Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
property was incorporated later when the town became a parliamentary burgh.
To the left, looking south down the street, is the fittingly named St. Mary Star
of the Sea Catholic church as well as the modern Port of Leith Housing Asso-
ciation building.
Go right (north) on Constitution Street and continue to:
3
Bernard Street
Bernard Street has been termed, architecturally speaking, Leith's “most formal
space.” At the east end is a statue of Robert Burns and the Leith Assembly
Rooms, which include the original merchant's meeting place built in the 1780s.
The Burns Monument was erected in 1898, and the buildings from here west
to the Water of Leith are Georgian and 19th-century commercial buildings,
such as the former Leith Bank.
Go left from Constitution Street and walk west on Bernard Street, turning left on Car-
pet Lane (marked by tiles in the pavement) to:
4
Lamb's House
Carpet Lane soon becomes Water Street, facing a handsome, harled (lime, and
gravel or sand wall covering), red-roofed building with an odd window built into
the corner of the facade. This is Lamb's House: A 17th-century merchant's
home and a masterpiece of its type, with crow-stepped gables and corbels. It
has been restored repeatedly and new private owners promise more mainte-
nance work.
9
At Burgess Street, turn right to:
5
The Shore
Leith's first main street, running along the river to the Firth of Forth, the road
known as The Shore is now home to Michelin-star-winning Restaurant Martin
Wishart (p. 83) and a clutch of bars with outdoor seating. At Bernard Street,
the King's Wark is a pub within a restored 18th-century building. The original
King's Wark was believed to be a palace and arsenal that James VI had rebuilt
and given over to tavern-keeper Bernard Lindsay.
Cross Bernard Street and follow the Shore north and drop by:
6 The Shore Bar & Restaurant
(3/4 The Shore;
&
0131/553-5080) feels as if it has been sitting here and receiving seafar-
ers for years. In fact, it opened in the 1980s, but it remains the best unpretentious pub in
Leith. Food—primarily fi—is served at the bar or in the adjoining dining room. See p. 84
for a full review.
Return to the bridge, turn right crossing it to Commercial Street and the:
7
Customs House & Dock Place
Designed by Robert Reid in 1810, the Customs House has strong fluted col-
umns. Nearby is the original entrance to the Old East Dock established by
John Rennie at the start of the 19th century and the modern Commercial Quay
development, which features another Michelin-star-holding restaurant, The
Kitchin (p. 83). This area also skirts the walls of the citadel built for Cromwell,
with fragments apparently still part of Dock Street.
