Leith

Leith (Lìte) is a district and former municipal burgh in the north of the city of Edinburgh at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is the port of Edinburgh, Scotland. It lies on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, in the unitary local authority of the City of Edinburgh.

South Leith v. North Leith
Up until the late 16th century Leith operated as two separate towns, on either side of the Water of Leith.

South Leith was the larger, coming under the jurisdiction of St. Cuthbert's in Edinburgh. It was based on trade and had many merchants' houses and warehouses. This was the main side for ships offloading cargoes.

North Leith was smaller but proportionately richer,coming under the jurisdiction of Holyrood Abbey. It was effectively one street: now Sandport Street and Quayside Lane. Long riggs ran down to the river from each house. This was the shipbuilding side of Leith. Several wet and dry docks existed, including the first dry dock in Scotland (1720). A small peninsula of land on the east bank also came under the same jurisdiction, on what is now Sherrif Brae/Sherrif Bank. This led to the first bridge being built in 1496 to link the pieces. It was built by Abbot Bellenden, who controlled the church at North Leith built at the same time, and Leith's oldest building (albeit somewhat altered). The bridge built here was demolished in 1780 to allow ships to get further upstream. The bridge to that date was a toll bridge, the income supplementing the church's income.

History
The earliest evidence of settlement in Leith comes from the several archaeological digs executed in the Leith area in the late 20th century. Amongst the finds Saxon wharf edges were revealed, dating from the 12th century.

Leith has a long and prominent role in Scottish history. As the major port access to Edinburgh, Leith has served as the stage for many of Scottish history's significant events. Mary of Guise ruled Scotland from Leith in 1560 as Regent for her daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots. In that year the Scottish Court had removed to Leith, on what is now Parliament street, off Coalhill. Mary of Guise also moved her palace from the Castlehill in Edinburgh to Leith. This was situated on what is now Quality Lane. Artifacts from the demolished palace are held in the National Museum of Antiquities. This consolidation was linked to the large French garrison stationed in Leith, and the strong Catholic sympathies there. However, in June 1560 the Siege of Leith ended with the departure of the French Catholic troops after the death of Mary of Guise. Remnants from the siege include a man-made mound called "Giant's Brae" on the local park, Leith Links, which was used as a cannon emplacement, being elevated to fire over the town wall. Other gun emplacements in the siege were at Leith Mount, at the north end of Ferry Road, and at the north end of Bangor Road. The most well documented day of the siege was 7th May 1560, when the English charged the walls of Leith with ladders that were far too short. John Knox records the delight of Mary of Guise, and English sources reveal 1000 casualties.

Late in 1561, Mary, Queen of Scots, arrived in Leith and after a brief stop at the "house of Andro Lamb..beit the space of ane hour" she travelled by coach to Holyrood Palace, to begin her ill-fated six year reign.

A century later, Leith was both a battleground and ultimately headquarters for Oliver Cromwell's forces, under the command of General Monck. An archway of the old Leith Citadel, dating from 1656, stands on Dock Street as the only remnant of extensive Cromwellian fortifications which stood in this area.

The earliest documented mention of golf refers to Leith Links. The Town Council, at the request of King James II, banned "gauf" (golf) and "fussball" (football) in 1457 to stop these distractions from archery practice for military purposes. Leith Links hosted golf again in 1714 with the first competition for "The Edinburgh Arrow" by the Royal Company of Archers. The links are the site of an early five hole golf course built in the 18th century. Leith bolsters its claim to being "the home of golf" because the official rules of golf, initially formulated at Leith in 1744 by the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, were later adopted by St Andrews. The only difference introduced with those rules (which remain the rules of golf) was the omission of one rule to do with hazards such as trenches. Leith Links also has one of the longest established cricket pitches in Scotland, at 1820 (late by English standards, but early for Scotland).

