LEITH - In the Old Days

Leith, a major port since early medieval times, and a town that somehow managed to retain its unique identity after being swallowed up by Edinburgh in 1920.
Here, we look at the people and buildings of Leith through old photographs that capture the ordinary lives of its citizens. From the grandness of the Assembly Rooms and the Town Hall to the mundane task of collecting water in the street; from barefoot children to trams and ships and trains. This is an insight into the ordinary lives of people who lived in an extraordinary place.
Along the way we will see buildings and whole streets that have vanished to make way for the unrelenting march of progress, a progress that often led to the creation of concrete jungles with no heart or soul. We will see workmen laying tram lines in a construction upheaval that would be repeated 100 years later. And with a backdrop of old ships in the Water of Leith, the faces of the town's inhabitants peer out at us from areas that would soon be swept away to make way for improvments to their lives: houses with running water and other mod-cons.
This is an insight into the past, and into the lives of people long ago. Welcome to Leith.

[@ianrtait5721]

Great video. I was born in St Andrews Street in 1954. My mother was born in 1 Coalhill. I served my apprenticeship in George Brown & Sons on the Shore. Thanks for bringing back the memories.

[@EdExploresScotland]

Cheers Ian.

[@mairimillar8866]

Can't beat before and after shots, Eddy, thank you. Like you, I prefer the old buildings. Take care in your travels. Mx

[@EdExploresScotland]

Cheers Mairi.

[@davidkaneva9674]

Thank you Ed, for a walk back, left Edinburgh 55 years ago. I remember my mother and I shopping in Leith . great show!

[@mark70s29]

I left Edinburgh 35 years ago... worst mistake of my life:(

[@qtronicqilt8898]

@@mark70s29 Why was that? Where did you go to?

[@mark70s29]

@@qtronicqilt8898 I was working at a semi qualified mechanic. Father retired sick my grandfather died and my late mother wanted to move just over the border to live in his cottage. I couldn't afford to stay so went two..grass appears greener sometimes;)

[@charlesmair26]

Another fine vlog Ed.

[@EdExploresScotland]

Cheers Charles.

[@heatherbruce4496]

Fab video ❤

[@ThamesShips]

Another excellent and interesting video. I like the way you compare the old and new pictures of the same road or building.

[@EdExploresScotland]

Thank you.

[@user-hg1ky3cj2s]

Very enjoyable video Ed. It’s good to see so many buildings were saved and are still there. I loved the little shop at the end. Nice place for a pint and a chat. 😎 Cheers! Lynn in Naples FL.

[@EdExploresScotland]

Cheers Lynn.

[@andyrichmond1858]

Excellent job. Brought a wee tear to the eye.

[@judithparker4608]

Thankyou...absolutely fascinating

[@EdExploresScotland]

Cheers Judith.

[@eileanvm]

What interesting comparison pictures Ed. You always manage to bring great poignancy to this, as well as that sparkle of humour. I remember staying overnight in Leith, about 30 odd years ago, to see the Cutty Sark Tall Ships event. They were part of a global tall ships racing competition I believe. The entire stretch of Leith harbour was chocka with amazing ships. So many masts, and all styles of tall ship. It was glorious and breathtaking. Sorry that you lost a tooth Ed. You can have your dentist fit a little denture in there, with one tooth on it. It might not cost that much either. No shame in that. Then you can have your pie-munching smile back again :) I'm fascinated by the 'voice' on the music at the end. Is that you singing via some kind of voice generated plug-in ? Or is it a keyboard voice ? Haunting, all the same.

[@EdExploresScotland]

Cheers Eilean. The female voice comes courtesy of some software I got a while back. I think you can programme in words and it sings them. Not something I would use all the time, but interesting for occasional use.

[@WillVenusASMR]

Leith is such a special place. Some of my family are from there, I got married there. I’m always looking for photos of what the kirkgate inside shopping centre looked like before they renovated it.

[@allforyouii2]

I love leith ever since I moved here 16 years ago.

[@alexcameron_]

Thanks Ed 😊

[@stephenwilson04]

Another great video, Eddie. Fascinating as always to see the changes (and 99% of the time never for the better) in the buildings and architecture.

[@EdExploresScotland]

Thanks Stephen. While these old houses and streets look more interesting than modern concrete, many of the houses had no running water, so part of me understands the need for improvements that sadly swept many of them away.

[@MargaretKeegan-gl7bz]

I remember the old Kirkgate in the early sixties and loved visiting Bobbies bookshop. On another note my great, great grandfather was the owner/editor of the Leith Burgh Pilot newspaper.

[@donaldmcleod-vm5go]

ONE OF YOUR BEST ED 👍 LOVED YOUR VIEW OF LIETH. THANKS 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@EdExploresScotland]

Thanks Donald.

