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{{Short description|Port district of Edinburgh, Scotland}}
{{About|Leith, Scotland}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox UK place
| country                          = Scotland
| official_name                    = Leith
| gaelic_name                      = Lìte
| coordinates                      = {{coord|55.98|-3.17|display=inline,title}}
| map_type                         = Scotland
| population                       = 50,030
| population_ref                   = ([[United Kingdom Census 2011|2011]])
| pushpin_map                      = Edinburgh
| pushpin_map_caption              = Location within the [[City of Edinburgh council area]]
| os_grid_reference                =
| unitary_scotland                 = [[City of Edinburgh (council area)|City of Edinburgh]]
| lieutenancy_scotland             = [[Edinburgh]]
| constituency_westminster         = [[Edinburgh North and Leith (UK Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh North and Leith]]
| constituency_scottish_parliament = [[Edinburgh Northern and Leith (Scottish Parliament constituency)|Edinburgh Northern and Leith]]
| post_town                        = EDINBURGH
| postcode_district                = EH6
| postcode_area                    = EH
| dial_code                        = 0131
| london_distance                  =
| edinburgh_distance               =
| static_image_name                = Rth Edin Leith .Forth.Fife 26.10.11 edited-2.jpg
| static_image_caption             = Aerial view of Leith and the Firth of Forth
}}

'''Leith''' ({{IPAc-en|l|iː|θ}}; {{langx|gd|Lìte}}) is a port area in the north of [[Edinburgh]], Scotland, founded at the mouth of the [[Water of Leith]] and is home to the '''[[Port of Leith]]'''.

The earliest surviving historical references are in the [[royal charter]] authorising the construction of [[Holyrood Abbey]] in 1128 in which it is termed ''Inverlet'' (Inverleith).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/51962/details/edinburgh+leith+general/ |title=Site Record for Edinburgh, Leith, General North Leith; South Leith Details (Canmore) |publisher=RCAHMS |access-date=6 March 2012 |archive-date=3 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203233425/http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/51962/details/edinburgh+leith+general/ |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfn|Campbell|1827|p=2}} After centuries of control by Edinburgh, Leith was made a separate [[burgh]] in 1833 only to be merged into Edinburgh in 1920.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.leiththeatretrust.org/about/history/ |title=History |publisher=Leith Theatre Trust |access-date=2015-08-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151128014736/http://www.leiththeatretrust.org/about/history/ |archive-date=28 November 2015}}</ref>

Leith is located on the southern coast of the [[Firth of Forth]] and lies within the [[City of Edinburgh council area]]; since 2007 [[Leith (Edinburgh ward)|it has formed]] one of 17 multi-member [[Wards of the United Kingdom|wards]] of the city.

==History==
[[File:LeithView.JPG|thumb|The Shore, Leith]]

As the major port serving Edinburgh, Leith has seen many significant events in Scottish history.

===First settlement===
The earliest evidence of settlement in Leith comes from several archaeological digs undertaken in [[The Shore, Leith|the Shore]] area in the late 20th century. Amongst the finds were medieval wharf edges from the 12th century. This date fits with the earliest documentary evidence of settlement in Leith, the foundation charter of Holyrood Abbey.

[[Mary of Guelders]], the bride of [[James II of Scotland|James II]], arrived on 18 May 1449 and rested in the Convent of St Anthony.<ref>Rosalind K. Marshall, ''Scottish Queens: 1034–1714'' (John Donald: Edinburgh, 2007), p. 60: ''Exchequer Rolls'', 5 (Edinburgh, 1882), p. 382.</ref> Prominent Leith merchants and shipowners included James Makysone, who supplied tapestry to [[James IV of Scotland|James IV]] in 1498 for his new lodging at [[Stirling Castle]] and in 1503 imported a timber keel from France for building one of the king's ships.<ref>Thomas Dickson, ''Accounts of the Treasurer'', vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1877), pp. 366-9: [[Norman Macdougall]], ''James IV'' (Tuckwell, 1997).</ref>

===1500s===
The town was burnt by the [[Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford|Earl of Hertford]] (on the orders of [[Henry VIII]]) in retaliation for the rejection of the [[Treaty of Greenwich]] by the [[Parliament of Scotland]] in 1543. [[Mary of Guise]] ruled Scotland from Leith in 1560 as [[Regent]] while her daughter, [[Mary, Queen of Scots]] remained in France. Mary of Guise moved the Scottish Court to Leith, to a site that is now Parliament Street, off Coalhill. According to the 18th-century historian [[William Maitland (historian)|William Maitland]], her palace was situated on Rotten Row, now Water Street. Artifacts from the demolished residence are held by the [[National Museum of Scotland]], and her sculptured coat of arms, dated 1560, can be seen in [[South Leith Parish Church]]. When the large French garrison stationed in Leith was attacked by [[Lords of the Congregation|Scottish Protestant lords]], reinforced by troops and artillery sent from England, Mary of Guise was forced to shut herself in [[Edinburgh Castle]]. In June 1560, Mary of Guise died, and the [[Siege of Leith]] ended with the departure of the French troops in accordance with the Treaty of Leith, also known as the [[Treaty of Edinburgh]].

[[File:Mound on Leith Links.jpg|thumb|left|'Giant's Brae' on Leith Links]]

Two mounds on [[Leith Links]], known as "Giant's Brae" and "Lady Fyfe's Brae", identified as Somerset's Battery and Pelham's Battery respectively, are believed to be artillery mounds created for the siege in April 1560 and are listed as scheduled monuments, but may be natural hillocks.<ref>Harris, Stuart, 'The Fortifications and Siege of Leith', ''PSAS'', 121 (1991), 361–62 & fn.21</ref> The best documented day of the siege was 7 May 1560, when the English and Scots charged the walls of Leith with ladders that turned out to be too short. John Knox records the delight of Mary of Guise at the failure of the attack, and English sources report 1000 casualties.<ref>''Calendar State Papers Scotland'', vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1898): ''HMC Hatfield Manuscripts'', vol. i: ''Sadler Papers'' (Edinburgh, 1809): ''Forbes Full View'', vol. 1 (London, 1740): ''History of Reformation'', John Knox, etc.,</ref>

