Leith Walk
Encyclopedia
Leith Walk is one of the longest streets in Edinburgh
, Scotland
. It stretches from The Foot Of Leith Walk (The Fit ay the Walk in Scots
) at the junction of Great Junction Street
and Constitution Street
to the junction with London Road, it then links to the east end of Princes Street
via Leith Street. Technically however, none of the properties in its upper half are addressed as "Leith Walk" and the name is simply colloquial in the upper section. These sections are correctly titled Elm Row, Haddington Place, Crichton Place, Albert Place etc.
Leith Walk owes its existence to a defensible rampart which was constructed between Calton Hill and Leith. The northern march of Cromwell's army, in 1650, was halted at this line by the Scots, under David Leslie (who was subsequently defeated at the Battle of Dunbar). The rampart was then developed as a causeway
ed road - a raised bank of earth with a "metalled" surface creating a quick dry road, and a lower wide trench (from which the upper material was taken) creating a secure enclosed (but muddy) road, suitable for moving animals, parallel to the first one. This method of construction was common until the invention of macadam
ed roads, and were normally termed the High Road and the Low Road. At the time of its creation it gave an alternative (and shorter) route to Edinburgh than the pre-existing Easter Road
and its then counterpart Wester Road (now called Bonnington Road/Broughton Road).
Until the sudden burst of tenemental construction (1870–1880), the street was largely rural in character. The few mansion houses which had grown up along its length in the early 19th century were denser on the west side than the east. When the tenements were built, it was easier (cheaper) to buy up the few mansions on the east side, which is why the two sides have different characters.
The most interesting buildings have gone. The Alhambra Cinema stood on the end of Springfield Street and was replaced by a Tyre and Exhaust Centre (now a wine warehouse). This Egyptian style building was originally a theatre. It is remembered only in the name of the pub opposite. Halfway House was a coaching inn at the front of the Shrubhill site, dating from the 17th century. The truncated form survived as a pub until 1981 when it was cleared. Its horseshoe bar was salvaged and reused in the Shrub Bar/ Horseshoe Bar to the north.
Also at Shrubhill was the site of the gallows. This appears to have begun life as a dead tree from which bodies were hung, then was replaced by a series of temporary gibbet
s (there is no evidence of any permanent feature). Most famously Major Weir, the self-confessed warlock, and Thomas Aikenhead
, the last person to be executed under Scotland's blasphemy laws, were hanged here.
The Gardener's Cottage at Haddington Place dated from 1765 and originally served the first Edinburgh Botanic Gardens to its rear. It was demolished in 2009 and is to be re-assembled in the current Botanic Gardens in Inverleith in 2011.
The remnants of Leith Central Station
still exist at the Foot of the Walk. Although the fascinating and huge columnless station building was demolished in the late 1980s, the building which housed the station bars and waiting rooms etc. still exists. The nearby Central Bar contains over 250,000 Staffordshire
potteries tiles including 4 painted panels.
Other curiosities include the City Limits pub, formerly the Boundary Bar, which until 1920 (when Leith and Edinburgh merged) was half in Edinburgh and half in Leith and had different licensing rules in each side. Contrary to local mythology the Edinburgh side was easier (which is why it is bigger) because only towns over 50,000 people could open late. Hence at a given time a bell rang and everyone squeeezed onto the Edinburgh side.
Pilrig Church (correctly Pilrig St Paul's Church) dates from 1861 and is visible along the entire length of Leith Walk. It was designed by Peddie and Kinnear architects and constructed 1861-3. It has a fine interior including early examples of stained glass by Daniel Cottier and a historic organ by Forster and Andrews (1903). The hall to the rear blends in perfectly but is a later addition of 1892
Harder to spot is the former Victoria India Rubber Mills (just north of Balfour Street) of which only the front building remains, with a fine but broken ornate cast iron gate. This used to specialise in hot water bottles.
Other recent losses include "Craig and Rose" paint and varnish works, on Steads Place/Springfield Street, famous suppliers of the red paint for the Forth Rail Bridge (which was their company logo). This site is now redeveloped as housing.
Today, Leith Walk remains a vibrant street, and retains a historic feel having retained scores of small shop units. It terminates (in colloquial terms at least) at the Omni Centre and St. James Centre
at its south end. The lower, north end terminates at the Kirkgate Shopping Centre. Sadly a high-rise blocks South Leith Parish Church
which was formerly the focal point of the northward view along the street.