[@junekane3043]

Enjoyed this born and brought up in Leith loved the old kirkgate ❤

[@normanboyes4983]

You should be rightly proud of what you have produced here. It is clearly the result of many weeks of work. Very professional and a story well told.😀👍

[@EdExploresScotland]

Many thanks Norman.

[@HappyMinds1]

I believe under modern road crossing laws, the pedestrian is king. You may walk out into any busy road and expect all traffic to halt, at least motor vehicles. Bikes may not need to adhere to this rule, as they seem to be free to do whatever they like. Brilliant video Eddie, really great watch. Loved the soundtrack. Amazing how those old buildings look as worn and dirty 150 years ago as they do today.

[@EdExploresScotland]

Thank you. Yes, I think laws have recently changed with regard to pedestrians and street junctions.

[@IanDonnelly-iq8cf]

Another absorbing watch. Keep flicking back to compare the then and now photos. Ed, thank you. Ian

[@HappyMinds1]

Me to, amazing how well those old stone buildings that are still standing have stood up to the test of time. They barely look a few years older. We should build in stone today.

[@EdExploresScotland]

Cheers Ian.

[@VAPIDISM]

Very interesting video thanks.

[@brycehermon5939]

Another excellent video thanks Ed. I find your historical presentations so interesting. The old photographs are brilliant. A moment in time captured. I lived and worked in Edinburgh when I was in my 20s. I can remember there were a lot of pubs along Leith Walk. Thanks for sharing.

[@EdExploresScotland]

Cheers Bryce.

[@junejackson7958]

Cheers to you great filming and photos

[@EdExploresScotland]

Thanks June.

[@malcolmwylie3222]

👍 you always do a great job bringing the past into the present, keep up the good work Ed.

[@EdExploresScotland]

Thanks Malcolm.

[@patriciaclayton8788]

Enjoyed that. Well researched. I've just spotted where I can donate to your cause. I'll get onto that. You deserve that beer!🎉🎉

[@EdExploresScotland]

Thank you.

[@ErnieCG]

Interesting

[@craigsutherland3410]

What a fantastic video Eddy. I find those films of yours fascinating and enable me to learn so much about Scotland. Bettet than most of the tripe on tv. I was born and brought up in Corstorphine in Edinburgh but would regularly visit Leith in the 80s and 90s. At that time, you could wander around the docks unhindered - now there's security posts. I now live in Newmains, North Lanarkshire, but still visit Edinburgh and Leith regularly. Please make a doc about Corstorphine and/or Newmains sometime.

[@EdExploresScotland]

Thanks Craig. Yes, I recall regular access to the docks, and an old crane. Corstorphine is certainly an interesting area.

[@jim_dubhglas]

Oh Ed, I had the same tooth issue last year. Dinnae worry, as it's your interesting video content and commentary that we're here for, pal! Your content should be used in schools to teach the bairns about Scotland and it's history. Wonderful stuff! Thanks for the video, Eddie.

[@EdExploresScotland]

Cheers Jimmy. 👍

[@tastethevenom6414]

Awesome Great narration 👍🏼

[@EdExploresScotland]

Many thanks.

[@KevTJones]

Thank you so much. History is created by the Victors as I am sure you know. There is so much misplaced history around Edinburgh and Leith, however you brought this together very well. On the subject of crossing the road, I really think local Councils are trying to prevent that from happening.

[@EdExploresScotland]

Cheers. I suppose crossing the road at recognised pedestrian crossings is now the way to go.

[@jocky2]

Great video Eddy, thanks for the history and those pictures of the people in the streets and the kids playing are wonderful to behold., Next time I'm in Edinburgh I fancy a Tram down to Lieth, looks really interesting. Thanks for the inspiration.

[@EdExploresScotland]

Definitely worth a visit. Feels continental by The Shore.

[@fishingstevie8830]

Hi Eddie good podcast cheers bud . Edinburgh is a very old city with much history attached I recall which seems not so long ago ( How time flies eh ) seeing tram lines being built and cost of such was over the top big time and with stop / start waiting for authorities to later get another contractor in and then later i just see via your podcast the trams now go awe the way down to the bottom of Leith walk as was intended first time But good seeing the old along with the new 👍

[@EdExploresScotland]

Cheers Stevie.

[@wstevenson4913]

Scotland's past has been absolutely wrecked in the name of improvement, great video

[@EdExploresScotland]

Thank you.

[@Kiltskills]

Indeed. I feel robbed of the opportunity to collect water from and outdoor source whilst dodging open sewers. And sharing one toilet with 100 other families would have been special.

[@EdExploresScotland]

Made me smile. But I think the comment was more about architecture and the general visual appearance than social conditions.

[@gerardrooney4366]

Thanks Ed another great video of Scottish history. Now come on Ed tell us how you really lost the tooth, fighting with a local NED 😂.

