48-573: The Marine Gardens was an entertainment complex located in the Portobello area of Edinburgh , Scotland. Opened in 1909 as a pleasure garden and amusement park on the shores of the Firth of Forth , most of its original attractions apart from the ballroom were removed following military use of the site during the First World War. The complex also included a stadium which was used during
96-458: A Sunday Times panel to be one of the top eight places to live in Scotland. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) classed the quality of the swimming water as "sufficient" in its 2019 survey, a small improvement on the previous year, when dolphins were sighted off the coast. In 2020 there was a sighting of what was thought to be a swordfish. A wild swimmers' club has been braving
144-468: A charge in 1802 he was kicked by a horse and confined to his lodgings for three days. While recovering he finished The Lay of the Last Minstrel . The Scots Magazine in 1806 noted that the lands were "a perfect waste covered almost entirely with whins or furze ". Portobello grew into a bathing resort, and in 1807 new salt-water baths at the foot of Bath Street and Regent Street were erected at
192-547: A cost of £5,000. In 1822, a visit of King George IV to Scotland organised by Scott included a review of troops and Highlanders held on the sands, with spectators crowding the dunes. Before Portobello had a promenade and public beach, there was only a belt of dry sand between the firmer sand of the beach and the private properties adjoining the shore. Access to the beach was restricted by these property holders, as Sir William Rae discovered in 1842 when he tried to gain access to his favourite section for bathing. The proprietor of
240-544: A lease on New Year's Day 1931 and gained planning permission to build a new grandstand in May 1932. The track opened to greyhounds on the Saturday afternoon of 2 July 1932. Teething troubles caused the first meeting to be abandoned due to hare mechanical failure, the first race witnessed by 6,000 spectators was voided and after only one completed 525 yards race it broke down again. A second meeting finally took place on 16 July with
288-556: A monthly local food market, a youth theatre (now using a new web address), and culture and music. Artistic activity has become popular, including the annual Art Walk Porty. In April 2020 the Portobello Pencil Sharpening Project, thought to be an art installation, went viral on Twitter. In 2019 Portobello was voted the best neighbourhood in the UK at the 2020 Urbanism Awards. In 2021 it was considered by
336-598: A number of undertakings, including extension of the Promenade, building of the Baths, surfacing various streets, providing drainage, extending the trams, providing a public park and a new town hall for public meetings. The new Portobello Town Hall was intended to hold at least 800 people and was built on the site of Inverey House to a design by the City Architect, James A. Williamson, opening in 1914. In June 2019,
384-618: A race in which twelve browster -wives ran from the Burn (recorded as the Thicket Burn) to the top of Arthur's Seat . By the 18th century the area had become a haunt of seamen and smugglers . A cottage was built in 1742 on what is now the High Street (close to the junction with Brighton Place) by a seaman called George Hamilton, who had served under Admiral Edward Vernon in the capture of Porto Bello , Panama , in 1739, and he named
432-633: A seaside location, although the Tower Amusements arcade remains in business. The 21st century has seen the emergence of community activities, some focused on the Promenade. The beach hosts regular beach volleyball, including Olympic beach-volleyball qualifiers, and the annual Big Beach Busk event. Other community activities focus more on the sea. They include the Portobello, Sailing, Kayaking and Rowing Club, Rowporty, and Eastern Amateur Coastal Rowing Club. Others concern community gardens,
480-647: A terminal to be built in Leith using public funds, which failed to materialise. The Promenade and beach host two annual four-mile (6.4-kilometre) running races: Portobello Beach Race every summer since 2013, and the Promathom most New Year's Days since 1987. A weekly five-kilometre (3 mi 188 yd) Park Run every Saturday in Figgate Park provoked press-reported controversy and exhibitionism in 2018. As an independent burgh, Portobello had aspirations for
528-723: A town hall, the town council having first met in rooms in Brighton Place and then in Rosefield House. The first purpose-built hall (now the Baptist Church in the High Street) was designed by David Bryce and erected in 1862. This proved inadequate for the purpose and was replaced in 1877 by a building designed by Robert Paterson, which is now Portobello Police Station . The Edinburgh Extension Act 1895, which amalgamated Portobello with Edinburgh, gave effect to
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#1732793667855576-423: A valuable bed of clay near the burn, and built a brick and tile works beside the stream. He later built an earthenware pottery factory, and the local population grew into a thriving village. Land values subsequently rose, and by the beginning of the 19th century some parts had been sold at a yearly feu duty of £40 per annum per acre. An advertisement for bathing machines for hire on Portobello beach appeared in
