Where is Portobello?

mr magnolia · Post by **mr magnolia** » 07 Sep 2004, 16:29

Where is Portobello?
Where is Joppa?
Where is Eastfield?

Can you draw lines on a map? The A-Z doesn't try really, it just seems to plonk names down.

I've spent the last 12 yrs not really knowing where I live (Centre / Fountainbridge and then Tollcross / Bruntsfield) where political and postcode and popular names for areas don't really correlate (?) Is it the same in the mysterious North of Edinburgh?

Is there a definitive line to be found?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 07 Sep 2004, 16:46

Well, the solicitors who sold us our house said it was Joppa. But it looks awfully like Portobello to me.

ecm · Post by **ecm** » 07 Sep 2004, 17:20

Yes, I've always wondered whereabouts on the High Street do you leave Portobello and enter Joppa? From the start of Joppa Road presumably?

Post by **wangi** » 07 Sep 2004, 17:30

Nah, think of along the Prom and work up... Lower Joppa is Joppa... I'd say John St is Joppa too...

Mimpty · Post by **Mimpty** » 07 Sep 2004, 17:42

I've wondered about this too. I think Joppa starts at Pitville Street/ the Daisy Park.

Beach Babe · Post by **Beach Babe** » 07 Sep 2004, 17:45

I was told Joppa starts level with Argyle Crescent

and I always think that Eastfield starts where the houses re-start on the left as you're going east

Sandra · Post by **Sandra** » 07 Sep 2004, 21:42

I thought Morton Street was definitely Joppa until I viewed a house and the schedule said Morton Street, Portobello. I thought Joppa started from Bellfield Street?

Post by **wangi** » 07 Sep 2004, 23:32

Morton St is for sure... But it's all the same difference really! The "Scottish Towns" website sums it up nicely that Joppa is a suburb of Portobello!

And tell me this... what's the boundaries between Broughton, Canonmills, Warriston and Powderhall!?

General Tactifer · Post by **General Tactifer** » 08 Sep 2004, 00:05

I notice that I've metamorphosed from 'Newbie' to 'Portyperson', so I deduce that Portobello begins at the 10th post.

ecm · Post by **ecm** » 08 Sep 2004, 06:34

General Tactifer wrote:I notice that I've metamorphosed from 'Newbie' to 'Portyperson', so I deduce that Portobello begins at the 10th post.

That settles it then - well done, General.

Porty · Post by **Porty** » 08 Sep 2004, 09:19

The General is very clever, we will need to keep an eye on him. Nurture and watch him grow.

BTT. I think Joppa goes from Pittville and Eastfield is a suburb of Joppa.

One thing that always gets me is when Solicitors and/or Estate Agents advertise houses in Magdalene as Duddingston. Houses in Niddrie are Easter Duddingston. Which is truly surprising as Duddingston seems to stop at Asda then start again a bit further up the road.

Has Duddingston got an on-line forum? Surely it must have, its fucking massive.

Post by **wangi** » 08 Sep 2004, 09:50

Ah but if you look at it from a ye olde times point of view it's right to call all these places Duddingston since that's the name of the parish. Plus consider all the old Easter, Wester, Mill etc. By coincidence hellcat's site has a nice map of the parish:

http://www.visionsofscotland.co.uk/Dudd ... istory.htm
http://www.visionsofscotland.co.uk/DuddingstonMap.htm

A thumbnail of it:

Porty · Post by **Porty** » 08 Sep 2004, 09:59

Trust you. I preffered my blissful ignorance.

bellybabe · Post by **bellybabe** » 08 Sep 2004, 11:48

Porty wrote: Houses in Niddrie are Easter Duddingston.
Has Duddingston got an on-line forum? Surely it must have, its porcupine massive.

Yes.
Or at least, "Easter Duddingston" does.
Apparently it's rather factional. Unlike here. Ahem.

ceejam · Post by **ceejam** » 08 Sep 2004, 14:32

The fountain in the daisy park is the official boundary between Porty and Joppa.