[[File:Lamb's House, Burgess Street - geograph.org.uk - 1536797.jpg|thumb|[[Lamb's House]] in 2009]]

On 19 August 1561, Mary, Queen of Scots, arrived in Leith and, finding no welcoming party to receive her, made a brief stop at the house of Andrew Lamb, before being collected and escorted by coach to [[Holyrood Palace]], to begin her ill-fated six-year-long reign.<ref>[[David Hay Fleming]], ''Mary, Queen of Scots'' (London, 1897), p. 44: ''Inventory of the Ancient Monuments of the City of Edinburgh'' (Edinburgh: HMSO, 1951), p. 257.</ref> Mary's court came to the sands of Leith to enjoy equestrian tournaments of "[[running at the ring]]" performed by courtiers and diplomats in exotic costumes.<ref>John Guy, ''Mary Queen of Scots: My Heart is My Own'' (Fourth Estate, 2009), p. 154.</ref>
[[File:Remains of the Citadel, Leith.jpg|thumb|Remains of the Citadel]]

After the [[Act Anent the demission of the Crown in favour of our Sovereign Lord, and his Majesty's Coronation 1567|abdication of Mary Queen of Scots in 1567]], during the ensuing civil war, troops fighting for [[James VI of Scotland]] against his mother's supporters in Edinburgh Castle based themselves in Leith from 1571 to 1573, a period called the [[Marian civil war|"Wars between Leith and Edinburgh"]]. In January 1581 The Shore was the scene of a mock combat, involving an assault on the Pope's [[Castel Sant'Angelo]] built on boats, for the marriage of [[Elizabeth Stuart, 2nd Countess of Moray]] and [[James Stewart, 2nd Earl of Moray|James Stewart]] for the entertainment of guests including James VI.<ref>''Calendar State Papers Scotland: 1574–1581'', vol. 5 (Edinburgh, 1907), p. 611.</ref> In 1590, James's wife, [[Anne of Denmark]], was lodged in the [[John Chisholm (soldier)|King's Wark]] when she arrived.<ref>''Calendar State Papers Scotland'', vol. 10 (Edinburgh, 1936), pp. 186, 863: David Stevenson, ''Scotland's Last Royal Wedding'' (John Donald: Edinburgh, 1997), p. 100.</ref>

===1600s===
In 1622 there was conflict between privateer "[[Dunkirkers|Dunkirker ships]]" flying the Spanish flag and ships from the [[Dutch Republic]].<ref>[[Maureen Meikle]], ''The Scottish People 1490-1625'' (Lulu, 2013), p. 150.</ref> [[James VI and I|King James]] allowed a Dunkirker to lie at [[Leith Roads]] in June 1622, and soldiers from the ship were able to come ashore at Leith. Three Dutch ships, commanded by [[Willem de Zoete]], Lord of Hautain, [[Admiralty of Zeeland|Admiral]] of [[Zeeland]], arrived and attacked the Dunkirker through the night. The fighting stopped in the morning when the tide beached the ships. The Scottish authorities requested the fighting stop. The ships were allowed into Leith harbour where artillery from [[Edinburgh Castle]] was placed to ensure order.<ref>''Melros Papers'', vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1837), pp. 456-9.</ref>

Leith suffered during the 1645 plague outbreak, with over 50% of the population in the southern district dying. Archaeological excavations in 2016 at St Mary's RC Primary School, by Wardell Armstrong, as part of a planning condition, found a mass grave of 81 bodies from the 1645 plague. The archaeologists surmised that there was extreme fear of dying from this plague, likely [[Pneumonic plague|Pneumonic]], as many of the bodies were hastily buried in their clothes and still had money and other personal items on them, indicating that people did not want to touch the bodies, even to remove money.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Vol 86 (2019): 'Great fears of the sickness here in the City … God preserve us all …' A Plague Burial Ground in Leith, 1645: an archaeological excavation at St Mary's (Leith) RC Primary School, Leith Links, Edinburgh {{!}} Scottish Archaeological Internet Reports|url=http://journals.socantscot.org/index.php/sair/issue/view/297|access-date=2021-09-07|website=journals.socantscot.org|archive-date=7 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907192851/http://journals.socantscot.org/index.php/sair/issue/view/297|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1650, Leith was a prospective battleground when the Army of the Covenant, led by [[David Leslie, Lord Newark|General David Leslie]], threw up an earthen rampart between [[Calton Hill]] and Leith to defend the northern approach to Edinburgh against [[Oliver Cromwell]]'s forces. This rampart became the line of one of Edinburgh's longest streets, [[Leith Walk]]. After Cromwell's victory at the [[Battle of Dunbar (1650)|Battle of Dunbar]] in 1650 and subsequent occupation of Scotland, a fort known as ''Leith Citadel'' was erected in 1656 to regulate the port traffic. All that remains of the fort today is a vaulted trance in Dock Street which was its main entrance. New industry in Leith included the [[Leith Sugar House]], founded in 1677.<ref name="auto">T. C. Smout, 'The Early Scottish Sugar Houses, 1660-1720', ''Economic History Review'', 14:2 (1961), pp. 248-250.</ref>

===1700s===
[[File:Royal Artillery at Leith Fort, 1846.jpg|thumb|left|Royal Artillery at Leith Fort, 1846]]
During the [[American War of Independence]] the Scot, [[John Paul Jones]], who, with [[John Barry (naval officer)|John Barry]], is credited as founder of the [[US Navy]], set sail on 14 August 1779 as commodore of a squadron of seven ships with the intention of destroying British commerce in the North Sea. He intended to capture the port of Leith and hold it for ransom, but his plan was thwarted when a gale on 16 September kept him at the mouth of the Firth of Forth. The scare he caused led to the hasty erection of Leith Fort, with a battery of nine guns, designed by [[James Craig (architect)|James Craig]], the architect of Edinburgh's New Town, and built in 1780. A Georgian terrace to the north-east served as officers' quarters, and was known as "London Row" because, being brick-built, it looked more like a London terrace than any in Edinburgh. The fort was in active use until 1955, latterly serving for [[National Service]] training. Most of the barracks were demolished to build a Council housing scheme centred on Fort House and enclosed by the old fort walls. The council development was an award-winning scheme in its day (1955), but the building was demolished in January 2013 and the site has been redeveloped with new low-density housing, again award-winning. A pair of the old fort's gatehouses survive at the southern entrance to the scheme.

