Easter Road (street) facts for kids
Easter Road is a main road in the northern part of Edinburgh, which is the capital city of Scotland. It's called "Easter Road" because it was the main eastern path leading to Leith, a port town nearby. In the 1700s, maps showed another road called "Wester Road" (now Broughton Road and Bonnington Road). Before Leith Walk was built in the mid-1600s, Easter Road and Wester Road were the two main ways to travel between Leith and Edinburgh. Famous people like Mary, Queen of Scots (in 1561) and Oliver Cromwell (in 1650) once travelled along Easter Road.
Contents
A Journey Through Time: Easter Road's History
For a long time, Easter Road was a very important route. Before 1772, when the North Bridge was finished, coaches travelling between Edinburgh and Leith used Easter Road. This was because Leith Walk, despite its name, was mostly a path for walking and not suitable for wheeled vehicles until later. Records show that coach traffic on this route became much busier between 1763 and 1783.
Most of the buildings you see along Easter Road today are tenement homes. These were built in the second half of the 1800s for working-class families. The land where these homes stand used to be gardens and belonged to different estates.
At the northern end of the road, near where Leith Central railway station used to be, some older streets were cleared in the 1970s. New homes were built there. The old railway station was later taken down and replaced by a supermarket and a fun leisure centre. More new homes have also appeared in other spots along Easter Road since the 1970s.
The southern part of Easter Road is an older shopping area. It has homes above small shops, just like a traditional high street. You can also find a few corner shops and pubs further north. If you look south along the road, you'll see the impressive Salisbury Crags in the distance.
Easter Road was one of the last main roads in Scotland to be paved with granite setts (large stone blocks) instead of tarmac. This change happened in 1955. However, after an accident in the late 1990s, the road was re-paved with tarmac. This also helped save money on maintaining the old stone setts.
Life Today: A Busy Community
The area between Easter Road and Leith Walk is one of the most crowded parts of Edinburgh. Homes here are often more affordable, which makes the area popular for people looking to buy or rent. It's also a very diverse place, with many people from other countries, including young people from Poland and Spain, choosing to live here.
Interesting Buildings
- The old Drambuie Factory and offices were located at the bottom of Easter Road. They were there from 1955 to 1985. The factory was later pulled down, and new homes were built in its place.
- Bothwell House, found at the corner of Bothwell Street, was built in 1893. It's an early example of a building made from artificial stone.
See also
