Edinburgh

Dean Village

A milling village of the 1100s on the Water of Leith, a few minutes' walk from the West End, now a quiet cluster of old stone houses by the river.

Welcome

A few minutes' walk from the shops of the West End, the ground drops away into a steep green valley, and at the bottom lies Dean Village: a cluster of old stone houses, turrets and crow-stepped gables gathered on both banks of the Water of Leith, with footbridges over the river and trees leaning over the water.

It was a busy, noisy place for most of its long life, full of mills driven by the river, and it is now a quiet corner of the city. The best views are from the little bridge by the old houses, where the colourful fronts of the riverside buildings are reflected in the water, and from the walkway as it follows the river downstream. The Water of Leith Walkway runs on from the village to Stockbridge.

Before you go

Dean Village is free to wander at any time.

The Water of Leith Walkway runs through it, and the houses are homes, so go quietly.

Where: On the Water of Leith, a short walk from the West End of Princes Street.
On foot: Follow the Water of Leith Walkway downstream to Stockbridge, or upstream towards the Gallery of Modern Art.

Did you know

A stone mill building and church spire rise above the Water of Leith at Dean Village.

Did you know

A village of bakers' mills.

For centuries the mills here were tied to the Baxters, Edinburgh's incorporation of bakers. Old millstones and stone plaques carved with loaves and pies still mark the village.

Did you know

God bless the Baxters.

The Old Tolbooth on Bell's Brae was built in 1675 as the bakers' granary. Over a doorway, beside carved cherubs, scales and cakes, it reads: God bless the Baxters of Edinburgh uho bult this hous 1675.

Colourful tenement and cottage buildings with turrets and chimneys line a slow river overhung with greenery, footbridges and railings along the bank.

Did you know

A Traquair altarpiece.

In 1900 Robert Lorimer turned the old granary into a mission for St Mary's Cathedral, with a chapel whose altarpiece was painted by Phoebe Anna Traquair.

Stone and timber-fronted buildings line the Water of Leith at Dean Village beneath a grey sky.

Did you know

The fire of 1824.

In November 1824 a great fire swept through the village, burning mills and warehouses, and its days as a milling centre began to end.

Colourful terraced buildings at Dean Village reflect in the Water of Leith.

Did you know

Cheap rent, on conditions.

Well Court was built in 1883 to 1886 by John R Findlay, owner of The Scotsman, as homes for local tradesmen. Rents were low, as long as the tenants kept off drink and went to church on Sundays.

Colourful half-timbered buildings with wrought-iron balconies line a river, tenement buildings rising on the hillside behind and reflecting in the water.

Did you know

Built to be seen from his window.

Findlay's own house on Rothesay Terrace looked down over the village and Well Court, which he built with a reading room and a clock tower after the big mills moved away.

Ben Lerwill

From our guide to Edinburgh

Huddled around the Water of Leith, near the Stockbridge area, you’ll find this atmospheric collection of 19th-century buildings and old houses. Its most famous feature, Well Court, was used as accommodation for the workers at the watermills.

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