293 Canongate, Edinburgh and Cranston Street

[Little Nell]

According to a book I have here on the streets of Edinburgh, Cranston Street was first proposed on 1866 City Improvement map, starting at the entry to Coull's Close and curving westwards over the lower part of Leith Wynd.  It got its name in 1874 from Robert Cranston who founded Cranston Temperance Hotels.  He was the councillor for Canongate at that time.  He may have owned ground west of the street.  His son was Lord Provost Robert Cranston in 1891.  The northern half of the street disappeared when Waverley Station goods yard adn East Market Street were built in the mid 1890s.

Coul's Close is given as 317 Canongate.  Midcommon Close was 295 Canongate.

Nell

[MonicaL]

From the 1839-40 street directory here www.archive.org/stream/postofficeannual183940edin#page/146/mode/2up/search/+canongate

Whilst 293 is not showing, 295 is showing, as mentioned above by Nell, by Midcommon Close. 293 would look to be between that Close and Logan Close going by the listing and numbering.

Monica

[IanB]

I think the numbers have changed.  Midcommon close (formerly 295) is just east of The Edinburgh School of English, which now has an address of 271. The World of Nature, which is at the west corner of Cranston Street, now has an address of 297, whereas Cranston/Coull's Close had an address of 317.

The entrance to Midcommon Close can clearly be seen in a Google street scene, in the wall abutting the Edinburgh School of English building. I think it is possible that 293 (or 269 - 293) was the building just east of Midcommon Close.
Ian

[Ruskie]

Some good progress has been made I see since my last visit.

Although I have visited Edinburgh I didn't take any notice of the Closes in this area, and am interested to know more about them. 

Am I correct in assuming that they were used as a side entrance to the dwellings/premises above the shop fronts? Are they "dead ends" or did they run the entire depth of the buildings and give access to dwellings further back from the main street front?

If number 293 Canongate was Mid Common Close, within that address would there have been many seperate addresses, or would they have been defined by 293 a, b, c for example?

If MT's address was 293 Canongate, is that dwelling likely to have fronted Canongate rather than being down Mid Common Close.

Or am I way off the mark here?

I'd love to  a stroll there myself to explore.  (but that's not going to happen any time soon more's the pity)

[MonicaL]

Ruskie, youtube comes in so handy sometimes  One of a few, www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqYcuGMGhRg

Monica 

[Rosinish]

Ruskie,

Just thought I would add, the terms Close/Vennel/Alley (which I know in Scotland) are an entrance to (usually) a back (from the main street) with tenements within a closed/enclosed area (no road out the other end), if that makes sense? usually kind of known as a "square".

Annie

Added, Possibly where the name "Close" derives from?

[Ruskie]

Thanks Monica and Annie. 

Very interesting and sort of how I could see them in my mind's eye. There is more variation in size from (alley to square) than I imagined, and they appear to have been occupied by the well to do.

What occupies those closes today? Are they dwellings or businesses or a combination of both? Prime real estate with a price to match I would think.

[Rosinish]

Ruskie,

On the other hand, we have buildings on Main Streets with Tenement blocks/flats of 4 (or more) on Terraces but the entrance is also known as a "Close" although they have a front & back entrance.

They would be numbered e.g. 4a,4b (bottom), 4c, 4d (top).

Annie

Added, The back entrance/exit would be to the drying green, no road!

[Ruskie]

I've more or less answered my own question with some googling, and see that there are a lot of flats in Closes for rent.

Annie, it would be interesting to find out how the term "Close" originated - perhaps it's as simple as residences being within close proximity.