[@EdExploresScotland]

Thanks Gerard. Nothing just as exciting, I'm afraid. It was a steak sandwich. Tooth was probably damaged beforehand by grinding during sleep.

[@nickwatson2167]

Nae teeth Keith fi Leith . You fit into the surrounds perfectly lol

[@nickwatson2167]

Can you say I buy my corned beef in Dalkeith

[@lindajo1840]

Very interesting history. I think Govan was 'absorbed' around 1912...Must've been a hive of work back in the day. The folks with shoes look so proud. We eventually traced our (unknown) grandad to Leith - we were looking for a Canadian! Dad's 1918 birth certificate said Canadian Forestry Commission - dad was born in Mauchline , Ayrshire, we wondered how grandad got there! Musselburgh family with addresses Eskside, Daisybank and Rosebank, Leith, couldn't find on any map. Ended up in Montreal via Australian Lancers. Dad always said his cousin was Bill Simpson, of Dr Findlay fame...couldn't find any biography on him but he was in Mauchline at one time. Sympathies with the tooth. You can get a plate made, or a stick in!

[@EdExploresScotland]

I hate false teeth or teeth with plates. I'd rather look like this. That said, maybe the crown will work. Fingers crossed. 👍

[@lindajo1840]

@@EdExploresScotland Hope so. I hate false teeth!

[@martinmacdonald5773]

Leith’s Westminster MP crossing the road at @15:09

[@MrMaharg65]

Do you see the sign in the window of J Millar bakers Ed? “HOT PIES”!

[@EdExploresScotland]

Goodness, I missed that. It's a sign! IT'S A SIGN!

[@PaulEcosse]

Here, nothing wrong with the Shane McGowan look. 👍

[@EdExploresScotland]

Absolutely.

[@thomaswelch-dr5gn]

Im 53 youngest of eight children, my parents used to live in Johnson or Johnstone street Leith. Demolished decades ago. My eldest brother R.I.P used to catch rats😬

[@annastevenson2817]

The Kirkgate was always spoken of as "the" Kirkgate, the definite article always applied.

[@janetaylor7357]

Have you ever done Fife, Ed? I’m thinking of Leslie and the surrounding countryside in particular.

[@EdExploresScotland]

Hi Jane. I've got quite a few videos shot in Fife, on the Fife Coastal Path, for example. I think in another video I passed through Leslie on my way to the Lomond Hills. Check them out.

[@mojogaucho]

Talking about Leif is a hard topic when you've lost a front toof. Sorry, I couldn't resistf.

[@EdExploresScotland]

Yes, it's having an impact on my voiceovers.

[@martinreid1740]

Thanks for this Ed, but no mention of Leith Links, an early home of golf. You could probably do another video and still not show all of Leith.

[@EdExploresScotland]

Cheers Martin. Yes, that's a big omission for Leith. As you say, Leith is quite big, and probably deserves a few videos.

[@auldlangsign3179]

Super video. By the way Ed do the pubs in Leith still have "Go-Go girls"?

[@EdExploresScotland]

Thank you. I'm not sure about the go-go girls. Certainly they used to have them in Dizzy Lizzies in Iona Street back in the 70s. Hard to concentrate on your pint.

[@bohemianhippy6760]

Hah, they had them in the 80's

[@auldlangsign3179]

@@bohemianhippy6760 And the 70's

[@simonlumsden6045]

Kirkgate is pronounced 'Kirgit' in Leith.

[@digitalimager4946]

And in Leeds 🥸

[@robbrooks5263]

What vocal synth are you using, Ed?

[@EdExploresScotland]

Hi Rob. I make music on my old PC, which takes about half-a-day to start up, so at the moment I'm not sure. The La La sounds in the final song came courtesy of a free demo whose name I can't recall. That said, in checking the web, the name Emvoice rings a bell, so it may have been that one. The demo didn't have a full range, so I was restricted to just certain notes.

[@Puffball-ll1ly]

Always somebody hobbling about in Leith. 😂

[@63mckenzie]

Where Rod Stewarts family is from.

[@tonto3964]

Good report, Leith has been ruined by these works , unsafe

[@bertifrasilmeye995]

H,i Ed strange pint glass...maybe you got! a pint Atb

[@EdExploresScotland]

Yes, it's some sort of brewery glass design. The cynical part of would think it was to hide a dirty glass, which you would never get in Malt & Hops anyway.

[@dannystewart9482]

@@EdExploresScotland Great wee pub the Malt and Hops. Used to have one in there after eating at Fishers restaurant just along the road.

[@michaelbolger745]

They are bairns, they hung aboot in gangs

[@PaganAbroad]

Great video Ed - btw you prob need to get a dental implant mate - take care 🙏

[@EdExploresScotland]

Many thanks. Yes, I probably need something. Can't go about the place looking like this.

[@amcluesent]

Get an implant