Presently Eastfield is a street name, which is on Musselburgh road. On the sea side, between the east end of Milton Road and Joppa Rocks.

Post by **wangi** » 08 Sep 2004, 15:41

wangi wrote:Morton St is for sure... But it's all the same difference really! The "Scottish Towns" website sums it up nicely that Joppa is a suburb of Portobello!

And tell me this... what's the boundaries between Broughton, Canonmills, Warriston and Powderhall!?

http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/towns/townfirst293.html

Portobello
City of Edinburgh

Located 3 miles (5 km) east of Edinburgh's centre, this seaside town on the Firth of Forth originated from a single thatched cottage in the mid 18th Century held by a veteran of the 1739 campaign at Puerto Bello in Panama. By the end of the century it had become a fashionable bathing resort for Edinburgh's well-to-do. It was also a working town and former industries produced bottles, bricks, glass, lead, paper, pottery, soap and mustard; an oyster bed was exploited after its discovery in 1839. The town was made a burgh in 1833 and was incorporated into Edinburgh in 1896. Notable buildings include the Old Parish Church (1809), the multi-spired St John's Church (1909) and the villas along Regent Street (early 19th century). A railway station operated here between 1846 and 1964.

Nearby is Joppa which was created in the early 19th century from a plan by Robert Brown. The village had two railway stations, one at Milton Road (1847-59), the other at Brunstane Road (1859-1964).

Noted residents of the town were geologist Hugh Miller (1802-56), who shot himself at his home on the High Street, and physicist Sir David Brewster (1781 - 1868). Music hall artist Sir Harry Lauder was born here in 1870.

http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/towns/t ... t2734.html

Joppa
City of Edinburgh

An eastern suburb of Portobello in the city of Edinburgh, Joppa lies on the Firth of Forth adjacent to a sandy beach. It became a fashionable resort and residential area in the late 19th century.

mr magnolia · Post by **mr magnolia** » 09 Sep 2004, 12:35

ceejam wrote:The fountain in the daisy park is the official boundary between Porty and Joppa.

hmm - you need to start with basics for us Central Edinburgh types - so where is the daisy park, ceejam? And who are the mysterious 'officials'?

I'm sure there is a PhD somewhere in the subject of local areas within towns - I think all the towns/cities I have lived in have had very strong, very local areas that are easily identifiable when you are in the heart of them but which have moveable or difficult-to-define boundaries - a bit like border areas of countries.

Mimpty · Post by **Mimpty** » 09 Sep 2004, 13:18

Mr M.

The Daisy Park is between Pitville street and John Street. On the left as you head out of town. I think Porty High Street has turned into Abercorn Road at that point.

ecm · Post by **ecm** » 09 Sep 2004, 13:23

Mimpty wrote: I think Porty High Street has turned into Abercorn Road at that point.

It's actually Abercorn Terrace Mimpty. And it's very confusing.
I used to live in the Abercorns up on the hill off Willowbrae Road and delivery guys and the like always ended up that way looking for Abercorn Terrace, understandably.
There's also an Abercorn Gardens at Northfield Broadway?

Mimpty · Post by **Mimpty** » 09 Sep 2004, 13:32

Hello ecm!

I had a feeling I wasn't quite right with the name. You'll have to forgive me, I am not a native Portobellian.

bellybabe · Post by **bellybabe** » 09 Sep 2004, 13:34

And just to make it worse, Mr M, the Daisy Park isn't actually called that at all - it's called something like Abercorn Park, and I'd lived here for four years before i found out everyone calls it Daisy Park. The houses at our boys' school are named after local parks, and Daisy Park is not one of them!

Post by **wangi** » 09 Sep 2004, 13:46

Well at one point it was all the Earl/Marquis/Duke of Abercorn's land!

rathbone · Post by **rathbone** » 11 Sep 2004, 13:20

According to Buildings of Scotland, Melville Street ( now known as Bellfield Street) is the boundary.