From the twelfth century South Leith was part of the parish of [[Restalrig]] and had no church of its own. After the [[Scottish Reformation]] the principal parish [[kirk]] for Leith was South Leith Parish Church, originally constructed in 1483. In June 1811 a census gave the population of South Leith as 15,938; North Leith 4,875. With a procession and ceremony, the foundation stone of the new church for the parish of North Leith was laid on 11 April 1814.{{sfn|Gilbert|1901|pp=54, 58}}

[[File:George IV landing at Leith.JPG|thumb|King George IV landing at Leith]]
[[File:Leith Police Station, Constitution Street (former Town Hall), Edinburgh.jpg|thumb|[[Old Town Hall, Leith]], now a police station]]

Leith was the port of entry for the [[visit of King George IV to Scotland]], and ''The Old Ship Hotel and King's Landing'' was then given its new name, to mark the king's arrival by ship's boat at Leith ''Shore'' for this event, and this monarch was welcomed by the [[High Constabulary of the Port of Leith]]. A painting of the occasion hung in [[Old Town Hall, Leith|Leith Town Hall]], now Leith Police station.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Wood|first=Andrew Dick|title=The High Constabulary of the Port of Leith; a short history.|date=1972|publisher=Macdonald Printers (Edinburgh) Ltd.|isbn=978-0-9502550-0-2|location=Loanhead|language=en|oclc=629063}}</ref>

===1800s===
On 20 May 1806, there was a procession of the [[Lord Provost of Edinburgh]], [[Baillie]]s, and Council, along with a numerous company of ladies and gentleman, for the opening of the first new wet dock, the first of its kind in Scotland. The [[Fife]] packet called ''The Buccleuch'' was the first to enter the dock, with the civic dignitaries on board, amid discharges of artillery from the fort and His Majesty's warships in Leith Roads. The foundation stone for the second (middle) wet dock was laid on 14 March 1811, which was completed and opened with due ceremony in 1817 by Lord Provost Arbuthnot. The same year the [[Trinity House, Leith|Trinity House]] in Kirkgate was erected in Grecian architectural style at an expense of £2500.{{sfn|Gilbert|1901|pp=42,64–65}}

In 1809, the [[Tally Toor]], a [[martello tower]] was constructed to defend the entrance of the harbour during the [[Napoleonic Wars]].<ref name="Canmore">{{Historic Environment Scotland|cat=PLA|num=51960|num2=NT27NE 43|desc=Edinburgh, Leith Docks, Martello Tower|access-date=18 June 2025}}</ref> It is now a scheduled monument within the port.<ref name="HES">{{Historic Environment Scotland|num=SM2418|desc=SM2418|access-date=8 July 2021}}</ref>

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Leith Municipal Government Act 1827
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            =
| year                  = 1827
| citation              = [[7 & 8 Geo. 4]]. c. cxii
| introduced_commons    =
| introduced_lords      =
| territorial_extent    =
| royal_assent          = 2 July 1827
| commencement          =
| expiry_date           =
| repeal_date           =
| amends                =
| replaces              =
| amendments            =
| repealing_legislation = [[Leith Municipal and Police Act 1848]]
| related_legislation   =
| status                =
| legislation_history   =
| theyworkforyou        =
| millbankhansard       =
| original_text         = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Geo4/7-8/112/pdfs/ukla_18270112_en.pdf
| revised_text          =
| use_new_UK-LEG        =
| UK-LEG_title          =
| collapsed             = yes
}}
Historically Leith was governed by the Town Council of Edinburgh, with separately organised baillies appointed by various bodies without contact with each other. The result became very unsatisfactory, and half of Leith was provided with no municipal government whatever or any local [[magistrate]]s. An act of Parliament, the '''{{visible anchor|Leith Municipal Government Act 1827}}''' ([[7 & 8 Geo. 4]]. c. cxii) arranged for municipal government and administration of justice in the town, providing watching, paving, cleansing, and lighting, with Edinburgh Council responding to the views of Leith townspeople. The [[Burgh Reform Act 1833]] ([[3 & 4 Will. 4]]. c. 46) made Leith a parliamentary burgh, which jointly with [[Portobello, Edinburgh|Portobello]] and [[Musselburgh]] was represented by one [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP). On 1 November 1833, Leith became a separate [[burgh|municipal burgh]], with its own provost, magistrates, and council, and was no longer run by bailies.<ref name="hist">{{Cite web|url=https://www.electricscotland.com/history/leith/33.htm|title=The Story of Leith - XXXIII. How Leith was Governed|website=Electricscotland.com|access-date=14 November 2021|archive-date=14 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211114220843/https://www.electricscotland.com/history/leith/33.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Historically the Lord Provost of Edinburgh was ''virtue officii'' Admiral of the [[Firth of Forth]], the Provost of Leith was Admiral of the port, and his four bailies were admirals-depute.{{sfn|Grant|p=89}}

[[Emperor of all the Russias|Emperor]] [[Nicholas II of Russia|Nicholas II]] of Russia arrived by sea at Leith with his family and suite on Tuesday 22 September 1896.<ref>, to begin his visit to Scotland {{Cite web|last=Kenneth|title=Tsar Nicholas II in Scotland|url=http://www.rusartnet.com/russia/history/romanov/nicholas-and-alexandra/tsar-nicholas-ii-in-scotland|access-date=2016-12-16|website=Rusartnet.com}}</ref> Scottish anarchist [[Thomas Hastie Bell]] managed to get in his face to criticise him.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Living My Life {{!}} The Anarchist Library|url=http://www.revoltlib.com/?id=477|access-date=2016-12-16|website=Revoltlib.com|archive-date=25 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225112936/http://revoltlib.com/?id=477|url-status=live}}</ref>

