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National Trust for
Scotland
Members' Section
Talk -
November 27, 2014
Edinburgh's
Industrial Past
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Please click on one of the twelve pages
below
OR
scroll down this page to read the
brief background notes about 'Edinburgh's Industrial Past'.
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1
Stone |
2
Metal |
3
Wood |
4
Printing |
5
Food |
6
Drink |
7
Transp. |
8
Clocks |
9
U'ground |
10
Fire |
11
Manuf. |
12
Finance |
13
Teaching |
Background
Notes
(Printed copies
of these notes were handed out at the Meeting)
1840
to 1940
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The
‘Edinburgh & Leith Post Office Directories' were published annually from the
early 19th century until 1973 They include a wealth of detail
about Edinburgh in earlier times, including Edinburgh’s industries.
They
show the wide range of work carried out in Edinburgh, much of it for small
family-run businesses. The tables below show how the number of businesses
in Edinburgh grew or shrank over the decades.
1. Some
trades gradually declined, then vanished, over the century: |
|
|
1840 |
1850 |
1860 |
1870 |
1880 |
1890 |
1900 |
1910 |
1920 |
1930 |
1940 |
|
Candlemakers |
15 |
10 |
7 |
5 |
5 |
6 |
6 |
5 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
Miniature Painters |
12 |
9 |
8 |
3 |
4 |
2 |
4 |
6 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
|
Straw & Leghorn
Hat Makers |
30 |
25 |
19 |
19 |
14 |
10 |
9 |
8 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
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2.
Some trades changed, reflecting the changes in modes of transport: |
|
|
1840 |
1850 |
1860 |
1870 |
1880 |
1890 |
1900 |
1910 |
1920 |
1930 |
1940 |
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Horse Dealers |
9 |
3 |
7 |
12 |
19 |
19 |
14 |
18 |
11 |
3 |
0 |
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Saddlers & Harness
Makers |
20 |
18 |
19 |
29 |
32 |
34 |
31 |
31 |
24 |
14 |
10 |
|
Van & Lorry
Builders |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
26 |
19 |
16 |
10 |
6 |
4 |
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3. Some trades grew then declined over the century (and have declined
further since 1940): |
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|
1840 |
1850 |
1860 |
1870 |
1880 |
1890 |
1900 |
1910 |
1920 |
1930 |
1940 |
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Artists |
12 |
8 |
33 |
44 |
78 |
131 |
128 |
139 |
100 |
81 |
38 |
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Boot & Shoe Makers |
178 |
158 |
167 |
278 |
310 |
314 |
268 |
218 |
148 |
115 |
72 |
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Clock and Watch
Makers |
33 |
40 |
44 |
80 |
111 |
136 |
132 |
131 |
81 |
49 |
31 |
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Engravers &
Lithograph Printers |
49 |
70 |
74 |
83 |
113 |
119 |
116 |
103 |
69 |
36 |
25 |
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Golf Club & Ball
Manufacturers |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
21 |
30 |
29 |
15 |
7 |
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Photographers |
0 |
2 |
27 |
41 |
43 |
52 |
57 |
63 |
56 |
27 |
22 |
Mills on the
Water of Leith
1961
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Around 1961, The Geographical Association published ‘An Atlas of
Edinburgh’. It has maps showing the locations of some of the major
businesses in Edinburgh. It shows:
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a fairly extensive railway network, including freight lines to Granton
Harbour, Leith Docks, Canonmills, Warriston and Gilmerton, and passenger lines
to Balerno and South Suburban stations.
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Edinburgh still had 2 flour mills, 9 biscuit works, 3 bakeries and 8
breweries, 28 printing works and 10 binderies, each employing over 12
people, several of them employing over 100.
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In 1961, twenty mills and works were still in business along the course of
the Water of Leith between Balerno and Leith Docks. They were: |
|
Mill |
Location |
Activity at
the mill in 1961 |
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Balerno Bank |
Balerno |
Paper
mill, using esparto grass from North Africa. |
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Kinauld |
Currie |
Tan
Works, using pigskins from Scotland and Japan. |
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Kinleith |
Currie |
Paper
mill, established at least 150 years ago. |
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Woodhall Paper Co. |
Jun. Green |
There has
probably been a mill here since 1618. |
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Woodhall Grain Mills |
Jun. Green |
Animal
feedingstuffs |
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Mossy Mill |
Colinton |
Paper
mill, formerly a flax mill |
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West Mills |
Colinton |
Oatmeal
mills for Porage Oats and infant feeds |
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Redhall Mill |
Colinton |
Producing
wood flour. |
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Saughton Leather Works |
Saughton |
Established mid-18th century, tans sheepskins |
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Coltbridge Mills |
Roseburn |
Paper
processing works, formerly a flour mill |
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Bell’s Mills |
Dean |
Still
powered by water wheels (and also by electricity in 1961). Milling had
been continuous here since the 12th century. |
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Skinners & Wool |
Dean |
Wool
store. Formerly flour mills |
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Canonmills Cooperage |
Canonmills |
Corn
mills were here in 12th century |
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Beaverbank Skin Works |
Powderhall |
Tannery,
using sheepskins, goatskins and calfskins from Scotland and Indonesia. |
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Chancelot Flour Mills |
Bonnington |
Over 100
years old, and using flour from Canada, Australia, Russia and home-grown. |
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Skinners, Tanners, Wool |
Bonnington |
Established 200 years earlier. |
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Bonnington Mills |
Bonnington |
Producing
animal feedingstuffs. |
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Bonnington Bridge |
Bonnington |
Paper
Mills. |
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Junction Mills |
Leith |
Preparing
oat meal and pot barley cake mixes |
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Quayside Mills |
Leith |
Produces
animal feedingstuffs, |
Recent Photos
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Around 1960s, most
of Scotland was given Development Status, but not Edinburgh. This gave an
incentive to industries to set up outside Edinburgh, and many did.
