Water of Leith

and Water of Leith Walkway

Please scroll down this page or click on one of the links below

1.

Leith

Old Photos

2.

Leith

1950s

3.

Leith

2005

4.

Leith

2006

5.

Leith

2007 onwards

6.

Canonmills to Stockbridge

2009

7.

Stockbridge to Dean

2009 + 2010

8.

Dean

2009 + 2010

9.

Colinton

2007

10.

Antony Gormley Statues

2010

11.

Stockbridge to Dean

Old Photos,
Maps + Aerial Photo

1.

Leith

Old Photos

Water of Leith - old boat yard and station near Junction Bridge, Leith ©

Date?

View up the Water of Leith
 from Junction Bridge

Water of Leith - dredger near Junction Bridge, Leith ©

Date?

Water of Leith
dredger near Junction Bridge

   Lower Drawbridge over the Water of Leith at The Shore, Leith  -  Removed 1910 ©

Lower Drawbridge
Removed 1910

Lower Drawbridge over the Water of Leith at The Shore, Leith  -  Removed 1910 ©

Lower Drawbridge
Removed 1910

   Upper Drawbridge over the Water of Leith at Sandport Place, Leith  -  1910 ©

1910

Upper Drawbridge

   Upper Drawbridge over the Water of Leith at Sandport Place, Leith  -  1910 ©

1910

Upper Drawbridge

 

2.

Leith

1950s

Leith  -  Dredging in the Water of Leith  -  1950s ©

Dredging the Water of Leith

 

3.

Leith

2005

The North Bank of the Water of Leith, opposite The Shore, Leith  -  October 2005 ©

North Bank
opposite The Shore

Looking up the Water of Leith from Sandport Place Bridge, towards Bernard Street Bridge, Leith  -  October 2005 ©

Looking downstream
towards Leith Docks

The North Bank of the Water of Leith, opposite The Shore, Leith  -  October 2005 ©

Ronaldson's Wharf

Looking down the Water of Leith fromBernard Street Bridge, towards Sandport Place Bridge, Leith  -  October 2005 ©

Looking upstream
towards Sandport Place Bridge

The cruise liner, Ocan Mist, moored on the Water of Leith at The Shore, Leith  -  October 2007 ©

Ocean Mist

The cruise liner, Ocan Mist, moored on the Water of Leith at The Shore, Leith  -  October 2007 ©

Ocean Mist

The cruise liner, Ocan Mist, moored on the Water of Leith at The Shore, Leith  -  November 2005 ©

Ocean Mist

The cruise liner, Ocan Mist, moored on the Water of Leith at The Shore, Leith  -  November 2005 ©

Ocean Mist

Quayside Mills, Quayside Street, Leith  -  Beside the Water of Leith  -  November 2005 ©

Water of Leith Walkway
at Quayside Mills

 

4.

Leith

2006

'Mary of Guise' moored on the Water of Leith beside The Shore at Leith ©

Mary of Guise

 

5.

Leith

2007

   View across the Water of Leith to the Malmaison Hotel (former Sailors' Home) and The Shore, Leith ©

View to the Shore

   Cycles on the North Bank of the Water of Leith;  barges on the south bank, at The Shore, Leith ©

Cycles and Barges

   Ocean Mist, now Cruz Testaurant and Bar, moored beside the Shore, Leith ©

Cruz Bar and Restaurant

   Ocean Mist, now Cruz Testaurant and Bar, moored beside the Shore, Leith ©

Cruz Bar and Restaurant

    Timber Bush, Leith ©

Cruz from Timber Bush

Water of Leith and Victoria Swing Bridge, Leith ©

Victoria Bridge

2010

The Shore, Leith  -  Line across the cobbles showing the course of the Water of Leith from Balerno at the foot of the Pentland Hills to Leith ©

The Shore  -  Line showing
the course of the Water of Leith
from Balerno to Leith

 

6.

Canonmills to Stockbridge

2009

Looking SE across the Water of Leith to Stockbridge Colonies, Reid Terrace from Arboretum Acenue  -  December 2009 ©

Reid Terrace

Looking east across the Water of Leith to Stockbridge Colonies, Reid Terrace from Arboretum Acenue  -  December 2009 ©

Reid Terrace

Looking east across the Water of Leith to the backs of the buildings in Dean Bank Lane, Stockbridge  -  December 2009 ©

Dean Bank Lane

Looking south across the Water of Leith to Stockbridge Colonies from Rockheid Path  -  December 2009 ©

Stockbridge Colonies

Looking south across the footbridge over the Water of Leith to Stockbridge Colonies, Bell Place, from Rockheid Path  -  December 2009 ©

Footbridge to Bell Place

    

7.

Stockbridge to Dean

C19

Greenland Mill on the Water of Leith, downstream from Dean Bridge - Photographed probably pre-1881 ©

Pre-1881?