===1900s and 2000s===
Leith was the scene of the [[Leith Dockers Strike 1913|dockers strike]] in 1913<ref>{{Cite web|last=King|first=Content – Leith Local History Society, web design – David|title=Leith Local History: Timeline|url=http://www.leithlocalhistorysociety.org.uk/timeline/timeline.htm|access-date=2016-12-16|website=Leithlocalhistorysociety.org.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=LEITH DOCKERS. – RESUME WORK. LONDON, August 14. – The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 – 1931) – 16 Aug 1913|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5797245|access-date=2016-12-16|newspaper=Advertiser|date=16 August 1913 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Leith Dockers' Demonstration – The Shore, Leith, 1913|url=http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/0_street_r/0_street_views_-_shore_leith_dockers_demonstration_1913.htm|access-date=2016-12-16|website=Edinphoto.org.uk|archive-date=6 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161206145622/http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/0_street_r/0_street_views_-_shore_leith_dockers_demonstration_1913.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> recounted in the book ''Red Scotland''.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kenefick|first=William|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HeeqBgAAQBAJ&q=leith+dockers+strike+1913&pg=PA123|title=Red Scotland!: The Rise and Fall of the Radical Left, c. 1872 to 1932: The Rise and Fall of the Radical Left, c. 1872 to 1932|date=2007-07-15|publisher=Edinburgh University Press|isbn=9780748630820|language=en}}</ref>

Continued growth meant that Leith and Edinburgh formed a contiguous urban area. Leith was merged with Edinburgh on 1 November 1920<ref>[https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/museums-galleries/1920-city-boundary-extension-centenary/1 ReDrawing Edinburgh: The Edinburgh Boundary Extension Centennial 1920 Project] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303093221/https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/museums-galleries/1920-city-boundary-extension-centenary/1 |date=3 March 2021 }}, [[City of Edinburgh Council]]</ref> despite a [[referendum|plebiscite]] in which the people of Leith voted 26,810 to 4,340 against the merger. The population of Leith at the time of the merger was 80,000, representing 20% of the entire population of Edinburgh in around 5% of the city area, reflecting the town's high density. It was Scotland's sixth largest town at the time of the merger.<ref>Edinburgh and its Environs: Ward Lock Guide</ref>

Leith suffered from considerable demolition through Improvement or slum clearance schemes, with many historic buildings lost rather than upgraded.  This included the Leith Citadel and Central Comprehensive Development Area agreed in the 1950s that saw the loss of the Kirkgate, Leith's historic centre.<ref>Kirkgate Comprehensive Development Area by Michael Gall, Book of the Old Edinburgh Club Volume 15 (2019)</ref>  

Until 1923 there was no through tram service between Leith and Edinburgh; at the boundary in Leith Walk it was necessary to change from a [[Leith Corporation Tramways|Leith tram]] (electrically powered) to an Edinburgh tram (cable hauled) until the electrification of the [[Edinburgh Corporation Tramways]] in the early 1920s.[[File:Bridge Street and Coburg Street.jpg|alt=Building and street.|thumb|Leith in the 1920s, from the Leith Improvement Scheme Photographs]] Leith has undergone significant regeneration and is now a busy port with visits from cruise liners and the home of the [[HMY Britannia|Royal Yacht Britannia]], the [[Ocean Terminal, Edinburgh|Ocean Terminal]] [[Shopping mall|shopping centre]], and administrative offices for several departments of the [[Scottish Government]]. The council and government's 'Leith Project' provided a further economic boost. The shore area of Leith, once unattractive, is now a centre for a range of new pubs and restaurants in charming surroundings.<ref>{{cite web |last=Qureshi |first=Arusa |date=12 October 2021 |title=The cultural spaces breathing life into Edinburgh's coolest neighbourhood |url=https://www.timeout.com/news/the-cultural-spaces-breathing-life-into-edinburghs-coolest-neighbourhood-100621 |access-date=2023-02-26 |website=Time Out Worldwide |language=en-GB |archive-date=26 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226201031/https://www.timeout.com/news/the-cultural-spaces-breathing-life-into-edinburghs-coolest-neighbourhood-100621 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=12 October 2021 |last=Knox |first=Annierose |title=Leith: One of the World's Coolest Neighbourhoods {{!}} VisitScotland |url=https://www.visitscotland.com/blog/edinburgh-lothians/coolest-neighbourhood-leith/ |access-date=26 February 2023 |website=The Blog |language=en |archive-date=26 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226200930/https://www.visitscotland.com/blog/edinburgh-lothians/coolest-neighbourhood-leith/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On 6 November 2003, Leith was the location for the [[MTV Europe Music Awards]], with a temporary venue being built next to Ocean Terminal.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/heritage-and-retro/heritage/edinburgh-in-2003-12-photos-from-when-beyonce-and-justin-timberlake-visited-leith-for-the-mtv-music-awards-3921359|title=Looking back on the time Beyoncé and Justin Timberlake visited Leith for the MTV Music Awards|last=Bryan|first=Anna|date=21 January 2023|work=Edinburgh News|access-date=26 February 2023}}</ref>

==Traditional industries==
Leith was Scotland's leader in several industries for many centuries. Of these the most notable are:

* Glass – the Leith Glassworks stood on Baltic Street and dated from 1746. There is also some reference to earlier glass production from 1682 at Leith Citadel. Leith specialised in wine bottles, largely for export to France and Spain. At its peak ({{Circa|1770}}) production was one million bottles per week. The Leith pattern bottle is the parallel-sided, round shouldered, narrow neck bottle now dominant within the wine industry. Around 1770 the company branched into lead crystal glass, mainly for [[chandelier]]s. This was under a new company name of the [[Edinburgh Crystal]] Company but stood on the same site in Leith (ironically this company has never truly been in "Edinburgh").
* Soap – the Anchor Soapworks was established on Water Street around 1680. This largely used whale oil in its production. This survived until around 1930.
[[File:Carved stone from a 17thC Leith merchant's house.jpg|thumb|The 'Porters Stone' from a 17th-century wine-merchant's house]]
* Wine and whisky storage – wine storage in Leith dates from at least the early 16th century, notably being connected with the Vaults on [[Henderson Street]] from this time. At its peak there were around 100 warehouses storing wine and brandy. In the late 1880s, due to the collapse of wine harvest in Europe, most of these were "converted" for the storage of whisky used in the growing business of whisky blending and bottling. Important in this business were William Sanderson with [[Vat 69]], [[Crabbies|John Crabbie]] who also produced green ginger wine, and Macdonald & Muir who later bought the [[Glenmorangie distillery]]. Around 85 bonded warehouses stood in Leith in the 1960s. The last bond, on Water Street, closed around 1995. An offshoot to the wine industry were several vinegar works.
* Lime juice – [[Rose's lime juice]] was founded by Lachlan Rose in Leith on Commercial Street in 1868. This was originally and primarily focussed upon provision of [[vitamin C]] to seamen.
* Shipbuilding – originally centred on the Water of Leith and limited in scale due to the shallow water, Leith's shipbuilding started to fade as vessels increased in size. Latterly Leith built specialised ship types: tugs, hotel ships, cable-layers etc. Whilst the most notable large shipyard ([[Henry Robb]]'s) closed in 1983, this was technically outlived by a very small shipbuilder on Sheriff Brae (run by the Scottish Co-operative Society) which closed around 1988. The most notable ships built in Leith are the [[SS Sirius (1837)|SS ''Sirius'']], one of the first steamships to cross the Atlantic, and [[København (ship)|SS ''Copenhagen'']], one of the largest rigged ships ever built. Robb's yard also made a great contribution to the RN and MN during the Second World War, building forty-two vessels for the Royal Navy, fourteen merchant ships and refitted and repaired nearly 3,000 ships of the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy. This means that one new ship was launched on an average every six weeks and a ship repaired every day of this long and bloody conflict. The RN list included Flower and Castle Class Corvettes and River, Loch and Bay Class Frigates.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leithshipyards.com/ships-built-in-leith/1939-to-1945.html|title=Leith built ships 1939–45|publisher=Leith Shipyards|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004233012/http://www.leithshipyards.com/ships-built-in-leith/1939-to-1945.html|archive-date=4 October 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:Christian Salvesen harpoon gun, Leith.JPG|thumb|upright|Christian Salvesen harpoon gun on The Shore]]
* Lead – Scotland's largest leadworks stood on the corner of Mitchell Street and Constitution Street. Founded around 1760 the operational part worked until the 1970s and the empty buildings stood until the late 1980s. The offices, on [[Constitution Street]], still survive. The company specialised in lead pipes for water supply and lead drainpipes. They also produced lead sheet for roofing and lead shot for weapons.
* Sugar refining was developed at the [[Leith Sugar House]] by Robert Douglas, an established soap boiler, from 1677.<ref name="auto"/>
* Whaling – originally focussed on local, and Icelandic waters (the last whale in the [[Firth of Forth]] was caught in 1834); by the mid 19th century ships were travelling to the [[Antarctic]].  In the early 1900s, the [[Christian Salvesen]] company developed significant interests in whaling, initially in the Arctic, and then in the Antarctic. Among their many whaling stations in the South Atlantic, they established and operated from a base on the island of South Georgia, south east of the Falkland Islands at [[Leith Harbour]] (named for their base in Scotland). South Georgia later came to fame at the beginning of the [[Falklands War]]). The company moved from Leith to the Fettes area of Edinburgh around 1980 and then left Edinburgh altogether in the mid-1990s. The founder, [[Christian Salvesen]] is buried in Rosebank Cemetery. Whaling ships from Leith brought the very first penguins to Edinburgh Zoo around 1900.
* Corn trading – A [[Corn Exchange, Leith|Corn Exchange]] was erected in Constitution Street in 1861.<ref>{{Historic Environment Scotland|num= LB27140|desc= Corn Exchange, 29, 31, 33, 35 Constitution Street, Leith, Edinburgh|access-date=7 June 2023}}</ref>
* Fishing – During the 19th century Leith became an important entrepôt for the Scottish herring trade, with exports peaking at 388,899 barrels in 1907.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.scottishherringhistory.uk/statistics/AnnualExport.html |title=The Scottish Continental Herring Trade 1810–1914 |access-date=2016-06-06 |archive-date=8 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508173546/http://www.scottishherringhistory.uk/statistics/AnnualExport.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Ropemaking - The Edinburgh Roper & Sailcloth Co was founded in Leith in 1750, later expanding to wire ropes and cables<ref>The Port of Leith 1937 published by Leith Chamber of Commerce</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Malmaison Hotel, The Shore - geograph.org.uk - 1537187.jpg|thumb|Former Seamen's Mission, now the Malmaison Hotel]]
After decades of industrial decline, [[deindustrialisation]], [[Slum clearance in the United Kingdom|slum clearance]] and resultant depopulation in the post-war era, Leith gradually began to enjoy an upturn in fortunes in the late 1980s. Several old industrial sites were developed with modest, affordable housing, while small industrial business units were constructed at Swanfield, Bonnington, Seafield and off Lindsay Road. The Shore developed a clutch of upmarket restaurants, including the first of the chain of Malmaison hotels in a conversion of a seamen's mission, whilst the once industrially-polluted and desolate banks of the Water of Leith were cleaned up and a public walkway opened.

Leith's gradual revival was also helped by the decision of the then [[Scottish Office]] to site their new offices in Leith Docks (just north of the old infilled East Dock). The site was chosen as part of a design-and-build competition against other sites at Haymarket and Marionville. It was completed in 1994. The hoped-for influx of well-paid civil service jobs failed to have much local impact as most commute to the office, and only a small percentage venture beyond the confines of the office during lunchtimes.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}  It did further foster Leith's growing reputation as a [[White-collar worker|white-collar]], small business location. Further large-scale service and tourist development followed, including [[Ocean Terminal, Edinburgh|Ocean Terminal]] and the permanently moored Royal Yacht Britannia.

The [[Edinburgh Trams]] light rail line extension, from the city centre to [[Newhaven, Edinburgh|Newhaven]] opened to passengers in June 2023 providing Leith and the new dock developments with a fast and convenient route  for both local commuters and visitors.

