Scotland Street
Location type
StationNames and dates
Canonmills (1842-1846)Scotland Street (1846-1868)
Opened on the Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway.
Opened on the Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway.
Description
This station was the Edinburgh terminus of the Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway until its extension south to Edinburgh Canal Street in 1847. The station was built in an extremely cramped site. It was on the northern edge of the New Town and extending the line on south through the Scotland Street Tunnel took it to mid way between the New Town and the Old Town at Edinburgh Canal Street.
To the north was the Rodney Street Tunnel and to the south the Scotland Street Tunnel. The total portals were built attractively in dressed stone. The route south involved climbing an incline.
The passenger entrance was from the junction of Royal Crescent and Scotland Street, steps dropping down to the platforms.
The station had two platforms on the double track entering the southern tunnel, extended in timber at the north ends. A short siding was behind the southbound platform. The station building was at the south end of the northbound platform. This building was like a prototype of the later North British Railway style. A wooden building with horizontally mounted wooden canopy over the platform and brick chimneys in the rear.
The goods yard was to the west. This led off to sidings behind the northbound platform, serving a loading bank, and turnplates at the south west end of the site. By reversal from these several sidings could be reached, approached from the south. The Canon Mills and several other small industries were just to the north west over Eyre Place. These sidings were, certainly later, coal sidings. A curved set of steps ran down to the goods yard at the north end.
After 1868 the station was given over to goods and minerals only. The line south closed altogether, replaced by a new alignment avoiding the incline via Easter Road. A goods shed was added and the sidings on the west side extended north and a few extra sidings laid in.
Complete line closure was in 1967.
The station site is now a playpark. The tunnel entrances are preserved. In recent years the northern tunnel has been re-opened and lit for pedestrians.
Tags
Station terminusExternal links
Canmore site recordNLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67
NLS Map
NLS Map
05/10/2019
| Nearby stations York Place [Tram] Picardy Place [Tram] St Andrew Square [Tram] Powderhall McDonald Road [Tram] Leith Walk Princes Street [1st] Princes Street [Tram] Edinburgh Waverley Pilrig Street Balfour Street [Tram] Bonnington Ferry Road Edinburgh Princes Street Easter Road | Rodney Street Tunnel Heriothill Goods Logie Green Workshops Scotland Street Tunnel Warriston Viaduct Warriston Junction Powderhall Loop Powderhall Destructor Rosebank Iron Works Powderhall Bridge Shrubhill Tram Depot Bonnington South Junction Waterloo Place Tourist/other Scottish National Portrait Gallery Roya Botanic Gardens |
| Location names in dark blue are on the same original line. | |
Chronology Dates
| 31/08/1842 | Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway Scotland Street to Trinity [1st] opened. |
| 17/05/1847 | Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway Scotland Street to Canal Street [Edinburgh] opened (Canal Street [Edinburgh] called Princes Street [1st] briefly). |
| 02/03/1868 | Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway A new diversion opened to goods (Abbeyhill and Piershill to Trinity Junction with a spur onto the [North] Leith branch at Bonnington East Junction). This by-passed the cable operated incline between Canal Street [Edinburgh] and Scotland Street. |
| 22/03/1868 | Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway Scotland Street to Canal Street [Edinburgh] closed to passengers. Canal Street [Edinburgh] closed. The tunnel between Canal Street [Edinburgh] and Scotland Street is used to store wagons until 1887. |
| 06/11/1967 | Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway Scotland Street goods and Heriothill Goods to Trinity Junction (excluded) closed. Scotland Street goods depot is closed. (The Warriston Junction to Bonnington East Junction approach had closed in 1960.) |