Edinburgh retained a few large industries until late in the 20th
century, but most of these have now closed, including Monktonhall Colliery,
North British Rubber Works, Caledonian Distillery, McEwan’s and Roseburn
breweries and Portobello’s pottery Other businesses, including the two
banks listed below, have changed ownership.
Now, in the 21st century, finance and tourism are major employers
in Edinburgh.
In 1990, I started to
photograph ‘Edinburgh at Work’. So far, I’ve visited over 200 companies.
This evening, I’ll be showing 265 photos taken at 42 of these companies.
(See table below.) Red type and yellow shading in this table indicates that
the company is no longer in business in Edinburgh’.
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Work |
Company |
Industry |
Photos |
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STONE |
Clark |
Stonemasons |
9 photos |
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David Lindsay
|
Stonemasons |
4 photos |
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METAL |
Lonsdale &
Dutch |
Lantern Makers |
8 photos |
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Stevenson &
Cheyne |
Engineers |
16 photos |
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United Wire
Works |
Wire Works |
10 photos |
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WOOD |
Whytock & Reid
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Furniture Makers |
10 photos |
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PRINTING |
Speedspools
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Monotype Printers |
5 photos |
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Baker &
Claremont |
Linotype Printers |
1 photo |
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FOOD |
Rank Hovis:
Caledonia Mill |
Flour Mill |
3 photos |
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Chancelot
Mill |
Flour Mill |
2 photos |
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Burton’s
Biscuits |
Biscuits |
6 photos |
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Croan’s
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Kippers |
4 photos |
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Newhaven
Fishmarket |
Fishmarket |
6 photos |
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DRINK |
Scottish &
Newcastle |
Brewery |
5 photos |
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Caledonian
|
Brewery |
6 photos |
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Crabbie’s
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Green Ginger Wine |
3 photos |
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North British
Distillery |
Distillery + Cooperage |
10 photos |
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North British
Distillery |
Cooperage |
7 photos |
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Drysdale
|
Tea + Coffee |
3 photos |
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Brodie Hamilton
Melrose |
Tea + Coffee |
2 photos |
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Brodies
|
Tea + Coffee |
4 photos |
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TRANSPORT |
Bruce Lindsay
Waldie |
Coal deliveries |
2 photos |
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Forth Bridges
|
Railway + Road |
14 photos |
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Leith Docks |
Shipping |
12 photos |
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Lothian
Region Transport |
Buses |
1 photo |
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Scotmid
|
Milk–horse deliveries |
3 photos |
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Scotmid
|
Coachworks |
4 photos |
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CLOCKS |
James Ritchie
|
Clocks & Watches |
4 photos |
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James Ritchie
|
Clock winding |
17 photos |
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UNDERGROUND |
Lothian
Region |
Drainage Dept |
2 photos |
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Monktonhall
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Colliery |
4 photos |
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FIRE |
Lothian & Borders F.Brigade |
Fire Brigade |
20 photos |
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Central
Demolition |
Demolition |
1 photo |
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MANUFACTURING |
Carberry
Candles |
Candles |
4 photos |
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Chapham
Inveresk |
Envelopes |
5 photos |
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SAI
|
Fertiliser |
3 photos |
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Craig & Rose
|
Paint manufacturers |
3 photos |
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J Hewitt & Sons
|
Tannery |
8 photos |
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FINANCE |
Standard Life
|
Insurance + Investment |
9 photos |
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Bank of
Scotland |
Banking |
2 photos |
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Royal Bank of
Scotland |
Banking |
5 photos |
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LOCAL: CRAMOND |
George
Jamieson |
Taxidermist |
12 photos |
Peter Stubbs: email:
peter.stubbs@edinphoto.org.uk web site:
www.edinphoto.org.uk 24 April 2013
End of Page 0
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