[[File:Leith docks SMC.JPG|thumb|right|Western Harbour]]
In 2004 the owner of the docks, [[Forth Ports]], announced plans to eventually close the port and carry out a major redevelopment of the area.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/business.cfm?id=333702004|title=End of the line for Leith port|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071112183738/http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/business.cfm?id=333702004|archive-date=12 November 2007}}</ref> The planned development, which was given supplementary planning guidance by the [[City of Edinburgh Council]] in 2004, was a small town with up to 17,000 new homes.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4251869.stm|title=Leith set for major development|date=10 February 2005|website=News.bbc.co.uk|archive-date=14 November 2021|access-date=14 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211114220851/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4251869.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Area===
One of the areas is [[Timber Bush]] which was originally used as a timber market.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.edinburgh.org.uk/STREETS/welcome.html | title = The Derivation of Edinburgh's Street Names | access-date = 2012-10-25 | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120621022952/http://www.edinburgh.org.uk/STREETS/welcome.html | archive-date = 21 June 2012 | df = dmy-all }}</ref>

Until its amalgamation with Edinburgh in 1920, the southern-most town border was the middle of Pilrig Street.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pushed to the Limits by new name |url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/pushed-limits-new-name-2470032 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106131948/https://www.scotsman.com/news/pushed-limits-new-name-2470032 |archive-date=6 Nov 2020 |access-date=23 June 2021 |work=scotsman.com|date=11 March 2002 }}</ref>

Expansion in the Georgian era gave rise to streets such as Queen Charlotte Street, named after [[Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz|Charlotte]], the consort of [[George III of the United Kingdom|George III]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.edinburgh.org.uk/STREETS/part2/q.htm | title = The Derivation of Edinburgh's Street Names | access-date = 22 January 2013 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120924020407/http://www.edinburgh.org.uk/STREETS/part2/q.htm | archive-date = 24 September 2012}}</ref>

==Religion==
[[File:South Leith Parish Kirk.jpg|thumb|South Leith Parish Kirk]]
[[File:North Leith Parish Kirk.jpg|thumb|left|North Leith Parish Kirk|upright]]
Historically, due its Catholic connections (and French garrison), Leith was one of the last towns to have Catholic sympathies post-Reformation.{{clarify|date=June 2023|Reason=What does this mean? Wasn't everything "Catholic" in the western pre-Reformation church?}} Although the preceptory (small monastery) of St Anthony's was destroyed soon after 1560 the other churches were quickly adapted to Protestant use. There was also an Episcopalian meeting house near Kapple's Wynd (later renamed Cables Wynd) from 1688, somewhat inexplicably called the John Knox Church. The church was active from 1688 and was last used by a visit of [[John Wesley]] but the huge crowd he drew was too large to fit.<ref>''Cassell's Old and New Edinburgh''; vol. 6, ch. 25</ref>  Bishop Robert Forbes, author of the [[Lyon in Mourning]] had an Episcopal meeting house in Leith for almost forty years until his death in 1775.<ref>William Hutchison, ''Tales, Traditions and Antiquities of Leith'' (Leith, 1865), p. 138.</ref>

Leith still has several notable historic churches, including [[North Leith Parish Church]] and South Leith Parish Church (both of the [[Church of Scotland]]), and the [[Roman Catholicism|Roman Catholic]] [[St Mary's Star of the Sea Church, Leith|St Mary's Star of the Sea]]. The area has [[Sikhism|Sikh]] and [[Hinduism|Hindu]] temples, a [[Shia Islam|Shia]] [[imambargah]], a [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] mosque and community centre, a [[Pentecostal]] centre and a [[Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church|Ukrainian Greek Catholic church]]. It also has a former [[Norwegian Church Abroad|Norwegian church]], which is home now to the [[Leith School of Art]].

As of 2011 (the most recent Census for which data is available), the religious composition of Leith was as follows:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Census 2011 - Council Ward Profiles |url=https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/file/24272/ward-profiles |website=City of Edinburgh Council |access-date=28 October 2023 |archive-date=13 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240213121558/https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/file/24272/ward-profiles |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Religion in Leith (2011)
|label1 = [[Irreligion|Not religious]]
|color1 = WhiteSmoke
|value1 = 48.9
|label2 = [[Church of Scotland]]
|value2 = 18.5
|color2 = DodgerBlue
|label3 = [[Catholic Church]]
|value3 = 15.0
|color3 = DarkOrchid
|label4 = Other [[Christians|Christian]]
|value4 = 5.8
|color4 = #8AB9F1
|label5 = Islam
|value5 = 2.4
|color5 = Green
|label6 = Other religions
|value6 = 2.4
|color6 = Chartreuse
|label7 = Not stated
|value7 = 7.0
|color7 = Black
}}

==Transport==
A regular stage coach service ran between Bernard Street and Edinburgh's Old Town from the mid-18th century. By 1863 this had become a horse-drawn omnibus running every 5 minutes from 9{{nbsp}}am to 10{{nbsp}}pm.<ref>''Bradshaw's Handbook, 1863'': Leith</ref> This was put on tracks sometime around 1880<ref>multiple contemporary photographic evidence</ref> effectively then becoming a horse-drawn tram. Leith was the first town in Scotland to electrify its tram system (1905).{{sfn|Marshall|1986}} Leith Corporation Tramways were merged into Edinburgh Corporation Tramways as part of the 1920 merger of the two burgh councils.<ref>''Edinburgh's Transport''; D. H. G. Hunter : Huddersfield : Advertiser Press : 1964 : p. 180</ref> Tram services ran until 1956 and were then replaced by buses due to the contemporary perception of their greater flexibility.

In the mid-19th century the railways came. Leith had one horse-drawn line pre-dating steam-trains, bringing coal from Dalkeith to a station at the north end of Constitution Street, to serve the glassworks there. This dated from the late 18th century. Steam trains arrived in the 1840s, being some of the earliest lines in Britain. When the railways were at their height, Leith had four passenger stations and many goods stations.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/1_edin_t/1_edinburgh_transport_railways_-_leith_stations.htm |access-date=3 October 2021 |title= Railways Leith Stations|website=Edinphoto.org.uk }}</ref> However, in the 1960s, the [[Beeching cuts|Beeching report]] recommended the closure of almost all of Leith's railway infrastructure. Today, only one freight line that connects to the dock remains in use.

