Leith harbour, from the pier

Category

Library Item

Item no

18721

Title

Leith harbour, from the pier

Description

Leith harbour in Edinburgh is a busy port with many boats and people. Most of the boats are sailing boats, but there is also a steam boat with smoke coming from its chimney. A bridge crosses over the harbour.

Artist / maker

Shepherd, Thomas Hosmer

Date

1829

Size

9.9 x 15.1 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.

Leith is situated in the north of Edinburgh where the Water of Leith joins the Firth of Forth. It has acted as Edinburgh's maritime connection for many centuries, and continues to be one of the UK's busiest ports. 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.

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Related subjects

Landscape > Water > Harbours

Landscape > Water > Rivers and streams

Places > Edinburgh areas > Leith

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

Transport > Water > Boats

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