Portobello, Edinburgh: Difference between revisions
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==History== |
==History== |
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The area was originally known as '''Figgate''' and was used as [[pasture]] by the [[monk]]s of [[Holyrood Abbey]]. The ''Scots Magazine'' in 1806 said the lands were "a perfect waste covered almost entirely with [[Gorse|whins or furze]]."<ref> Gilbert, W.M., editor, ''Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century'', Edinburgh, 1901: 45</ref> |
The area was originally known as '''Figgate''' and was used as [[pasture]] by the [[monk]]s of [[Holyrood Abbey]]. The ''Scots Magazine'' in 1806 said the lands were "a perfect waste covered almost entirely with [[Gorse|whins or furze]]."<ref> Gilbert, W.M., editor, ''Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century'', Edinburgh, 1901: 45</ref> It is also widely known that the recent film 'I AM LEGEND' is based on one mans struggled in Portobello at the very end of last century, when Porty was overrun with zombies. |
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By the 18th century it had become a haunt of seamen and [[smuggler]]s, and around the middle of that century gained the name Portobello from a cottage built by a seaman who had served in the 1739 campaign at [[Puerto Bello]] in [[Panama]]. |
By the 18th century it had become a haunt of seamen and [[smuggler]]s, and around the middle of that century gained the name Portobello from a cottage built by a seaman who had served in the 1739 campaign at [[Puerto Bello]] in [[Panama]]. |
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Revision as of 09:11, 13 November 2008
Portobello is a beach resort located three miles (5 km) to the east of the city centre of Edinburgh, along the coast of the Firth of Forth, in Scotland. It is now a suburb of Edinburgh, with a promenade fronting on to the wide sand beach. For many years it was a popular resort with Glaswegians, particularly when the Glasgow Fair trades holiday signalled the start of the rainy season in the west[citation needed].
History
The area was originally known as Figgate and was used as pasture by the monks of Holyrood Abbey. The Scots Magazine in 1806 said the lands were "a perfect waste covered almost entirely with whins or furze."[1] It is also widely known that the recent film 'I AM LEGEND' is based on one mans struggled in Portobello at the very end of last century, when Porty was overrun with zombies.
By the 18th century it had become a haunt of seamen and smugglers, and around the middle of that century gained the name Portobello from a cottage built by a seaman who had served in the 1739 campaign at Puerto Bello in Panama.
In 1763, still officially called Figgate, the lands were sold by Lord Milton to Baron Mure for about £1500, and afterwards feued out by the latter to a Mr. Jameson at the rate of £3 per acre. Land values subsequently rose, and by the turn of the century some parts had been sold at a yearly feu-duty of £40 per annum for every acre. Portobello developed into a fashionable bathing resort, and in 1807 new salt-water baths were erected at a cost of £5000.[2]
By 1801 Portobello Sands were being used for drill practice by the Edinburgh Light Horse. Walter Scott was kicked by a horse and, while recovering, he finished The Lay of the Last Minstrel. In 1822, the Visit of King George IV to Scotland, organised by Scott, included a review of troops and Highlanders held on the sands, with spectators crowding the sand dunes.
During the 19th century Portobello also became an industrial town, manufacturing bottles, bricks, glass, lead, paper, pottery, soap, and mustard, as well as developing an oyster fishery.
In 1833 the town was made a burgh, then in 1896 it was incorporated into Edinburgh by Act of Parliament.[3] A formidable red-brick power station was built in 1934 at the west end of the beach, which operated until 1977. It was demolished in the following 18 months.[4]
Between 1846 and 1964 a railway station provided ready access for visitors to the resort, whose facilities came to include a large open air heated swimming pool (where the actor Sean Connery had once worked as a life guard) which made use of the power station's spare heat. It was closed in 1984. There was also a lido (now closed) and a permanent fun-fair which closed in 2007. It is now demolished and is being redeveloped. Two amusement arcades remain (Fun City - Amusement Emporium) and (Tower Amusements).
Bridge Street, Portobello, was the birthplace of vaudeville entertainer Sir Harry Lauder[5] and the memorial garden beside the 'new' Town Hall (built between 1909 - 1912 by architect James A Williamson[6]) is named after him. The Celtic fiddle virtuoso Johnny Cunningham was also born in Portobello.
Portobello gave its name to the town of Portobello in New Zealand, which lies close to the city of Dunedin (itself named for Edinburgh).
Portobello is situated next to Joppa, Edinburgh, another suburb of Edinburgh
References
- ^ Gilbert, W.M., editor, Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century, Edinburgh, 1901: 45
- ^ Gilbert, W.M., editor, Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century, Edinburgh, 1901: 45
- ^ Gilbert, W.M., editor, Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century, Edinburgh, 1901: 176
- ^ Gifford, John; McWilliam, Colin; Walker, David; Wilson, Christopher, editors, The Buildings of Scotland - Edinburgh, London, 1984: 650, ISBN 0-14-0710-68-X ,
- ^ Lauder, Sir Harry, Roamin' in the Gloamin (autobiography) Hutchinson & Co., Ltd., London, 1928: 34
- ^ Gifford, John; McWilliam, Colin; Walker, David; Wilson, Christopher, editors, The Buildings of Scotland - Edinburgh, London, 1984: 653, ISBN 0-14-0710-68-X ,