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Edinburgh Printmakers

The first open-access print studio in Britain, with free galleries, a print shop and a café, in the old head office of a rubber works in Fountainbridge.

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Welcome

On a corner of Fountainbridge, a short walk from the canal, a long red-brick building with tall arched windows and a row of chimneys looks every bit the Victorian works it once was.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

Inside, it has been opened right up. A glass-floored gallery runs round the upper level, looking down on prints hung in the rooms below, and there is a shop full of framed prints, cards and handmade gifts, most of them made by the studio's own members.

The studio itself is a great bright room under steel beams and skylights, filled with old etching presses, flatbed tables and drying racks, where artists work alongside people learning for the first time. The exhibitions change through the year and cost nothing to see. Finish in the café, among its brick pillars, and then walk it off along the towpath.

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Before you go

The exhibitions, the shop and the café are free to walk into, with no need to book.

The studio is open to anyone who takes a course or joins as a member.

Open
Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 6pm (exhibitions, shop and café).
Where
Castle Mills, Dundee Street, Fountainbridge, at the corner of Gilmore Park by the canal.
Access
Wheelchair accessible, with a lift to every floor.

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Did you know

Flatbed printing tables and presses fill an industrial workshop lit by tall windows.
Did you know

Britain's first.

A group of artists set up the Printmakers' Workshop on Victoria Street in 1967, to share costly presses and give printmakers somewhere to show their work. It was the first open-access print studio in Britain.

A vintage etching press stands beneath skylights in a workshop lined with plants and shelving.
Did you know

The Edinburgh Etch.

A non-toxic solution for etching plates, the Edinburgh Etch, was invented in the studio here, and is now used in print studios all over the world.

Abstract collage prints line the walls of a bright gallery room.
Did you know

Henry Moore in a wash-house.

In 1984 the workshop moved into an old wash-house on Union Street, and opened there with a major show of prints by Henry Moore.

A converted red-brick industrial building with three tall chimneys stands on a quiet street corner.
Did you know

Where the wellies were made.

Castle Mills was the North British Rubber Company's works, which at its peak employed more than 3,000 people and made the first Hunter wellington boot, as well as tyres, golf balls and hot water bottles.

A converted red-brick industrial building has tall arched windows and a glass-fronted ground floor shop.
Did you know

The office that survived.

A great fire in 1969 ended the rubber works, and the site became part of the Fountain Brewery. The red-brick head office of 1894 is all that is left of either.

A glass-floored gallery mezzanine overlooks framed prints displayed on the level below.
Did you know

Saved from demolition.

After the brewery closed in 2004 the old office stood derelict. A plan to knock it down was withdrawn in 2010 after local opposition, and in 2019 Edinburgh Printmakers moved in.

Ben Lerwill

From our guide to Edinburgh

Still, as its name suggests, a centre for printmaking, this inspiring venue has two galleries and a shop selling prints, as well as a studio space offering courses to all-comers.

Read more
Exposed steel beams and skylights rise above a large print workshop lined with drying racks and presses.
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Where it is

In Fountainbridge, on Dundee Street at the corner of Gilmore Park, near the Union Canal.

Close byThe places nearest the studio, around Fountainbridge.
  1. Throat Punch CoffeeThroat Punch CoffeeA coffee roastery.Under a mile 2 min by road
  2. Pizzeria 1926Pizzeria 1926A small pizza place in the manner of Naples.Under a mile 3 min by road
  3. Hands presenting a cappuccino dusted with cocoa in a white cupChapter OneA vegan café two minutes from Haymarket station.Under a mile 3 min by road
  4. YamatoYamatoJapanese food with a modern take on sushi rolls.Under a mile 3 min by road
  5. King's TheatreKing's TheatreA theatre that has welcomed performers since 1906.Under a mile 3 min by road
  6. Wooden tables and benches beneath a blue artwork on a stone wallHarajuku KitchenJapanese family recipes and fresh Asian ingredients.Under a mile 3 min by road
Directions
Bay window of a bookshop, potted plants and coloured fairy lights outsideAttractionsTypewronger Books0.4 miles
A Nepali thali at Mountain Momo: rice and dal with vegetable curries, a dumpling in sauce, pickles and salad on a steel tray.RestaurantsMountain Momo0.4 miles
A bowl of ramen at Nishiki, with slices of chashu pork, a soft-boiled egg, spring onion and a swirl of dark oil, on a pale wooden table.RestaurantsNishiki0.5 miles
The counter at Jeannie's Bakery, with muffins, blueberry and cardamom buns and a glazed cinnamon bun on brown paper above their labels.CafeJeannie's Bakery0.5 miles
Inside the Palmerston, a high-ceilinged former bank with bentwood chairs, a patterned tiled floor by the bar, globe lights and tall arched windows.RestaurantsThe Palmerston0.5 miles
The navy front of Greek Artisan Pastries on Bread Street, under a striped awning, with yellow cafe tables and chairs outside on the pavement.CafeGreek Artisan Pastries0.5 miles
The bar of the Athletic Arms in Edinburgh, with tall stools at a wooden counter, a black and white tiled floor and shelves of whisky behind.BarsAthletic Arms0.5 miles
Dugald Stewart Monument on Calton Hill overlooking Edinburgh's skyline and castleAttractionsEdinburgh Guided Tour0.6 miles
Chefs work a pizza oven at the back of a tiled restaurantRestaurantsKanpai0.6 miles

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the studio, and when each is next free.

West End Muse
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from Edinburgh Printmakers
Check datesA round table and chairs stand before tall curtained windows looking onto stone buildings, a sofa and mounted television to the right.Moment George IV Bridge
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from Edinburgh Printmakers
Check datesA hotel studio room with a beige fitted kitchen unit and stainless sink beside a bed dressed in white and teal cushions, a wall of black-framed pictures above a patterned headboard.Old Town Chambers
  • To stay
  • In Edinburgh
  • A mile from Edinburgh Printmakers
Check datesA turreted sandstone building with conical spires catches the evening light above rooftops, a large pine tree standing beside it.The Scott Hotel
  • A hotel
  • In Edinburgh
  • 2 miles from Edinburgh Printmakers
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in EdinburghAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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