Leith Walk was to be on the new Edinburgh Trams route (Foot of the Walk tram stop
), which was scheduled to open in 2011. However this part of the tram line was cancelled in June 2011 after delays and cost overruns.
Ironically, Leith Walk was previously one of the first and last places to have a tram. Leith had Scotland's first electric tram, running from 1905. On Leith Walk this terminated at Pilrig Church and passengers had to change to Edinburgh's cabledrawn cars. This messy exchange was known as the "Pilrig muddle". Edinburgh did not electrify its system and smooth out this problem until 1925. The last tram in Edinburgh ran in 1956 and terminated at Shrub Hill works on Leith Walk. At that time trams were removed due to their "inflexibility" and the advantages of a bus-based system.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It stretches from The Foot Of Leith Walk (The Fit ay the Walk in Scots
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
) at the junction of Great Junction Street
Great Junction Street
Great Junction Street is a street in Leith, on the northern outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland. It runs south east to north west following approximately the southwestmost line of the old city walls around Leith. While some sections existed c.1800, it was not planned as a continuous road, reaching all...
and Constitution Street
Constitution Street
Constitution Street runs from the foot of Leith Walk north to Leith docks in Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland. Constitution Street will form part of the future Edinburgh Trams network, although the section of the line running from Leith Walk to the Ocean Terminal shopping centre has been delayed until...
to the junction with London Road, it then links to the east end of Princes Street
Princes Street
Princes Street is one of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, and its main shopping street. It is the southernmost street of Edinburgh's New Town, stretching around 1 mile from Lothian Road in the west to Leith Street in the east. The street is mostly closed to private...
via Leith Street. Technically however, none of the properties in its upper half are addressed as "Leith Walk" and the name is simply colloquial in the upper section. These sections are correctly titled Elm Row, Haddington Place, Crichton Place, Albert Place etc.
Leith Walk owes its existence to a defensible rampart which was constructed between Calton Hill and Leith. The northern march of Cromwell's army, in 1650, was halted at this line by the Scots, under David Leslie (who was subsequently defeated at the Battle of Dunbar). The rampart was then developed as a causeway
Causeway
In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :When first used, the word appeared in a form such as “causey way” making clear its derivation from the earlier form “causey”. This word seems to have come from the same source by...
ed road - a raised bank of earth with a "metalled" surface creating a quick dry road, and a lower wide trench (from which the upper material was taken) creating a secure enclosed (but muddy) road, suitable for moving animals, parallel to the first one. This method of construction was common until the invention of macadam
Macadam
Macadam is a type of road construction pioneered by the Scotsman John Loudon McAdam in around 1820. The method simplified what had been considered state-of-the-art at that point...
ed roads, and were normally termed the High Road and the Low Road. At the time of its creation it gave an alternative (and shorter) route to Edinburgh than the pre-existing Easter Road
Easter Road
Easter Road is a football stadium located in the Leith area of Edinburgh, Scotland, which is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Hibernian . The stadium currently has an all-seated capacity of 20,421, which makes it the fifth-largest football stadium in Scotland. Easter Road is also...
and its then counterpart Wester Road (now called Bonnington Road/Broughton Road).
Until the sudden burst of tenemental construction (1870–1880), the street was largely rural in character. The few mansion houses which had grown up along its length in the early 19th century were denser on the west side than the east. When the tenements were built, it was easier (cheaper) to buy up the few mansions on the east side, which is why the two sides have different characters.
The most interesting buildings have gone. The Alhambra Cinema stood on the end of Springfield Street and was replaced by a Tyre and Exhaust Centre (now a wine warehouse). This Egyptian style building was originally a theatre. It is remembered only in the name of the pub opposite. Halfway House was a coaching inn at the front of the Shrubhill site, dating from the 17th century. The truncated form survived as a pub until 1981 when it was cleared. Its horseshoe bar was salvaged and reused in the Shrub Bar/ Horseshoe Bar to the north.
