construction. The building was truncated in 1785 when South Bridge and Hunter Square were developed. The original tower was lost in the Great Fire of 1824 and was replaced with a taller spire by R. & R. Dickson in 1828. It ceased to be a church in 1952 when the congregation moved to a new church in the outlying suburb of Moredun, and the ownership of this building passed to the City Council.
In 1974, the remains of the 16th Century Marlin's Wynd, including shops and cellars were discovered by archaeologists beneath the church. The fine stone multi-storey buildings, with slate roofs, has been demolished to make way for the church in 1635. A French stone-mason, Walter Merlion or Marlin, paved the wynd in 1532 and was sufficiently proud of this achievement that he asked to be buried under it.
Today, the Tron Kirk forms a visitor information centre for the Old Town of Edinburgh and Marlin's Wynd is exposed for all to see,