Although there are no longer any passenger rail services serving Leith, two station buildings partially remain:

* [[Leith Central railway station|Leith Central]], on the corner of Leith Walk and Duke Street. The station clock, offices and public house (Central Bar) remain.
* [[Leith Citadel railway station|Leith Citadel]], on Commercial Street. The building is now a youth centre.

The [[SS Sirius (1837)|SS ''Sirius'']] (built in Leith) beat the [[SS Great Western|SS ''Great Western'']] by one day in being the first steamship to cross the Atlantic but, as a much smaller ship, was eclipsed by the press coverage given to the larger ship. Leith offered ferry services to many European ports, including Hamburg and Oslo.

Today, Leith is served by various bus services provided by [[Lothian Buses]] and a tram service provided by [[Edinburgh Trams]]. This tram service was due to serve Leith in 2011, however, due to construction and funding issues, the section of the line towards Leith and Newhaven was delayed. It opened just after midday on 7 June 2023 with Leith stops at Balfour Street (Leith Walk), Foot of the Walk (Constitution Street), The Shore (Constitution Street), [[Port of Leith]] and [[Ocean Terminal, Edinburgh|Ocean Terminal]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://edinburghtrams.com/|title=Homepage &#124; Edinburgh Trams|website=Edinburghtrams.com|access-date=4 September 2024}}</ref>

==Culture and community==
[[File:LeithBananaFlats.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Cables Wynd House|Leith 'Banana Flats']]]]
Leith has a long history of pioneering social advances, some of which were the first of their kind in Scotland:

All boys were educated for free from 1555 onwards. This was paid for by the local trade guilds. All girls were educated from 1820, a long time after the boys, but a very early example of free education for females (only required by law from 1876). A free hospital service was provided from 1777, paid for by a local tax, with beds sponsored by local shops. Leith had electric street lighting from 1890 and electric trams from 1905 (only Blackpool was earlier in the UK). The first public sewer in Scotland was built in Bernard Street in 1780; this flowed into the Water of Leith.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fowlb.org/leith-history/|title=Timeline|publisher=Leith History|access-date=23 October 2022}}</ref>

Leith was formerly a port linked to the trade of the [[Hanseatic League]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://electricscotland.com/history/leith/3.htm|title=Leith|publisher=Nelson|first=John|last=Russell|year=1922|access-date=23 October 2022|archive-date=23 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023142910/https://electricscotland.com/history/leith/3.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

Leith is also home to The Queen's former floating Royal residence, the Royal Yacht Britannia, now a five-star visitor attraction and evening events venue permanently berthed at the Ocean Terminal shopping centre.<ref>{{cite magazine| last = Hubbard| first = Lauren| date = 30 September 2018| title = The Story Behind the Royal Family's Yacht, Britannia| url = https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a23456210/royal-yacht-britannia-history/| magazine = Town & Country| location = New York, NY| publisher = Hearst Magazine Media, Inc| access-date = 3 August 2019| archive-date = 3 August 2019| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190803143639/https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a23456210/royal-yacht-britannia-history/| url-status = live}}</ref>

Leith was named as the fourth "coolest neighbourhood in the world" by ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]'' in 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last=Clark |first=John Paul |date=6 October 2021 |title=Edinburgh's Leith voted one of the top five 'coolest' places in the world |url=https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/edinburghs-leith-voted-one-top-21785337 |access-date=26 February 2023 |website=EdinburghLive |language=en |archive-date=26 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226200936/https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/edinburghs-leith-voted-one-top-21785337 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Port of Leith distillery]], is the United Kingdom's only vertical whisky distillery.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-01-25 |title='This is an exciting time!' How Scotland's whisky industry went from bust to boom |url=https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/jan/25/scotland-whisky-industry-bust-boom-exciting-new-distilleries |access-date=2023-01-30 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref>

===Educational establishments===
Leith is home to [[Leith Academy]], one of the oldest schools in Scotland, and to the Leith School of Art, which along with [[Glasgow School of Art]] is one of only two independent art schools in Scotland.

From 1855 until 1987, [[Leith Nautical College]] provided training for [[Merchant Navy (United Kingdom)|Merchant Navy]] seafarers in Scotland.<ref name="Scotsman">{{cite web |url=https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/former-students-leith-nautical-college-meet-586559 |title=Former students of Leith Nautical College to meet up |date=25 April 2018 |publisher=The Scotsman |access-date=14 September 2022 |archive-date=14 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914205305/https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/former-students-leith-nautical-college-meet-586559 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Dominies">{{cite book |date=1987 |title=The Sea Dominies: The Story of Leith Nautical College, 1855-1987 |location=London |publisher= Board of Governors of Leith Nautical College |isbn=978-0951240809}}</ref>

===Media and art===
Festivals occur throughout the year, including [[Leith Festival]], Leith Late festival,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.leithlate.co.uk/|title=LeithLate|website=LeithLate|access-date=14 November 2021|archive-date=14 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211114220842/https://www.leithlate.co.uk/|url-status=live}}</ref> PLU Parents Like Us and the [[Edinburgh Mela]] on Leith Links, part of the Edinburgh Festival since 2010. The Leith Gala, now known as Leith Festival Gala Day is an annual event that has taken place since 1907; it was originally a charity event to raise sponsorship for local hospital beds before the National Health came into place. It has developed into the community-based Leith Festival.

Leith houses a notable number of cultural arts studios and small independent businesses, including the Leith Theatre on Ferry Road, Leith School of Art in North Junction Street, WASP Studios by The Shore and Out of the Blue in the former [[Dalmeny Street drill hall]].

Leith FM (later renamed Castle FM) started as a week-long RSL station during the late 1990s, linked to Leith Festival. A few years of annual 28-day broadcasts later, the station bid for and won a permanent community radio licence and broadcast for several years on 98.8 FM and online. In December 2013, Leith Dockers Club locked the station out of its rented premises, due to the "substantial" debt it was owed by the station, and the future of the station is currently in doubt.