Also at Shrubhill was the site of the gallows. This appears to have begun life as a dead tree from which bodies were hung, then was replaced by a series of temporary gibbet
Gibbet
A gibbet is a gallows-type structure from which the dead bodies of executed criminals were hung on public display to deter other existing or potential criminals. In earlier times, up to the late 17th century, live gibbeting also took place, in which the criminal was placed alive in a metal cage...
s (there is no evidence of any permanent feature). Most famously Major Weir, the self-confessed warlock, and Thomas Aikenhead
Thomas Aikenhead
Thomas Aikenhead was a Scottish student from Edinburgh, who was prosecuted and executed at the age of 20 on a charge of blasphemy. He was the last person in Britain to be executed for blasphemy.-Indictment:...
, the last person to be executed under Scotland's blasphemy laws, were hanged here.
The Gardener's Cottage at Haddington Place dated from 1765 and originally served the first Edinburgh Botanic Gardens to its rear. It was demolished in 2009 and is to be re-assembled in the current Botanic Gardens in Inverleith in 2011.
The remnants of Leith Central Station
Leith Central railway station
Leith Central Railway Station was a railway station in Leith, Scotland. It formed the terminus of a North British Railway branch line from Edinburgh Waverley...
still exist at the Foot of the Walk. Although the fascinating and huge columnless station building was demolished in the late 1980s, the building which housed the station bars and waiting rooms etc. still exists. The nearby Central Bar contains over 250,000 Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
potteries tiles including 4 painted panels.
Other curiosities include the City Limits pub, formerly the Boundary Bar, which until 1920 (when Leith and Edinburgh merged) was half in Edinburgh and half in Leith and had different licensing rules in each side. Contrary to local mythology the Edinburgh side was easier (which is why it is bigger) because only towns over 50,000 people could open late. Hence at a given time a bell rang and everyone squeeezed onto the Edinburgh side.
Pilrig Church (correctly Pilrig St Paul's Church) dates from 1861 and is visible along the entire length of Leith Walk. It was designed by Peddie and Kinnear architects and constructed 1861-3. It has a fine interior including early examples of stained glass by Daniel Cottier and a historic organ by Forster and Andrews (1903). The hall to the rear blends in perfectly but is a later addition of 1892
Harder to spot is the former Victoria India Rubber Mills (just north of Balfour Street) of which only the front building remains, with a fine but broken ornate cast iron gate. This used to specialise in hot water bottles.
Other recent losses include "Craig and Rose" paint and varnish works, on Steads Place/Springfield Street, famous suppliers of the red paint for the Forth Rail Bridge (which was their company logo). This site is now redeveloped as housing.
Today, Leith Walk remains a vibrant street, and retains a historic feel having retained scores of small shop units. It terminates (in colloquial terms at least) at the Omni Centre and St. James Centre
St. James Centre
The St. James Centre is a shopping centre located in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was designed by Ian Burke & Martin in 1964.Due to its brutalist architecture, it is one of Edinburgh's most unloved buildings, but remains a popular and busy shopping location....
at its south end. The lower, north end terminates at the Kirkgate Shopping Centre. Sadly a high-rise blocks South Leith Parish Church
South Leith Parish Church
South Leith Parish Church or Kirk is a congregation of the Church of Scotland. It is the principal church and congregation in Leith, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Its kirkyard is the burial place for John Home, author of Douglas, and John Pew, the man from whom the author Robert Louis Stevenson reputedly...
which was formerly the focal point of the northward view along the street.
Leith Walk was to be on the new Edinburgh Trams route (Foot of the Walk tram stop
Foot of the Walk tram stop
Foot of the Walk tram stop was to be one of several Edinburgh Trams Phase 1a tram stops beyond St Andrews Square. It was cancelled due to cost overruns in June 2011. The stop would have served the longest street in Edinburgh, Leith Walk.-External links:*...
), which was scheduled to open in 2011. However this part of the tram line was cancelled in June 2011 after delays and cost overruns.
Ironically, Leith Walk was previously one of the first and last places to have a tram. Leith had Scotland's first electric tram, running from 1905. On Leith Walk this terminated at Pilrig Church and passengers had to change to Edinburgh's cabledrawn cars. This messy exchange was known as the "Pilrig muddle". Edinburgh did not electrify its system and smooth out this problem until 1925. The last tram in Edinburgh ran in 1956 and terminated at Shrub Hill works on Leith Walk. At that time trams were removed due to their "inflexibility" and the advantages of a bus-based system.
External links
- Keep Bleneheim Place Open Steering Group Residents of a side road affected by the implementation of the tramway on Leith Walk