Dean Mills, Water of Leith

Picture painted 7th May 1833. Dean Village is a riverside community in the west of Edinburgh, roughly half a mile from the West End of Princes Street. It has a long history as a grain milling hamlet stretching back at least as far as the early 12th Century. The increasing strength of the Leith flour mills in the 19th Century led to a period of economic decline in the village, but it is now an affluent and desirable place to live. Despite its close proximity to the centre of Edinburgh, Dean Village retains a quiet atmosphere in keeping with its rural heritage. The Water of Leith runs for roughly 18 miles from the Pentland Hills through the villages of Balerno, Currie, Juniper Green and Colinton, then through Edinburgh to the Firth of Forth at Leith. The twelve mile stretch of river from Balerno to Leith covered by the Water of Leith walkway is accessible to pedestrians and bikes.