Aerial view of Portobello

Category

Library Item

Item no

4290

Title

Aerial view of Portobello

Description

An aerial view of Portobello, Edinburgh. The power station occupies a large site on the seafront and its huge chimney can be seen with smoke coming out of it. To the left is the 1930s Outdoor Swimming Pool. The row of tenement buildings that make up Kings Road can be seen to the right of the power station.

Artist / maker

Unknown

Date

1952

Size

15.8 x 21.2 cm

Type

Photograph

Location

Edinburgh and Scottish Collection

Portobello developed around a cottage built in the mid 18th century. The sailor who occupied the cottage had fought at Puerto Bello, a port in Panama captured by the British in 1739, and named his home after the battle. With its long beach the town became an increasingly popular leisure destination. It boasted a pier between 1871-1917 and an outdoor swimming pool between 1936-1979. Holidaymakers and day-trippers could also visit the Marine Gardens or the fun fair, both now demolished. The town has been part of Edinburgh since 1896.

Portobello's outdoor swimming pool was opened in 1936. It was equipped with diving boards and a wave machine, and was open between May and September. The pool's proximity to a power station gave it access to heated water, but also meant that it had to be covered for the duration of World War II to prevent it being used as a marker by German bombers. The actor Sean Connery served as a Portobello lifeguard in the post war period. The pool was closed in 1979, not long after the power station, and the area is now used for five-a-side football.

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Related subjects

Manufacturing Industry > Manufacturing facilities > Power stations

Places > Edinburgh areas > Portobello

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

Sport and leisure > Sports and recreation facilities > Swimming pools