The land to the west was part of the Brunstane estate and was developed by William Jamieson in 1763 as a speculative development of seven villas in large gardens.( including Puerto Bello house, Tower House and Rosefield House) In the 1796 statistical account this was called Portobello after the house named after the battle of Puerto Bello. The land to the east of Melville street was part of the Abercorn estate and was developed in 1801 by Robert Brown.

rathbone · Post by **rathbone** » 11 Sep 2004, 14:49

Just following on from that last one, quite a few streets in Porty changed their name:
Tower Street became Figgate Street
Wellington Street became Marlborough Street
Pitt Street became Pitville Street
Melville Street became Bellfield Street
Ramsay Lane and Ramsay Gardens disappeared entirely (Though 12 Bath Street still has Ramsay Gardens carved into the stonework above the door).

Can anyone remember when this happened. ( My memory says around 1977, but I could be wrong)

Poppy · Post by **Poppy** » 11 Sep 2004, 16:57

Think it was the mid 60s? I remember Pitt Street in the New Town becoming "Dundas Street formerly Pitt Street" while I was still at school as we could see that from our house.

rathbone · Post by **rathbone** » 14 Sep 2004, 17:36

Well done Poppy, spot on.

A few judicious enquiries to the Council resulted in the following:-

Tower Street Became Figgate Street on 4 May 1966
Wellington Street became Marlborough Street on 1 February 1968
Pitt Street became Pitville Street on 4 May 1966
Melville Street became Bellfield Street on 1 May 1968
Hope Street became Rosefield Street 1 November 1966
Ramsay Lane became Beach Lane 1 August 1967 and Ramsay Gardens became part of Bath Street on the same date.

All of this because the Post Office objected to there being duplicate street names in Edinburgh and big brother won out.

I also got info on the reasons why the different streets have the names they have, but I think I'll keep that for a separate thread.

Porty · Post by **Porty** » 14 Sep 2004, 17:40

rathbone wrote:
I also got info on the reasons why the different streets have the names they have, but I think I'll keep that for a separate thread.

Thank god for that as my head is spinning as it is. Brilliant info tho.

Poppy · Post by **Poppy** » 14 Sep 2004, 18:51

[quote]the Post Office objected to there being duplicate street names /quote]

Have to agree with the PO on this - before Pitt Street became Dundas Street we were 'bothered' by pantechnicon's looking for the Leith Pitt Street. Unnecessary heavy traffic for us and a pain for the drivers!!

Post by **wangi** » 14 Sep 2004, 20:24

I was thinking why both were changed, having forgot about the yet another one in Leith! But, now reminded I know exactly where it is!

Epykat · Post by **Epykat** » 14 Sep 2004, 20:27

I know where the one in Leith is too since Mr Epykat and I (whilst living in sin

) stayed there in the grottiest flat ever. Well.... love conquers all and we hardly noticed the mice running over our heads during the night..... and we did only get broken into once.......and we never had a hot shower the whole time we lived there......

Post by **wangi** » 14 Sep 2004, 20:33

I looked at a flat there (or was it Trafalgar?) a few years back

Still, the PO must have had wierd priortities to change a prime city centre street over a crappy Leith one! Surely it could have become Trafalgar Something or Fort Something?

Epykat · Post by **Epykat** » 14 Sep 2004, 20:35

wangi wrote:I looked at a flat there (or was it Trafalgar?) a few years back

Still, the PO must have had wierd priortities to change a prime city centre street over a crappy Leith one! Surely it could have become Trafalgar Something or Fort Something?

It could have been the Battle of Trafalgar Street or Fort Apache or something like that.......

Poppy · Post by **Poppy** » 14 Sep 2004, 20:43

PO must have had wierd priortities to change a prime city centre street over a crappy Leith one

I can only think that [a] commercial priority for keeping the Leith one and so avoiding total pantechnicon chaos and it was easy enough to just continue the existing street name of Dundas Street on down the hill??