Anyone know Walter Deards/ Osborne Buffet - Edinburgh late 19th C ?

[Smoo]

Hi,
Please have a look at this old sepia photo of Walter Deards, Wine and Spirit Merchant, with a hanging sign calling it the Osborne Buffet.

It reminds me a lot of a pub in Leith Walk that had 2 centre doors and a window each side - cannot remember the name now, but it is/was near a bus stop almost at the bottom end (on the RHS if you were going down Leith Walk)
 
I suspect one of the aproned men may be my g-g- grandfather, who would be working in Edinburgh in the late 19th Century - he was a ham curer, but I would like to try and establish if I'm right by finding out more about the type of business.

Does anyone please know where I might find further information on this business, had no luck so far   Even if someone knows the pub I mean, it might help a lot

Many thanks,
Audrey

Edit to correct spelling & add photo!

[MonicaL]

Hi Audrey

Hopefully someone with local knowledge can help here 

This looks like a possible entry for Walter Deards in 1891 - the only one in Scotland with that name - maybe before he opened up his own establishment:

Walter Deards   32, waiter b. England
Mary Jane Deards 34 b. Edinburgh
Amelia M Deards 4, b. Edinburgh

Address: 27 St Leonard's St, Edinburgh

Monica

Added: The family show in 1901 at    3 Sylvan Place. Walter now, not surprisingly, a Wine & Spint Merchant.

Monica

[Hibee]

Hi Audrey

Looking on Google Earth, the pub you are describing seems to be the Central Bar, in Leith Walk, but this has its two doors at either end, unlike your pic, and doesn't show signs of having been altered.

27 St Leonard's Street is still a pub (The Auld Hoose), but, again, doesn't resmble your pic.

One thing I noticed on Walter Deards establishment is a sign, half chopped off at the left hand edge, which seems to say "Edinburgh School of (Agriculture?)".  This would rule out Leith, in the late 19th century, as it was a separate burgh at that time, and it was a hanging offence to refer to it as Edinburgh (so my gran told me).

Hibee

[MonicaL]

I don't have access to the Scotman's Archives, which are pay to view/subs. A general search with 'Deards' brings up a number of entries which might relate to Walter Deards (an unusual name for Scotland). I wonder whether any one of these entries might show an address for his establishment.

Monica

[sancti]

Perhaps there is a clue in the name 'Osborne Buffet'

There is an Osborne Terrace in the Haymarket area

[sancti]

Have you checked to see if there was any mention in his will.

Death on SP

1937 DEARDS WALTER     Male aged  79 at MORNINGSIDE EDINBURGH CITY/MIDLOTHIAN

[Smoo]

Wow!  Thank  you all for this excellent information.

Hibee - yes, you're right, it WAS the Central Bar I was thinking on - couldn't remember the name, and memory is obviously worse than I thought - been quite a lot of years since I left there too!   The Auld Hoose never even crossed my mind as I used to live about 50 yards from there - I wonder if it was a residence, am sure there is/was a flat above.
And your granny is spot on about Leith   I hadn't noticed that sign in the photo.

Monica -  many thanks for your information - I assume they were his residential addresses. How DO you find these things - I couldn't find a thing on him!! 
I will see what the Scotsman archives cost - I don't suppose it's of major importance in my family history, I would just be very interested to find out, so that might be a good lead - thanks!

Sancti - good thinking I will look into both those leads too (well, the SP one once I can afford another heap of credits - I usually end up wasting more than I find useful!!). 

Told you I was a real newbie at this.....  
So I REALLY appreciate all your help folks

[jessden]

According to the Edinburgh & Leith Post Office Directory for 1904, Walter Deards was a Wine and Spirit Merchant at 21/23 Shandwick Place - i.e. the road leading westwards from the west end of Princes Street and nowhere near Leith Walk.  I don't have a late 19th century Directory to check if he had just moved there recently in 1904.  His home address was 3 Sylvan Place and his telephone number was (Edinburgh) 2458.  I also have a copy (on CD) of the 1900 Telephone Book for Scotland and the telephone listing was under his surname with the words "Osborne Buffet" in brackets at the side.

Jessie

[Smoo]

How wonderful, Jessie - that satisfies my curiosity a lot.
Thanks so much 

Audrey