624-576: A villa adjoining the shore had extended his garden to include the sand and had built a wall leading right down to the sea. Sir William, a former Lord Advocate , viewed this as interfering with his right of way, as a private citizen and as an officer of the Crown. After legal action over several years and an appeal right up to the House of Lords, the proprietor and his neighbours were forced in July 1849 to demolish
672-464: Is dominated by the 165 ft spire of Portobello and Joppa Parish Church (formerly St Philip's Church), situated on the corner of Brunstane Road North. It is built from Binny Stone in the Early Decorated style by John Honeyman (1831–1914) and was completed in 1877. On 2 December 1998, a fire destroyed the roof and much of the interior. It has since been fully restored. On 16 October 1939,
720-405: The 2020 Coronavirus Lockdown , police praised the public for curbing the spread of the virus by avoiding Portobello over Easter weekend, although as the weather improved in May the visitor numbers increased, causing concern to politicians. Portobello continued busy over the summer of 2020, with some disturbances reported. In August a Ferris wheel appeared on the old Fun City site, but its licence
768-645: The Edinburgh Evening Courant of 11 June 1795, according to a report in the Evening Dispatch . It says the bathing machines have steady horses and careful drivers, and the bathing sands are perfectly free from stones and "danders", the water clear and the beach very retired. Portobello Sands were used at that time by the Edinburgh Light Horse for drill practice. Walter Scott was their quartermaster . While riding in
816-528: The Firth of Forth , on the west by Portobello of which it was a suburb when Portobello was a burgh, to the south by the open area south of Milton Road and to the east by Musselburgh in East Lothian . The name "Joppa" is of biblical origin, referring to the port of Jaffa in Israel, and was first bestowed on this part of Edinburgh in the 18th century (apparently because, like its namesake, it sits next to
864-479: The Tay Bridge disaster . The iron supports rusted away and the pier was demolished as uneconomic to repair in 1917. The Edinburgh Marine Gardens laid out north of Kings Road in 1908–1909 included an open-air theatre, an industrial hall, a ballroom (later a skating rink), a scenic railway, a "rustic mill and water-wheel" and a speedway track. It fell out of use in the First World War and never recovered, although
912-511: The 20th century. Whilst visitors were mainly from Edinburgh, it was also once popular with Glaswegians , particularly as the Glasgow Fair "trade holiday" signalled the start of a two-week holiday for the west of Scotland. By the 1960s, it had become an area of amusement arcades and permanent funfair attractions. From the 1980s these gradually disappeared, and by the end of the 20th century the Promenade had hardly any attractions specific to
960-746: The Luftwaffe made a daylight air raid up the Forth to bomb British warships (HMS Edinburgh, HMS Mohawk and HMS Southampton) at Rosyth . This was the first daylight air raid in the United Kingdom . Houses in Morton Street and Brunstane Road North were damaged as a result. The German pilots shot down during the raid were buried, following a ceremony at St Philip's Church, in Portobello Cemetery which lies on Milton Road East. They were
1008-537: The Marine Gardens Company was wound up in 1921 resulting in the removal of the attractions with the exception of the ballroom. A twelve-acre section of the Gardens and the ballroom were purchased by Fred G Yooll in 1921. Yooll promoted events at the ballroom and in 1927 applied for permission to erect a sports pavilion and football pitch which was granted. From May 1928 the stadium staged speedway and
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#17327936678551056-623: The area, continuing towards Joppa and Eastfield to Musselburgh, Port Seton, Tranent or North Berwick, down Brighton Place to Fort Kinnaird or Royal Infirmary, and from Kings Road to Craigentinny. The former electric tramways operated by Edinburgh Corporation Transport Department were replaced by diesel buses in November 1956. Portobello's first railway station was initially served by the Edinburgh and Dalkeith Railway . The Portobello (E&DR) railway station operated from 1832 until 1846, when it
1104-422: The beach. These, now known as Portobello Swim Centre, include one of only three remaining public Turkish baths in Scotland. Portobello Pier was a pleasure pier near the end of Bath Street, open from 23 May 1871 until the start of the First World War . At 1,250 feet (381 m) long with a restaurant and observatory at the end, it cost £7,000 to build to a design by Sir Thomas Bouch , who was infamously linked to
1152-546: The buildings and exhibition from the successful 1908 Scottish National Exhibition held in Saughton Park in Edinburgh. Opened in 1909, its attractions initially included a ballroom, circus and zoo, cinema and theatre, scenic railway, ornamental gardens and maze and a football ground. The Marine Gardens was closed down and taken over for military use during the First World War. The troops did not leave until 1919 and
