This exhibition gives us an insight into one of Edinburgh's closest communities before it was changed forever. Along with many of the poorest areas of the city Leith was earmarked for redevelopment in the early twentieth century. The crumbling tenements and narrow lanes were deemed slums and unfit for human habitation despite the camaraderie and community spirit that living there evoked.
Many of the images in this exhibition were taken in 1924 for the Leith Improvement Scheme as part of the planning process and as a record of what was there before. They show the streets inhabited by gangs of barefooted children and the people of Leith going about their daily business. Other images give a rounded picture of life in Leith showing the shops, schools and factories of the area.
Much has changed; gone are the original buildings of the Kirkgate and much of the housing, but much too remains - the image of the Shore is eerily familiar, as in a different sense is the laying of tramlines on Leith Walk.
Leith is situated in the north of Edinburgh where the Water of Leith joins the Firth of Forth. It has been Edinburgh's port for many centuries. It was incorporated into Edinburgh in 1920 having previously been a separate burgh. It is now home to the Scottish Executive's main offices, Edinburgh's Sikh temple, the Royal Yacht Britannia and Ocean Terminal, a large shopping and entertainment complex.
The image library for the collections of Edinburgh Libraries and Museums and Galleries