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Portobello
was, until the eighteenth century, a desolate area of scrubland, where the
Figgate Burn joined the Firth of Forth. The area was known as Figgate
Whins.
It
also
appeared on early maps as Brickfield.
The
name, 'Portobello', was first used in the mid-eighteenth century.
This was the name given to a house built in the area by a retired
sailor, George Hamilton, who had been part of Admiral Vernon's campaign
against the Spaniards in 1739, which captured Puerto Bello.
Portobello
was created as a borough by Act of Parliament in 1833, and was absorbed
into Edinburgh in 1896.
As part of the deal to
absorb Portobello, Edinburgh Corporation built an indoor swimming pool
(opened 1901) beside Portobello Promenade
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