[4] Historically considered a road,[5] the 104 steps form a pedestrian link between the North Bridge and Waverley Station's Market Street entrance.

[7] The steps were Category A listed in 1974 and form part of the Edinburgh Old Town UNESCO World Heritage Site.

[3] Originally built from Carmyllie sandstone, the steps were re-levelled with a screed finish during the 1980s due to wear.

[15] In Art Monthly, installation artist Vincent Martin wrote: "[a]s monuments to the global reach of empire go it is both appropriate and unobtrusive.

"[16] Writing for the BBC in 2018, William Cook similarly described the redesigned steps as "magical, but supremely practical.