1200-534: The city centre, facing the Firth of Forth , between the suburbs of Joppa and Craigentinny . Although historically it was a town in its own right, it is officially a residential suburb of Edinburgh . The promenade fronts onto a wide sandy beach. The area was originally known as Figgate Muir, an expanse of moorland through which the Figgate Burn flowed, from Duddingston Loch fed by the Braid Burn to
1248-482: The cost and duration: the main road was closed to traffic until the end of 2019 while the work was done. Ultimately, the new surface proved of high quality, including smooth sets for cycling and a refuge for safe turning into the Christian Path. The final cost of about £750,000 was less than predicted. Minor problems remaining with drainage were to be dealt with when the spring 2020 lockdown was lifted. During
1296-554: The cottage Portobello Hut in honour of the victory. By 1753 there were other houses around it. The cottage remained intact until 1851, when it became a hostelry for travellers known as the Shepherd's Ha. In 1763 the lands known as the Figgate Whins were sold by Lord Milton to Baron Mure for about £1,500. They were afterwards feued out by the latter to William Jameson or Jamieson at the rate of £3 per acre. Jameson discovered
1344-599: The first evening meeting on 21 July. Racing is believed to have continued until late 1936. Speedway started on 19 May 1928, with an open meeting organised by the Scottish Dirt Track Motor Racing Club. It ended during 1931 following the GRA signing of the lease. Fred Yooll died in January 1936 and the well-known speedway promoter Jimmy Fraser took over with speedway returning in 1938. The area
1392-459: The former graveyard, but several stones survive, for instance in the narrow gap behind the back of the hall and the boundary. In 2017 the church was sold by the Church of Scotland to the local community and reopened in 2018 as Bellfield community centre . Joppa, Edinburgh Joppa is an eastern suburb of Edinburgh , the capital of Scotland . It is bounded on the north by the coast of
1440-476: The interwar period for football , greyhound racing and speedway . It was the home venue of Scottish Football League teams Leith Athletic (1928–1936) and Edinburgh City (1928–31 and 1934–35). The Marine Gardens closed down permanently in 1939 after again being taken over by the military, with the area being redeveloped after the Second World War. Part of the vast Craigentinny Meadows located on
1488-450: The resort, whose facilities came to include a large open-air swimming pool , heated by waste from the power station. The actor Sean Connery once worked there as a lifeguard. The pool was closed in 1979. There was also a lido (now demolished) and a permanent funfair, which closed in 2007 and was also eventually demolished to make way for new housing. Portobello Baths were constructed in 1898 and completed in 1901 on The Promenade overlooking
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1536-478: The sea). Joppa is now largely residential, but salt was once produced from seawater by evaporation at Joppa Pans. Practically nothing remains of the industrial buildings but Rockville, formerly the owner's/manager's house and now a hotel and Rock Cottage. Some light industry has operated from the area near the former railway station in Brunstane Road and at Eastfield . Many of the larger houses near
1584-533: The seafront date from early nineteenth century, with extensive later areas further inland built up in the mid-twentieth century. While the last cable cars were in use in Edinburgh, a line ran through to Joppa, where it connected with the Musselburgh electric tram line. The two lines joined together in 1923 when the Edinburgh system was converted to electricity, and through trams then ran from Levenhall in Musselburgh to Waterloo Place in Edinburgh. Joppa's skyline
1632-451: The shore of the Firth of Forth was the area chosen to construct Marine Gardens. The meadows had for years previously been used as an outlet for Edinburgh's sewerage where the land was rotated and irrigated to produce meadow grass that could be used for cattle grazing. This easterly part of the meadows in Portobello would be a permanent host for the new Marine Gardens which acquired and relocated
1680-511: The speedway/motor cycle track remained in use until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. The site was cleared in 1966 for the Lothian Buses Marine bus depot. The 1983 Portobello was at the centre of police and media attention with the abduction of five-year-old Caroline Hogg from the Promenade area and her murder by Robert Black . Portobello's peak as a resort in the late 19th century gave way to slow decline through
1728-530: The town hall in Portobello, and in February of this year the Corporation decided to implement the bargain". A formidable red-brick power station was built in 1923 at the west end of the beach. It was extended by Ebenezer James MacRae in 1938, and operated until 1977 when it was closed. It was demolished in the following 18 months. Between 1846 and 1964 a railway station provided access for visitors to