Greenland Mill

2009

Footprints on the footpath beside the Water of Leith betwen Dean and Stockbridge  -  December 2010 ©

Footprints on the footpath
beside the Water of Leith

Dean Gardens and Water of Leith  -  December 2009 ©

Dean Gardens
and Water of Leith

Dean Gardens and Water of Leith  -  December 2009 ©

Dean Gardens
and Water of Leith

2010

St Bernard's Well - Beside the Water of Leith, Stockbridge, Edinburgh ©

St Bernard's Well
zoom-out

Statue to Hygieia, Greek goddess of health, in the center of the temple above St Bernard's Well, Stockbridge, Edinburgh ©

St Bernard's Well
zoom-in

 

8.

Dean

19th Century

Snow Plough at Dean Village  -  Late 19th century ©

George Washington Wilson

Looking East from Dean Bridge
towards Stockbridge

2009

Looking SW along the Water of Leith from the bridge at the foot of Dean Path ©

Dean Village
and Water of Leith

Miller Row, beside the Water of Leith and Dean Bridge ©

Miller Row beside the Water of Leith
and Dean Bridge

July 2010

Wild flowers beside the Water of Leith, behind the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art ©

Wild flowers beside the Water of Leith
behind the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art

Loking downstreeam along the Water of Leith, beside Hawthornbank Lane, Dean ©

Hawthornbank Lane

Loking downstreeam along the Water of Leith, beside Hawthornbank Lane, Dean ©

Hawthornbank Lane

Loking downstreeam along the Water of Leith, beside Hawthornbank Lane, Dean ©

Hawthornbank Lane

Loking downstreeam along the Water of Leith, beside Hawthornbank Lane, Dean ©

Hawthornbank Lane

Loking across the Water of Leith to Dean School on the north bank of the river ©

Dean School

Loking across the Water of Leith to Dean School on the north bank of the river ©

Dean School

Loking across the Water of Leith to Dean School on the north bank of the river ©

Dean School

Loking across the Water of Leith to Dean School on the north bank of the river ©

Dean School

Loking to the NE along the north bank of the Water of Leith towardss the bridge over the river at India Street ©

India Place Bridge

Looking NE, downstream, along the Water of Leith from Dean Path Bridge towards the church standing at the NW corner of Dean Bridge ©

View from Dean Path Bridge

Snow

December 2010

View from Dean Bridge  -  Looking to the west along the Water of Leith to Dean Vilage -  November 29, 2010 ©

Looking West from Dean Bridge
to Dean Village

View from Dean Bridge  -  Looking to the east along the Water of Leith towards Stockbridge  -  November 29, 2010 ©

Looking East from Dean Bridge
towards Stockbridge

View from Dean Path Bridge  -  Looking to the west along the Water of Leith to some of the houses in Dean Vilage -  November 29, 2010 ©

Looking West from Dean Path Bridge
to some of the houses in  Dean Village

View from Dean Path Bridge  -  Looking to the east  along the Water of Leith towards Dean Bridge -  November 29, 2010 ©

Looking East from Dean Path Bridge
towards Dean Bridge

View from Dean Path Bridge  -  Looking to the east  along the Water of Leith towards Dean Bridge -  November 29, 2010 ©

Looking East from Dean Path Bridge
towards Dean Bridge,  zoom-in

 

9.

Colinton

2006

The Water of Leith Walkway, built on the course of the Edinburgh to Balerno Railway, at Upper Spylaw Mill, near Colinton ©

 

10.

Antony Gormley Statues

Several statues between Dean Gallery and Leith Western Harbour

One of the live-size cast iron figures in the artwork '6 Times' by Antony Gormley.  The statues are sited, most in the Water of Leith, between the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and Leith Docks ©

 

 

11.

Old Photos, Maps and Aerial Photograph

Stockbridge to Dean

Edinburgh  -  1844  -  Map produced for the Society for the Dissemination of Useful Knowledge  -  Section E ©

1844

Edinburgh Map  - 1925  -  Section E ©

1925

Aerial Photograph  -  2001  -  Section E ©

2001

Please click on any of the images above.  All three will appear on the same page.

 

Water of Leith

The Water of Leith is a small river that flows down from the Pentland Hills to the south-west of Edinburgh, through:

-   Balerno

-   Currie

-   Slateford

-   Dean

-   Stockbridge

-   Canonmills

-   Bonnington and

-   Leith

to enter the Firth of Forth at Leith Harbour.

On a ten mile length of the river, in the 19th century, there were:

-  24 flour mills

-  14 corn mills

-  12 barley mills

-    5 snuff mills

-    4 paper mills

-    2 lint mills and

-    2  leather mills

None are still operating as mills.

The last one closed in the late 20th century.

Source of information on the number of mills:  Donald Lindgren's book:  The Firth of Forth in Old Picture Postcards, Publ. European Library, 1989.

 

Leith  -  More Pictures

 

More photos:  Around Edinburgh

 

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