Explore Historic Leith A FREE GUIDEBOOK BY THE LEITH LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY The Leith Guidebook Explore Historic Leith The Leith Trust seeks to promote a As the Chair of the Leith Trust, it gives current engagement between “Leithers” Leith is an area with a long and I hope you enjoy using this book as a me considerable pleasure to offer an and visitors to our community, in a fascinating history. This guidebook has means to find out more about Leith, its endorsement to this fine and valuable real sense of enhanced community been produced to invite you to explore people and its history. guidebook to Leith. engagement with shared interests the area for yourself, as a local resident in the protection of our environment, or a visitor, and find out more about Cllr Gordon Munro Leith has for centuries been both the the celebration of our heritage and Leith’s hidden gems. Leith Ward marine gateway to Edinburgh and its the development of educational economic powerhouse. So many of the opportunities for all. We can be bound The book has been developed grand entries to our capital city have together in demolishing the artificial in partnership between the Leith come through Leith, most significant of boundaries that any community, Local History Society and the City which was the arrival of King George IV anywhere in the world can thoughtlessly of Edinburgh Council. Thanks and in 1822, at the behest of Sir Walter create, and instead create a real sense acknowledgement must go to the Scott. As to economic impact simply of trust and pride in each other and the History Society and in particular their look up at the friezes and decoration settings in which we live and work. Chair, Mr Jim Tweedie, whose excellent of many of our older buildings to see work and extensive knowledge has the care that our predecessors took to This guidebook will help you navigate helped in the production of this provide a built environment of which to our highways and byways, the tales guidebook. be proud, based on their wealth. of those long past and of the present day and allow you to share our sense of pride in the ‘Left Bank of Edinburgh’ where as a glittering oyster there is ‘Leith has for always some grit! centuries been Sir Andrew Cubie, CBE both the marine Chair, The Leith Trust gateway to Edinburgh and its economic powerhouse.’ HISTORIC LEITH 3 How to use this guidebook Introduction This booklet aims to help you plan a Whatever direction you take, the Leith The earliest mention of Leith is in the Leith continued as the largest and busiest walking tour around the historic sites of Local History Society hopes that with the Foundation Charter for Holyrood Abbey port in Scotland until the trade routes to Leith. You don’t have to follow a specified help of this booklet you will find lots to from 1128, when David I gave the existing the Americas opened and Glasgow and route to see all the sites and it is left to interest you in and around historic Leith. harbour and land on the north side of the west took over in the 18th century. you to plan your own journey. You may the river to the Abbots of Holyrood. Later, want to devise several routes around Sometimes the booklet mentions the the lands on the south were given to Leith has a long and fascinating history. the area. interior of buildings. This does not always Peter, one of his Anglo Norman friends. Occupied and fought over by the Scottish, mean that these buildings are open to Peter took the name of the lands he was English and French through the centuries, All the sites have been numbered, the public and you will be able to look given and became Peter de Lestarig – or it has seen many changes. The Burgh starting with Queen Victoria’s statue at inside. However, some of the buildings Restalrig as we know it today. The King of Leith gained its independence from the Foot of Leith Walk, because it is very mentioned in the booklet may be open established a new harbour on the south Edinburgh following the Burghs Act of easy to find. during the annual ‘Edinburgh Doors Open side, where the Water of Leith entered the 1833, but this came to an end when the Day’ event, which is held in September. Forth (where the King’s Wark is today). two were joined in 1920. Most visitors will arrive in Leith via Leith Walk, from where you will have a choice of For more information please visit: During the Middle Ages, Trade Guilds Although Leith has now lost its directions from which to start your tour. www.cockburnassociation.org.uk (or Incorporations as they are known shipbuilding and some heavy industries, in Scotland) were established in Leith. it has