Stockbridge [Stock Bridge], Water of Leith, Edinburgh

Category

Library Item

Item no

18701

Title

Stockbridge [Stock Bridge], Water of Leith, Edinburgh

Description

A man on horseback crosses an arched bridge over the Water of Leith. Two figures stand on the bridge gazing into the water below. The river has rocky banks and is surrounded by trees on either side.

Artist / maker

Shepherd, Thomas Hosmer

Engraver

Allen, J B

Date

1829

Size

10.7 x 15.2 cm

Type

Engraving

Location

Edinburgh and Scottish Collection

This image comes from 'Modern Athens', a book of engravings based on drawings by Thomas Shepherd published in 1829. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries Edinburgh was growing rapidly. The popular neoclassical architectural style of the time was inspired by the ancient Greeks and Romans, and Edinburgh was nicknamed 'Athens of the North'. Shepherd's engravings celebrate the beauty of Edinburgh and show many notable buildings and streets both within the city, and further afield.

St Bernard's Bridge in Stockbridge, Edinburgh, crosses the water of Leith joining India Place to Dean Terrace. The bridge was designed by
James Milne and was built in 1824. The flight of steps leading down to the riverside was a later addition.

Originally a separate village, Stockbridge is now a largely residential area situated a mile north of Edinburgh Castle. The village developed substantially between about 1813, when the famous painter Sir Henry Raeburn began to feu his land in the area for development, and about 1850. Much of this development was conducted by the architect James Milne. With its proximity to the Water of Leith and its interesting and diverse architecture, Stockbridge is considered an attractive and popular place to live, shop and socialise.

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Related subjects

Animals > Mammals > Horses

Landscape > Water > Rivers and streams

Places > Edinburgh areas > Stockbridge

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

Plants > Trees > Trees

Transport > Infrastructure > Steel bridges

Transport > Land > Horse and riders