1776-521: The town hall project, money provided by the Scottish Government under its Place Based Investment Programme. Portobello Central indicated that it hoped the funding would enable it to re-open the building by April 2022. The Town Hall opened for business on 1 June 2023, under a 25-year, full repairing lease from the City of Edinburgh Council at £1 per year rent. In birth order: The building
1824-498: The town hall was closed by the city council after the masonry and plasterwork were found to be in poor condition. The city council put the building on the market for lease in February 2020, and, following a competitive process, it agreed to enter into exclusive talks with a local community organisation known as Portobello Central in May 2021. The city council confirmed, in June 2021, that it had allocated £350,000 of capital investment to
1872-399: The walls they had erected. Fifteen years later, Portobello Town Council began to build the Promenade, so securing public access to the beach along its two miles (three kilometres). Portobello became industrialized in the 19th century, manufacturing bricks ("Portobello brick"), glass, lead, paper, pottery, soap and mustard. Joppa to the east was important as a salt producer. In 1833 the town
1920-537: The waves through the year since 2010. Meanwhile, a warmer alternative is provided by the Turkish Baths in Portobello Swim Centre. In October 2016 Portobello became the first urban community in Scotland to register a Community Right to Buy after the 2016 expansion of Land reform in Scotland to cover urban areas. Purchase of Bellfield Old Parish Church and Halls by Action Porty for £600,000
1968-506: The west, to the sea, with a broad sandy beach on the Firth of Forth . The name "Figgate" has been thought to come from an Old English term for "cow's ditch", but the land was used as pasture for cattle by the monks of Holyrood Abbey and the name is more likely to mean "cow road", as in Cowgate in Edinburgh. In 1650 it was the supposed scene of a secret meeting between Oliver Cromwell and Scottish leaders. A report from 1661 describes
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2016-553: Was again required for military purposes during the Second World War, leading to the final closure of the complex. After the war most of the Marine Gardens was demolished becoming industrial factories, the speedway track became a test track for a car company. Since 1962, the location of the Marine Gardens has been occupied by a bus depot. Portobello, Edinburgh Portobello is a coastal suburb of Edinburgh in eastern central Scotland . It lies 3 miles (5 km) east of
2064-561: Was confirmed by Scottish Government Ministers on 3 May 2017. The purchase was funded partly by the Scottish Land Fund and partly by community donations and borrowing. The buildings and grounds formally passed from the Church of Scotland to Action Porty on 6 September 2017 and opened as Bellfield (Community Centre), Portobello on 23 June 2018. Work in 2019 on re-laying the paving setts in Brighton Place caused controversy over
2112-494: Was designed by William Sibbald and the foundation stone was laid on 27 October 1808 with the church opening for worship in 1810. It originally had the status of Chapel of Ease for Duddingston Parish Church to the west. In May 1834 the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland gave it the status of a quoad sacra church. It received full independent parish status in 1861. The church hall, built in 1964, stands on
2160-476: Was made a burgh , and jointly with Leith and Musselburgh , it was represented by one member of Parliament. Then in 1896 Portobello was incorporated into Edinburgh by Act of Parliament. The Scotsman in 1912 noted that "It was by the provisions of the Edinburgh Extension Act of 1895 under which Portobello was amalgamated with the city, that Edinburgh gave an undertaking to build and maintain
2208-583: Was replaced by the Portobello (NBR) railway station operated by the North British Railway . The station closed in 1964 under the Beeching cuts . For two weeks in 2007 there was an experimental hovercraft service to Kirkcaldy in Fife. Stagecoach was interested in running a regular service, but the local authority refused planning permission for the infrastructure. Stagecoach planned to use
2256-491: Was suspended before it opened, as it broke government rules on the reopening of funfairs; despite this, some smaller attractions in the area have come and gone since. Concerns about overcrowding on Portobello promenade continued into 2021. In September 2021, it was announced that the Swim Centre would shortly close for a £2.5 million refurbishment. Portobello is served by Lothian Buses which provide eleven services to
2304-523: Was used by the football clubs Leith Athletic (1928 to 1936) and Edinburgh City (1928 to 1931 and 1934 to 1935). Boxing bouts took place in the ballroom (including Primo Carnera ) in addition to baseball matches and midget cars. In 1931 a greyhound syndicate made enquiries to start greyhound racing at Marine Gardens which then attracted the Greyhound Racing Association (GRA). The GRA owned nearby Powderhall Stadium and secured
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