Trinity, Edinburgh

Trinity
Scottish Gaelic: *An Trianaid*
Scots: *Treenity*
Trinity Scottish Gaelic: An Trianaid; Scots: Treenity;
	Trinity Park House, now demolished
	Trinity Location within Scotland
OS grid reference	NT248765
Council area	City of Edinburgh Council ;
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	EDINBURGH
Postcode district	EH5
Dialling code	0131
Police	Scotland
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
UK Parliament	Edinburgh North and Leith ;
Scottish Parliament	Edinburgh Northern and Leith ;
	List of places UK Scotland 55°58′38.92″N3°12′9.01″W / 55.9774778°N 3.2025028°W

Last updated February 02, 2024

Trinity is a district of northern Edinburgh, Scotland, once a part of the burgh of Leith (part of the city since 1920). It is one of the outer villa suburbs of Edinburgh mainly created in the 19th century. It is bordered by Wardie to the west and north-west, Newhaven to the north-east, Victoria Park to the east and Bangholm to the south.

Origin

The name derives from Trinity House in Leith, which formerly held these lands and had a large estate farm, Trinity Mains, in the area. The coat of arms from the farm is preserved on the gable of a modern block on Newhaven Main Street.

Although having some buildings from the 18th century, the area was largely developed in the early 19th century, as a mansion house district, broadly comparable in style to The Grange area of Edinburgh (Trinity is sometimes referred to as Leith's Grange). Many buildings were "second homes" to rich families in the New Town and were treated as a "country retreat".

The style of housing is now very mixed, as the area has always been seen as desirable, and developers have accordingly been keen to build, usually in the preferred architectural style of their period.^{[ citation needed ]} Victoria Park adds to the area's amenities as do many cycle paths and walkways derived from the city's disused northern suburban railway lines. East Trinity Road is typical in having property types ranging from original mansions, Victorian terraces and tenements, cottages to modern developments. Craighall Crescent has a Victorian crescent on one side of the street with much later houses on the other side.

Buildings of interest

The remnant northeast wing of the 15th century Wardie Castle (later Wardie House) survives on Wardie House Lane. This was rebuilt in 1780 by Sir Alexander Boswall who gives his name to Boswall Road.

Numbers 17 to 23 Boswall Road were built in 1815. The westmost wing (containing a telescope viewing area to the harbour) was his own house. The central and east blocks were built as the Pollock Missionary School. The doorpiece on number 21 seems a later addition to embellish this otherwise plain block.

The most notable building on Boswall Road was Wardie Lodge, later renamed Challenger Lodge by Sir John Murray in 1914, after his Challenger Expedition investigating abyssal lifeforms in the deep oceans. After use as a children's home, it was converted to St Columba's Hospice, providing care for the terminally ill, in 1977.^[1] Although still extant, the original lodge is now subsumed by modern buildings for the hospice.

11 Boswall Road, East Cottage, dates from the 17th century and was a part-time summer home for Professor John Wilson pen-named "Christopher North".

From 1821 to 1898 the Trinity Chain Pier was used by ferries and latterly swimmers. The booking office survives as a pub. Trinity railway station still survives, up a lane opposite, but is converted to residential use.

Wardie Parish Church is one of several Church of Scotland churches in Trinity.

Boswall House built by a Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh
Trinity Academy Old Building
Old hybrid elm, Trinity Road, 2017

Trinity Academy (originally called Craighall Road Public School) was built in 1894 and is one of the older schools of the city but has large modern extensions on its east side.^[2]

Trinity Cottage (the home of Christian Salvesen) was demolished in 1969)^[3] and replaced by National Health Service (NHS) offices. It in turn was demolished in 2008 and replaced by modern townhouses. Only the enclosing wall and small south lodge exist from the original structure.^[4]

Notable residents

Allan Ker VC (1883-1958) lived at St Abbs on Russell Place
James McBain FRSE (1807-1879) Royal Navy surgeon and naturalist, lived his final years in Trinity and died at Logie Villa on York Road^[5]
Dr James Russell FRSE (1754-1836) lived at Bangholm Bower House.
John Wilson FRSE (1877-1959) architect, lived at 20 Lomond Road

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway</span> Former railway line in Scotland

The Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway was a railway company formed in 1836 to connect the city of Edinburgh with the harbours on the Firth of Forth. When the line connected to Granton, the company name was changed to the Edinburgh, Leith and Granton Railway. It opened part of its route in 1846, but reaching the centre of Edinburgh involved the difficult construction of a long tunnel; this was opened in 1847. It was on a steep incline and was worked by rope haulage.

Trinity Academicals RFC, nicknamed "Trinity" or "Trinity Accies" is a rugby union club based in Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland, originally for the former pupils of Trinity Academy, Edinburgh. Trinity Accies competes in the East Division 2.

John Henderson was a Scottish architect operational in the mid-19th century. He is chiefly remembered as a church architect, with his early work being in the Gothic revival and tractarian style, before developing his own distinct style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinity Chain Pier</span>

Trinity Chain Pier, originally called Trinity Pier of Suspension, was built in Trinity, Edinburgh, Scotland in 1821. The pier was designed by Samuel Brown, a pioneer of chains and suspension bridges. It was intended to serve ferry traffic on the routes between Edinburgh and the smaller ports around the Firth of Forth, and was built during a time of rapid technological advance. It was well used for its original purpose for less than twenty years before traffic was attracted to newly developed nearby ports, and it was mainly used for most of its life for sea bathing. It was destroyed by a storm in 1898; a building at the shore end survives, much reconstructed, as a pub and restaurant called the Old Chain Pier.

George Craig JP EGS (1852-1927) was a Scottish architect and amateur geologist. He created a very high proportion of the 19th century public buildings in Leith.

Victoria Park is a district in north Edinburgh south of Newhaven and lying between Trinity and Leith. The area was given Conservation Area status in March 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forth (Edinburgh ward)</span>

Forth is one of the seventeen wards used to elect members of the City of Edinburgh Council. Established in 2007 along with the other wards, it currently elects four Councillors. Its territory covers communities in the north of the city between Ferry Road and the coast on the Firth of Forth, including Granton, Newhaven, Pilton, Trinity, Victoria Park and Wardie, some of which historically fell within the boundaries of Leith. A 2017 boundary change caused the loss of the Muirhouse neighbourhood, but housebuilding elsewhere meant the overall population increased slightly. In 2019, the ward had a population of 31,823.

References

↑ St Columba's Hospice: http://www.stcolumbashospice.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3&Itemid=73
↑ Further Traditions of Trinity and Leith by Joyce Wallace ISBN 0-85976-282-3
↑ PDF document covering the history of the Scottish NHS Information Services Department
↑ Trinity Gardens website
↑ Biographical Index of Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783–2002 (PDF). The Royal Society of Edinburgh. July 2006. ISBN 0-902-198-84-X.

External links

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[1] St Columba's Hospice: http://www.stcolumbashospice.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3&Itemid=73

[2] Further Traditions of Trinity and Leith by Joyce Wallace ISBN 0-85976-282-3

[3] PDF document covering the history of the Scottish NHS Information Services Department

[4] Trinity Gardens website

[5] Biographical Index of Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783–2002 (PDF). The Royal Society of Edinburgh. July 2006. ISBN 0-902-198-84-X.

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