Building numbers on Leith Walk, Edinburgh

[K44ENF]

I have just downloaded a certificate for a marriage which took place in 1915 in "The Alexandra Cafe, 19 Leith Street, Edinburgh". Putting this address into Google maps brings up an address of 130/19 Leith Walk (I don't understand the numbering there), and the premises still seem to house a cafe. Does anyone know if the numbers on Leith Walk now are the same as they would have been then?

[ScouseBoy]

I suggest you go on the www.royalmail    web site  and go on address finder or post code finder.  That will probably give you an idea.

[jessden]

Leith Street is not part of Leith Walk, Its the street that leads from the east end of Princes Street down to the top of Leith Walk.  Its still there but one side was demolished when the St James Centre was built in the 1960s and a lot of the other side has also been redeveloped.  Modern maps are unlikely to help.
If you go on to the National Library of Scotland website - www.nls.uk  - you will find that they have recently put on line some of their collection of Directories and you should be able to find one for 1915 that will give you a list of businesses on Leith Street.You can also access their map collection - there is a large scale OS map from the 1890s and a good street map from 1911 which may help.

Jessie

[Unė kthimi i papenduar]

http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/PUB/pub_evening_news_-_ioe121_leith_street.htm

will give you a picture of Leith Street before the so called improvements.   Numbering started from the GPO which in this case was at the top.   This is all that remains of a piecemeal development after c1790 and is a valuable group of tenements of which 19 is one and is listed in Canmore as such.    1905 PO Directory (http://addressinghistory.edina.ac.uk/search.jsp) has the premises listed.

[K44ENF]

Thank you all very much for your help. Too bad the premises disappeared under the St James monstr ..., ehm, Centre. Very grateful for all your links, I will be going back to have a good look at all of those sites. I hadn't realised that NLS now had directories online. I foresee hours spent going through them in the near future.

Many thanks.

[Unė kthimi i papenduar]

The building is still there http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/directory_record/11891/access_point

the green frontage on Google Street View or

http://www.flickr.com/photos/iansdigitalphotos/2576078154/sizes/l/in/photostream/

[K44ENF]

Oh I see! I completely misunderstood which side of the road it was on. Thank you very much for putting me straight there. I will look forward to going to see it when I am next in Edinburgh.

Many thanks for your help.

[marcie dean]

When I was 14 we went up to edinburgh and my grtuncles place was somewhere going down towards the canal and docks.
On the corner opposite the entrance to the back of the flats was a grocers. They had just finished a shopping mall, at the end of which was Boots Chemist.  There were still tramlines in the road and part of the road was cobbled.There was also an old church about 50 yrds back, we observed a wedding and the groom was throwing pennies to the children lining up outside. My grandad lived in Albert Road or street when young, nan pointed it out to me.
The next time we were that way, the grocers was gone.  The shop was still there, it was delapidated and empty. and there was a garage opposite Albert Rd or street.  Also the Scottish TV had been built in front of the hill to the Observatory, which before could be seen just by looking up, was no longer visible.  marcie

[marcie dean]

 Not sure that my memory is completely sound, I vaguely remember that Leith Walk split into two parts as it reach the top near Princes  Street.  As you were going up on the left side, on the right were some railings and a big gate into what seemed to be a huge park. The part of Edinburgh that tourists usually see, I find always impressive as are some of the Georgian houses/tenaments in their cobbled streets.  But there is one part which is dreadfully neglected and my nan warned me never to walk around that area as it had had a bad name for itself.  Trouble is I know it when I see it, but could not tell you where it was, except that it eventually passes Paddys bar and comes out at a wide road passing a square and to some traffic lights.
But that could almost be anywhere.
marcie