The World’s End may sound like the sort of whimsical, meaningless name a pub chain might have come up with, but the truth is rather different. At the Battle of Flodden, King James IV and most Scottish nobility were killed by the English. The citizens of Edinburgh rapidly built a stone wall around the city to protect it, the Flodden Wall. The wall proved useless when Henry VIII’s forces invaded in 1544, but it did clearly mark the outer limit of what was considered to be Edinburgh at the time. This, then, was the point at which the world ended and Edinburgh began. Hence "The World’s End". The 16th century building retains many original features, with portraits of famous Scottish historical figures and antique bric-a-brac adding to the unique charm. The location means it attracts a lot of tourists, but remains popular with locals too. The World’s End serves quality Cask Ales , including favourites such as Belhaven 80%, Deuchars IPA and St Andrews Ale, and has been featured in CAMRA’s Real Ale Guide. The menu offers a taste of Scotland, which proves to be McSween’s haggis on a bed of tatties and neeps. Other traditonal starters include black pudding and goats cheese, or Scottish smoke salmon. I tried The World’s End Steak & Ale Pie as a main, with delicious chunks of meat under a light, golden pastry. The Fresh Fillet of Scottish Salmon looked equally tempting, as did the smoked haddock fishcakes. Opting to miss dessert to allow more space for beer meant missing such classic Scottish desserts as cranachan, or Ian Mellis cheese and oatcakes. For any visitor to the city The World’s End is well worth a visit, a traditional Scottish pub with a wide variety of quality food and drinks, great service and real character.