Location type

Name and dates

Note: text in square brackets is added for clarity and was not part of the location's name.

Description

This wet dock was located in North Leith, west of the Water of Leith. It opened in 1806, work having begun in 1801. The engineer was John Rennie. The southern quayside had warehousing, to the north was, later, the Victoria Dock [Leith]. The eastern end had a lock, allowing the water level to be maintained at low tide, leading to the Water of Leith and the sea which was crossed by a still extant swing bridge. A passage to the west, also crossed by a swing bridge, connected to the West Old Dock [Leith].

The southern quay was rail served by a short branch from the 1846 Leith [ELGR] terminus of the Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway. The dockside lines were extended west with the opening of the 1864 goods only (initially) Leith North Branch (Caledonian Railway). An extension east was also made to the Edinburgh and Dalkeith Railway via a long removed swing bridge over the Water of Leith near the Custom House. (This was the original purpose of the disused siding still in place by 'Ocean Mist', the swing bridge being removed about 1920.)

In 1874 further lines were added on the north side of the dock serving warehouses between the old east dock and Victoria Dock [Leith]. This extended lines at the west end of the Victoria Dock [Leith] via the Victoria Swing Bridge [Leith] to the Albert Dock [Leith] and reached the Edinburgh and Dalkeith Railway.

The dock fell out of use and was closed in 1967 before being filled in around 1974, being largely filled in 1975. The site is now car parks. The warehousing on Commerce Street has been converted for various uses. Out of use track survives running east-west on the south side of the former east and west docks.

Tags

Aliases