Where is it? - Fireplace Shop somewhere in Edinburgh

Where is It?

Late-1970s Photos

Thank you to Mark Harris for allowing me to reproduce this photo. This is one of many black and white photos that Mark took in Edinburgh in the late-1970s.

Question

Does anybody recognise the style of building in this street, with its large bricks? There are a couple of clues as to where it might be.

- I think that the shop with the fireplaces in the window is No.150, but I cannot be certain.

- The pizza shop beside it is named 'Conti.....'. I expect there would have been fewer pizza shops in Edinburgh in the 1970s than there are today.

Please email me if you recognise this location. Thank you.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: June 29, 2013

Reply

Miles Cumming

Edinburgh

Replies Received

Late yesterday evening, I added 8 of Mark Harris' black and white photos of Edinburgh, all taken in the late-1970s, to the EdinPhoto web site.

For the two photo above, I asked:

"Where is it?"

Thank you to everybody who has sent replies to me over the past 24 hours.

There has been a remarkable agreement between almost all the messages sent to me. (All were sent independently, and I'm only adding them to the web site now, so people have not had the opportunity to read each others' replies before sending in their own messages to me.)

Less than an hour after I added this photo to the web site, Miles Cumming wrote:

Foot of Leith Walk

"Could it be between Steads Place and Jane Street, near the foot of Leith Walk?"

Miles Cumming, Edinburgh: June 30, 2013

Reply

Peter Stubbs

Edinburgh

Two Photos

Thank you, Graham, for your reply above. I've now been to Leith Walk and taken a photo of No 150. I've reproduced it as 'Photo 2' below.

Photo

Late-1970s

© Mark Harris, London, England Photograph taken late-1970s

Photo

Jul 2013

Comparison of the 2 Photos

"The shops in the two photos above are similar in many ways, but there are differences.

If both photos are of the same shop:

- the position of the shop door has changed.

- new windows have been fitted in a similar style.

- one of the chimneys has been removed

Also:

- The reflections in the shop windows of the buildings behind the photographer are similar, but not identical, in both photos. (I would not expect them to be identical. I've found that Reflections can change a lot when the camera position is changed by just a few inches.

- The stonework above the shop windows in both photos looks similar, but the stones don't match exactly. This leads me to believe that Photo 1 may be of anothe shop in Leith Walk, but not No.150.**

See also 'Reply 10.'

Update

Dec 15, 2014

The Stones

On looking again, I've decided that the stones on Photos 1 and 2 do match. For some reason (weathering and/or the lighting, perhaps?) some stone look lighter on one photo, others look lighter on the other, and the long stone, 2/3 of the way down the left-hand side of the large window looks lighter on both!

Conclusion

My conclusion is now that the fireplace shop in Photo 1 is the same shop as Barnardo's Furniture at 150 Leith Walk in Photo 2. For further details, please see Reply 11 and Reply 12, below.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: July 3, 2013
Updated: December 15, 2014

Reply

John Hadden

Edinburgh

John Hadden wrote:

Foot of Leith Walk

"The fireplace shop was at No. 150 Leith Walk. The building on the right at No. 148 became the 'Continental' bakery about 1976. Later, it became part of Globespan offices."

John Hadden, Edinburgh: June 30, 2013

Reply

Thomas Simpson

Colinton, Edinburgh

Thomas Simpson wrote:

Hutchison?

"This looks like the shops at Hutchison, opposite the 24-hour Asda, off Slateford Road."

Thomas Simpson, Colinton, Edinburgh: July 1, 2013

Hi Thomas:

Leith Walk

Thanks for your comments. However, there seems to me to be strong evidence from 'Replies 1 to 6' above that the fireplace shop in this photo was at 150 Leith Walk.

Peter Stubbs: July 2, 2013

Reply

Simon Capaldi

Sheriffhall, Midlothian, Edinburgh

Simon Capaldi wrote:

Stockbridge or Newington?

"I guess the name of the shop is "Continental Cafe". I know the name, but cannot remember ifs former location. Might it have been somewhere like Stockbridge or Newington?"

Thomas Simpson, Colinton, Edinburgh: July 1, 2013

Hi Simon:

Leith Walk

Thanks for your comments. However, there seems to me to be strong evidence from 'Replies 1 to 6' above that the fireplace shop in this photo was at 150 Leith Walk.