During the American War of Independence the Scot John Paul Jones, who is credited as founder of the US Navy, led a flotilla of three former French vessels against Ireland and the west coast of Scotland (in 1778). This relates to the time that the defences of Leith Fort were built in 1780, but that is just as likely to have been a response to threats from France and Spain. There is no evidence of any of the American ships ever reaching the east coast of Scotland. The Georgian fortress of Leith Fort was designed by James Craig, architect of the Edinburgh New Town, and was similar in scale and design to Fort George near Inverness (see Fort George, Highland). A fine Georgian terrace to the north-east served as officers' quarters, and was known as "London Row" because it was brick-built and looked like a London terrace, rather than Edinburgh. The fort was in active use until 1955, latterly serving for National Service training. Most of the fortress was demolished to build the present Council housing scheme which is centred around Fort House, and enclosed by the old fortress walls (it was actually an award-winning scheme of its day in 1955). A pair of gatehouses survive at the southern entrance to the site.

There is a long history of worship in Leith which can be dated back to at least the 12th century. After the Scottish Reformation the principal parish kirk for Leith was South Leith Parish Church, originally constructed in 1483. In June 1811 a statistical population census gave the population of South Leith as 15,938; North Leith 4875. With a procession and ceremony, the foundation stone of the new church for the parish of North Leith was laid on 11 April 1814.

Leith was the port of entry for the visit of King George IV to Scotland, and The Old Ship Hotel and King's Landing was then given its new name, to mark the King's arrival by ship's boat at Leith Shore for this event, which is remembered most for popularising and decriminalising symbols of Scottish national identity.

Leith Docks became known as the port for Edinburgh and modest shipbuilding and repair facilities grew. On 20 May 1806, there was a procession of the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Magistrates (Baillies), and Council, along with a numerous company of ladies and gentleman, for the opening of the first new Wet Dock, the first of its kind in North Britain. The Fife packet called The Buccleuch was the first to enter the dock, with the civic dignitaries on board, amid discharges of artillery from the Fort and His Majesty's warships in the Roads. The foundation stone for the second (middle) wet dock was laid on 14 March 1811, which was completed and opened with due ceremony in 1817 by Lord Provost Arbuthnot. The same year the Trinity House in Kirkgate was erected in Grecian architectural style at an expense of £2500.

The docks at Leith underwent severe decline in the post-Second World War period, with the area gaining a reputation for roughness and prostitution, with an official 'tolerance zone' until 2001. In recent years Leith has undergone significant regeneration and is now a busy port with visits from cruise liners and the home of the Royal Yacht Britannia, Ocean Terminal, and administrative offices for several departments of the Scottish Government. The council and government's 'Leith Project' provided a further economic boost. The shore area of Leith, once seedy, is now a centre for a range of new pubs and restaurants in charming surroundings. On 6 November 2003, Leith was the location for the MTV Europe Music Awards, with a temporary venue being built next to Ocean Terminal.

Historically Leith was governed by the Town Council of Edinburgh, with separately organised baillies appointed by various bodies without contact with each other. The result became vary unsatisfactory, and half of Leith was provided with no municipal government whatever or any local magistrates. An 1827 Act of Parliament arranged for municipal government and administration of justice in the town, providing watching, paving, cleansing, and lighting, with Edinburgh Council responding to the views of Leith townspeople. In 1833 the Burgh Reform Act made Leith a Parliamentary Burgh, which jointly with Portobello and Musselburgh was represented by one member of Parliament. On 1 November 1833, Leith became a separate Municipal Burgh, with its own provost, magistrates, and council, and was no longer run by bailies. Continued growth meant that Leith and Edinburgh formed a contiguous urban area. Leith was merged with Edinburgh in 1920 following a plebiscite in which the people of Leith voted 26,810 to 4,340 against the merger.



Geography
After decades of industrial decline, slum clearance and resultant depopulation in the post-war era, Leith gradually began to enjoy an upturn in fortunes in the late 1980s. Several old industrial sites were developed with modest, affordable housing, while small industrial business units were constructed at Swanfield, Bonnington, Seafield and off Lindsay Road. The Shore developed a clutch of upmarket restaurants, including the second of the groundbreaking chain of Malmaison hotels in a conversion of the former "Angel Hotel", a seamans' mission, whilst the once industrially-polluted and desolate banks of the Water of Leith were cleaned up and a public walkway opened.

