Candlemaker Row

Category

Library Item

Item no

5880

Title

Candlemaker Row - west side, looking north, showing old houses on churchyard wall (now demolished)

Description

A horse and cart makes its way down the cobblestone road of Candlemaker Row in Edinburgh. One of the houses has an external stone staircase, a lamp-post stands opposite this house. Just visible is a tomb in Greyfriars Churchyard which sits just above the graveyard wall.
This is a photograph by a member of the Edinburgh Photographic Society.

Artist / maker

Mitchell, G. G.

Date

1890

Size

17 x 13.2 cm

Type

Photograph

Location

Edinburgh and Scottish Collection

Despite living in the New Town, Stevenson was well acquainted with the shabby charm of Edinburgh's Old Town. The author was known to frequent some of the less respectable establishments in this area, especially during his bohemian university days. This image reflects the tenements, dark closes and narrow wynds characteristic of the Old Town at this time.

Candlemaker Row runs from the corner of Forrest Road, outside the National Museum of Scotland, down to the Grassmarket. It travels along the east side of Greyfriars Kirkyard.

The word cobble has been used here to help with searching, an alternative term is sett. Sett stones describe both the type of stone and the method in which they are used.

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Related subjects

Architecture > Architectural features > Stairways

Homes > Residential buildings > Houses

Places > Edinburgh areas > Old Town

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

Transport > Infrastructure > Roads

Transport > Infrastructure > Street lights

Transport > Infrastructure > Streets

Transport > Land > Horse and carts

(55°56′49″N, 3°11′30″W)