Great Junction Street facts for kids
Great Junction Street is a well-known street in Leith, a town near Edinburgh, Scotland. It stretches from the southeast to the northwest, following the path of Leith's old town walls.
How the Street Began
This street was planned around 1800. The idea was to create a new route. It would connect the bottom of Leith Walk to Ferry Road and the new docks. This new road would help people avoid the narrow, busy streets of old Leith.
The street was fully connected when Junction Bridge was built in 1818. This bridge goes over the Water of Leith. However, the road itself wasn't fully paved until the late 1830s.
In 1842, a special arch was built on the street. It was for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert when they visited. Many people came to see them, even though it was raining heavily. Prince Albert joked that the rain was just a "Scotch mist."
People from Leith often call the street simply Junction Street. North Junction Street is at its far west end. The street connects to the area called the Shore through Henderson Street.
Famous Buildings Along the Street
Many buildings here are "tenements." These are large apartment buildings. What's interesting is that many of these tenements have flat roofs. These roofs were built in a special way. They used three inches of horse hair and tar. This made them strong and waterproof. They often lasted a long time.
One important building is the old Leith Provident Co-operative Society building. It has a unique octagonal clock tower. This tower has a dome roof and fancy columns. It was built in 1911 and is a local landmark. The building next to it, also part of Leith Provident, was built in 1905.
Further down, there was a large warehouse. It was first used for storing wine. Later, a company called Crabbie's whisky bought it. It became a place to store whisky barrels for many years. Famous whiskies like Talisker and Laphroaig were aged here. Crabbie's Green Ginger was also made nearby. This warehouse has now been turned into apartments.
On the south side of the street, you'll find Junction Place. This area once had several public buildings. There was a "Fire Engine House" for horse-drawn fire trucks. The gates opened right onto the street. At the end of Junction Place was the Leith Electricity Generating Station. It was built in 1895 to power the streetlights.
On the west side, you could find Dr Bell's School. It was designed in 1839. This school used a special teaching method called the Madras System of Education. Behind it were the Leith Swimming Baths. These baths were used until the late 1970s. Many homes in Leith didn't have their own bathrooms back then.
A plaque on the corner of King Street marks a special spot. It's where Sir John Gladstone was born. He was the father of William Gladstone, who later became the Prime Minister of Britain. King Street also leads to parts of Leith Hospital.
At the very west end of the street is the former State Cinema. It was built in 1938. For many years, it was used as a bingo hall. Today, it houses a church and a cafe.
Taylor Gardens Park
Taylor Gardens is a small park at the west end of Great Junction Street. It was created in 1920. Before that, the South Leith Poorhouse stood here. A new poorhouse was built elsewhere in 1923.
The park was made as part of a plan to expand Leith Hospital. After World War I, towns were asked to build war memorials. Leith asked if they could build a new hospital wing instead, specifically for children. This was agreed upon. So, the hospital wing facing Taylor Gardens reads "Leith War Memorial" at the top. It also has military symbols carved into it. Now, a new stone has been placed in the park. People can lay wreaths there on Remembrance Day.
On the northwest side of the gardens, there's a two-story building from 1822. This was once a school for children from the poorhouse. Boys were on one floor and girls on the other. This was one of the first places to offer free education to girls in the area. Later, Sir John Gladstone built new schools nearby. Because of this connection, the old school building was named "Gladstones."
The Quilts Area
Across from Taylor Gardens is an area called The Quilts. New homes were built here in 1981. This area was redeveloped from older housing.
On the northeast corner, there is a plaque. It tells about the Siege of Leith in 1561. The colorful street number plates in this area were designed by students. They were part of a project at Edinburgh College of Art.
The Ebenezer Church used to be in the middle of the street here. It was taken down but rebuilt as a new church on Bangor Road.