Leith's gradual revival was also helped by the decision of the then Scottish Office to site their new offices in Leith Docks (just north of the old infilled East Dock). The site was chosen as part of a design-and-build competition against other sites at Haymarket and Marionville. It was completed in 1994. A tram was offered at the time of the application (at Forth Port's expense) from the new office to St Andrew Square, but the Council declined this offer. However, the hoped for influx of well-paid civil service jobs failed to have much local impact as most commute to the office, and only a small percentage venture beyond the confines of the office during lunchtimes. It did however further foster Leith's growing reputation as a white-collar, small business location. Further large-scale service and tourist development followed, including the Ocean Terminal complex and the permanently moored Royal Yacht Britannia. From 2011 Ocean Terminal and the Scottish Executive building area will be connected to the new Edinburgh Trams by the Port of Leith tram stop.

In 2004 the owner of the Docks, Forth Ports, announced plans to eventually close the port and carry out a major redevelopment of the area. The planned development, which was given supplementary planning guidance by the City of Edinburgh Council in 2004, will be the size of a small town with up to 17,000 new homes. It will include developments on the infilled Western Harbour as well as residential, leisure, retail and commercial development across the rest of the old docks. The urban design of the project will keep it in context with the older developments in Leith and provide a wealth of public and private open space, including two large parks and a number of pedestrian linkages across the docks. The whole project is expected to be completed by about 2020. The plans have not been entirely well received, with concerns being expressed that the scheme does not give enough importance to affordable housing, and that it will only exacerbate the income disparity that already exists in Leith.

Area
Streets in Leith include Constitution Street, Great Junction Street, Leith Walk and Easter Road, Edinburgh.

One of the areas is Timber Bush.

Culture and community
Leith has a long history of idealistic social advances, many of which were the first in Scots history:

All boys were educated for free from 1555 onwards. This was paid for by the local trade guilds. All girls were educated from 1820, admittedly a long time after the boys, but very early for free education for females (the law only required it from 1876). A free hospital service was provided from 1777, paid for by a local income tax, with beds sponsored by local shops. Leith had electric street lighting from 1890, and electric trams from 1905 (only Blackpool was earlier in the UK). The first public sewer in Scotland was built in Bernard Street in 1780; this simply flowed into the Water of Leith. The iron seal over the end of this is still visible next to Bernard Street bridge. The sewage is now pumped the other way (it was laid to fall westwards) to Seafield.

Hibernian Football Club have their stadium at Easter Road in Leith.

The Utopia pub on Easter Road started a protest campaign against the Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling after the 2008 Budget.

Famous people from Leith

 * Sir Tom Farmer, entrepreneur, founder of Kwik-Fit.    Philanthropist- owner of Hibernian F.C.
 * Hugo Arnot - early Scots historian. Buried in South Leith churchyard.
 * John Hughes - manager of Hibernian F.C.
 * Eduardo Paolozzi - Pop Artist and sculptor.
 * Chris Small - professional snooker player.
 * John Hunter - Second Governor of New South Wales
 * Robert Jameson (1774-1854) - Scottish naturalist and mineralogist.
 * John Gladstone - MP and father of William Ewart Gladstone.
 * Irvine Welsh - author of Trainspotting and other novels.
 * Colin Galbraith - author and poet
 * Neil Smith, Geographer
 * Dick Gaughan - prominent folk singer from Leith
 * Adam Archibald - World War I recipient of the Victoria Cross
 * Clarice Shaw (1883–1946), pioneering woman Labour Party politician and MP
 * John Hall - the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1601 which asked King James VI of Scotland to commission a revised Authorised Version of the Bible was Parish Minister of Leith for a time.
 * Henry Robb, shipbuilder.
 * James Cohen, BBC Trust Audience Council for Scotland, member.
 * Unicorn Kid, Musician
 * Eric "Winkle" Brown, Test pilot who has flown more types of aircraft than anyone else in history.
 * Charlie and Craig Reid of the folk band The Proclaimers