diversified and we now see a new The town of North Leith was a Leith emerging. Burgh of Regality under the Burgh of Canongate, and the town of South The Leith motto is ‘Persevere’. That is what Leith was a Burgh of Barony down from Leith has done over the years and will Logan of Restalrig. Since Edinburgh continue to do so in the future. held superiority over Leith, it declared these ‘unfree’ and inferior to Edinburgh Incorporations. After the loss of Berwick to England, Leith became the principal port of Scotland as the border trade of wool and skins Jim Tweedie then came through Leith. It helped that Leith Local History Society Edinburgh was the capital, and it was www.leithlocalhistorysociety.org.uk Edinburgh’s money which supported the expansion of Leith. HISTORIC LEITH 5 1128 1841 1874 Is the earliest recorded mention Charles Drummond produces The Victoria Swing Bridge is Historic events in of Leith in the Foundation the one of the world’s first completed – the largest swing Charter for Holyrood Abbey. greetings cards in Leith – a New bridge in the United Kingdom at Year greetings card. the time. 1559 1837 1886 The town is first fortified during The passenger/cargo ship SS Sirius Leith Hospital is the first the 1559 - 1560 Siege of Leith. (the first to cross the Atlantic under hospital in Scotland to admit its own power) is built in Leith by female medical students to its Leith Robert Menzies & Sons. wards for clinical training. 1651 1832 1903 The Mercurious Scoticus, one Leith gets its first railway, a Leith Nautical College opens. of the first Scottish newspapers, branch line of the Edinburgh and is printed in Leith. Dalkeith railway. 1670 1832 1905 Sir James Stanfield sets up a The first intravenous treatment Electric trams arrive in Leith. brewery in Leith, the largest for cholera is given in Leith by industrial unit in Scotland at Dr Thomas Latta. the time. 1680 1821 1910 The teaching of mathematics The first steamship service from The first aeroplane to fly in begins at Trinity House to teach Leith to London begins. Scotland is built by Gibson and boys navigation. Son in Leith. 1744 1771 The world’s first rules of golf Permission is given for the are drawn up to be used on construction of Leith’s first Leith Links. dry dock. 22 Leith Ocean Drive Guide to historic Leith Ocean Drive 1 Queen Victoria’s Statue Ocean Drive 2 South Leith Parish Church Lindsay Road 20 19 Ocean Drive 3 St Mary’s Star of the Sea Church 21 4 Edinburgh Guru Nanak Gurdwara 18 5 Edinburgh Hindu Mandir and Cultural Centre 2 North Junction Street 17 t Commercial Street 6 Mohiuddin Jamia Masjid and Education Centre S d n 16 Tower St a e 7 North Leith Parish Church 23 tl 29 r r o o h N P Dock St o 28 S Ocean Way 8 Trinity House r Timberbush th 15 F o 9 Old Leith Town Hall/Council Chambers r t S 25 t Prince Regent St 10 Assembly Rooms and Exchange Buildings 7 Madeira St Sa Be nSandportd Pl r 32 27 p na o r 11 Corn Exchange r 14 d 11 24 Coburg St t S 9 P re t l o 12 Robert Burns’ Statue h 13 12 S 30 Baltic St 13 Leith Bank Ferry Road 4 10 14 King’s Wark Mill Ln Sheriff Brae 15 Along the Shore Tolbooth Wynd South Fort St t 16 The Signal Tower e e 9 King St r 31 t S ConstitutionQueen St Charlotte St 17 The Sailor’s Home (now Malmaison Hotel) Great Junction Street n Cables Wynd o s 18 Scotland’s Merchant Navy Memorial 19 r 3 e d n 19 Harpoon Gun e H 8 20 Victoria Swing Bridge 2 21 Victoria Quay (Scottish Government Building) 6 33 35 22 Ocean Terminal/Royal Yacht Britannia l oad P R n 23 Leith Fort n 34 tio to nc 1 ng Ju A900 St Andrew Pl 24 Leith Library and Thomas Morton Hall ni Leith Links 30 n o J B a 5 25 Norwegian Seaman’s Church n e Academy St l S Duke Street P t 26 Hibernian Football Club re n e a t c n 27 St Ninian’s Manse u D 28 The Citadel 29 Custom House Pilrig Park alk Go rd on 30 Lamb’s House S Pilrig Street tre 31 The Vaults et eith W Leith 32 L Public Art B Academy a L lf o 33 Dr Bell’s School o c u h r e S n 34 Leith Victoria Swim Centre tr d e e R t o a 35 Golf on the Links d Lo 36 The Drill Hall rne St ree d t a o S t Clair S R r tr e eet t s ll Avenue khi Da a w lme Ha ny S E treet 26 36 Hibernian FC St Clair Street n Road 8 HISTORIC LEITH HISTORICAlbio LEITH(Easter 9 Road) Queen Victoria’s Statue South Leith Parish Church St Mary’s Star of the Sea Edinburgh Guru Nanak Gurdwara The statue of Queen Victoria was sculpted The church was built circa 1483 by the The Catholic mission in Leith was founded Situated at 1 Sheriff Brae, this building by John S Rhind and unveiled in 1907 with Trade Incorporations of Leith, the largest by Father Thomas Carlyle in 1847 and it started life as St Thomas’ Church.