High Street, Portobello

Category

Library Item

Item no

4295

Title

High Street, Portobello

Description

An image of Portobello High Street, Edinburgh looking towards Joppa. Shops line both sides of the street, many of which have awnings. Robert Smail, a costume, mantle and millinery shop occupies large premises on the left-hand side. Just disappearing from view in the foreground is a horse-drawn, open-topped tram. A church spire can be seen in the background.

Artist / maker

Unknown

Date

1885

Size

14.0 x 20.8 cm

Type

Photograph

Location

Edinburgh and Scottish Collection

This image was possibly taken by Thomas Polson Lugton, who worked from various Edinburgh locations between 1892 and 1918. The trade name "Poulton" seen at the bottom of the image, is derived from his middle and last names.
See more photographs in the Poulton series.
Trams reached Portobello in May 1875 and the tram in the foreground to this picture is one of the open "toastrack" cars built for summer operation. They were sometimes also used as workmen's cars at other times, a practice which understandably gave rise to complaints in winter. These trams could seat 60 passengers, in ten rows of six each. In the far distance, a driver of a horse-drawn cart seems to have carefully aligned the wheels of his cart to run in the tram tracks, to give a smoother ride.

Discover the history of Edinburgh's trams in Our Town Stories .

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Related subjects

Architecture > Architectural features > Spires

Business > Service industry > Shops

Places > Edinburgh areas > Portobello

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

Transport > Infrastructure > Roads

Transport > Infrastructure > Tramlines

Transport > Land > Horse and carts

Transport > Land > Horse-drawn trams