Peter Stubbs: July 2, 2013

Reply

Henry Kaczynski

Annapolis, Maryland, USA

Simon Capaldi wrote:

150 Leith Walk

"I've looked up the address, 150 Leith Walk, on Google maps, and that matched the old photo above."

Henry Kaczynski, Annapolis, Maryland, USA: July 3, 2013

Reply

10.

Sarah Gordon

Thank you to Sarah Gordon who wrote:

Foot of Leith Walk

"I think this shop is now the Leith Walk Cafe, which is at No. 128 Leith Walk. I've had a look on Google Maps and it does seem to match.

It looked a lot nicer in the 1970s."

Sarah Gordon: December 15, 2014

Hi Sarah:

Leith Walk

Thanks for your comments. I'll have a look at No.128 Leith Walk next time I'm passing it, and will then add another comment to this page.

Peter Stubbs: December 15, 2104

Reply

11.

Bob Henderson

Burdiehouse, Edinburgh

Thank you to Bob Henderson for joining this discussion and adding:

The Same Shop

"I'd say say that the fireplace shop near the foot of the Walk is the same shop as Barnardo's at No 150 Leith Walk - i.e. Photo 1 and Photo 2 in Reply 4 above are of the same shop.

If you compare the joints and pointing of the squared rubble limestone in the original with your shot they match exactly, except where the chimney has been removed on the right hand side. This has taken away the end of the cope stone there.

Also, the windows in the reflection do match, and I am sure that, as you suggested, the difference in the width of the reflected windows is down to the position of the photographer."

Bob Henderson, Burdiehouse, Edinburgh

Hi Sarah:

Leith Walk

Thanks for your comments. I'll have a look at No.128 Leith Walk next time I'm passing it, and will then add another comment to this page.

Peter Stubbs: December 15, 2104

Reply

12.

Peter Stubbs

Edinburgh

I agree

150 Leith Street

"Thank you, Bob, for your Reply 11. I agree with you. The fireplace shop would have been at 150 Leith Street - i.e. Photos 1 and 2 below are both of the same shop.

Please read my comments below for a fuller explanation.

Photo

Late-1970s

Photo

Jul 2013

106 to 154 Leith Walk

"I visited Leith Walk this afternoon and found the long row of shops including Barnardo's. It was on the west side of the street, near the foot of the walk. The shops comprised most of the numbers 104-156 Leith Walk, but a few of these numbers were allocated to tenements with entrances between the shops.

I photographed all the shops in this block. All were a similar style of architecture. However, I did not need to study the photos in any detail once I realised that there was only one place in this row where the height of the shop frontages rose by 3 layers of stone as you travelled up Leith Walk. It was at the join of 148 and 150 Leith Walk."

So, the fireplace shop was at 150 Leith Walk."

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: December 15, 2014

Reply

13.

Neil Wood

Thank you to Neil Wood for his message below. Neil is the latest person to confirm that the fireplace shop was at 150, Leith Walk.

Neil wrote:

I agree

150 Leith Street

"This is 150 Leith Walk, in a section of buildings known to older Leithers as ‘The New Block’."

Neil Wood: January 14, 2015

Reply

14.

Lorraine Lloyd

I thought that discussion on this subject had come to an end with Replies 11, 12 and 13, two years ago - but Lorraine Lloyd has now re-opened the question

Lorraine wrote:

128 Leith Walk

"We own No.128 Leith Walk. I've had a look at this pic of the fireplace shop taken in the late 1970s.

I also think that it's the same shop as our cafe at No.128, and not No.150 Leith Walk."

Lorraine Lloyd: 24 March 2017

Further Investigation?

Next time I'm in the area, I'll try to take a photo of No.128 Leith Walk**, then compare the joints and pointing of the stonework for No.128 with that on the photo of the fireplace shop (just as Bob Henderson did that comparison for No.150 and the fireplace shop in his recollections 11 above.

** BUT if somebody gets there first and does the comparison before me, I'll be happy with that!

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: 24 June 2017

Reply

15.

Lorraine Lloyd

Thank you to Lorraine Lloyd for writing again after reaching the conclusion that the old fireplace shop was, in fact, 150 Leith Walk.

That's the conclusion that we reached with some certainty, three years ago, so there's no need for me to do any further investigation or photography on that topic.

Lorraine wrote:

150 Leith Walk

"We have been having looking at the picture of the fireplace shop and and I have come to conclusion that the Fireplace shop was not our café at 128 Leith walk but was 150 Leith Walk which is Barnardo's "

Lorraine Lloyd: 24 March 2017