===In popular culture===
Scottish folk rock duo [[The Proclaimers]] titled their second album ''[[Sunshine on Leith (album)|Sunshine on Leith]]'' after the town, including the [[Sunshine on Leith (song)|eponymous track]].<ref name="Larkin80">{{cite book|title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=2003|edition=Third|isbn=1-85227-969-9|page=392|title-link=Encyclopedia of Popular Music}}</ref> This spawned a [[Sunshine on Leith (musical)|musical of the same name]] that included music from The Proclaimers, which itself had a [[Sunshine on Leith (film)|film adaptation]] in 2013.<ref name=Fisher>{{cite news|last=Fisher|first=Mark|title=Sunshine on Leith: A Musical|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2007/apr/28/theatre1|access-date=17 February 2023|newspaper=The Guardian|date=28 April 2007}}</ref><ref name="TIFF">{{cite web |url=http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/festival/2013/sunshineonleith |title=Sunshine on Leith |access-date=2023-02-17 |work=TIFF |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130816021448/http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/festival/2013/sunshineonleith |archive-date=16 August 2013 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

[[Irvine Welsh]] had his [[Channel 4]] drama ''Wedding Belles'' (2007) filmed in [[Henderson Street]].<ref>{{cite web| title = Happy so glad to get the hang of it with Marty|date = 5 March 2007|publisher=Edinburgh Evening News|author=John Gibson | access-date = 2011-04-14| url = http://news.scotsman.com/comment/Happy-so-glad-to-get.3351722.jp}}</ref> Welsh's novel ''[[Trainspotting (novel)|Trainspotting]]'' and its prequel, ''[[Skagboys]]'' concern a group of drug users living in the Leith area in the 1980s.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/feb/05/choose-leith-trainspotting-locations-changing-edinburgh-irvine-welsh|title=Choose Leith? Trainspotting locations reveal the changing faces of Edinburgh|date=5 February 2015|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=23 October 2022}}</ref>

The [[BBC]] drama ''[[Guilt (British TV series)|Guilt]]'' is set in Leith, with filming locations including the Eastern Cemetery. The show is written by [[Neil Forsyth]], a former Leith resident and stars [[Mark Bonnar]] and [[Jamie Sives]] both of whom attended Leith Academy.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2019/10/30/guilt-episode-1-review-witty-gritty-new-thriller-no-guilty/|title=Guilt, episode one review|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=30 October 2019|last1=Hogan|first1=Michael|access-date=20 January 2020|archive-date=14 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214045437/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2019/10/30/guilt-episode-1-review-witty-gritty-new-thriller-no-guilty/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[BBC]] [[BBC Radio 4|Radio 4]] drama series ''[[McLevy]]'' features stories loosely based upon the historical figure [[James McLevy]] who operated in Leith crime hotspots amongst other locations in Edinburgh.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/meet-james-mclevy-original-no1-detective-2468858|title=Meet James McLevy - the original no1 detective|date=30 May 2007|newspaper=The Scotsman|access-date=23 October 2022|archive-date=23 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023144332/https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/meet-james-mclevy-original-no1-detective-2468858|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Ethnicity==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Leith Ward compared (2022 Census Data) !! Leith !! Edinburgh<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/scotland/wards/city_of_edinburgh/S13002931__leith/ |title=Leith |website=citypopulation.de |access-date=2024-08-12 |archive-date=11 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240811102419/https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/scotland/wards/city_of_edinburgh/S13002931__leith/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| White || 86.8% || 84.9%
|-
| Asian || 5.9% || 8.6%
|-
| African/Caribbean || 2.1% || 2.1%
|-
| Mixed/Other || 5.2% || 4.4%
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Leith Walk Ward compared (2022 Census Data) !! Leith Walk !! Edinburgh<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/scotland/wards/city_of_edinburgh/S13002930__leith_walk/ |title=Leith Walk |website=citypopulation.de |access-date=2024-08-12}}</ref>
|-
| White || 83.2% || 84.9%
|-
| Asian || 9.6% || 8.6%
|-
| African/Caribbean || 1.6% || 2.1%
|-
| Mixed/Other || 5.5% || 4.4%
|}

==Sport==
[[File:Easter Road from afar.jpg|left|thumb|[[Easter Road]] Stadium, near [[Easter Road, Edinburgh|Easter Road]]]]
Leith is the home of [[Hibernian F. C.|Hibernian Football Club]] which is a member of the [[Scottish Premiership]].

[[Leith Athletic F.C.|Leith Athletic Football Club]] have been part of Leith's sporting culture since their foundation in 1887 until closure in 1955. Reformed in 1996 they amalgamated with [[Edinburgh Athletic]] in 2008 and achieved promotion to the East of Scotland Premier Division in 2011. They host home games at Peffermill 3G.

Leith Links have been used a sports and recreation area over many centuries.

Leith is significant in the historical development of the [[Rules of golf#History|rules of golf]], as the [[Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers]] played there before moving to [[Musselburgh Links]] and later [[Muirfield]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/The-History-of-Golf/ |title=History of Golf |newspaper=Historic UK |access-date=31 August 2014 |archive-date=12 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812042617/http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/The-History-of-Golf/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The official [[rules of golf]], initially formulated at Leith in 1744, were later adopted by [[the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews]]. The only difference introduced with those rules (which remain the rules of golf) was the omission of one rule to do with hazards such as trenches.

From at least 1600 until 1816, [[Leith Races]] were held on Leith Sands, an area immediately north of the present Links and now built over. They were long regarded as one of Scotland's most important [[horse race]] meetings before racing moved to Musselburgh permanently from 1816 onwards.

Leith Links also have one of the longest established [[cricket]] pitches in Scotland, from 1820.

The Leith Victoria Swim Centre on Junction Place opened in 1899.<ref name="ScotsmanPool">{{cite web |url=https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/heritage-and-retro/retro/in-pictures-edinburghs-victorian-swimming-pools-and-where-to-find-them-3216358 |title=In pictures: Edinburgh's Victorian swimming pools and where to find them|date=27 December 2022 | publisher=Edinburgh Evening News |access-date=28 December 2022}}</ref>

==Former provosts==
Source:<ref>{{cite web |title=PROVOSTS OF LEITH 1833–1920 |url=http://www.leithhistory.co.uk/2007/05/26/provosts-of-leith-1833-1920/ |publisher=History of Leith, Edinburgh |access-date=15 February 2017 |archive-date=16 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216060228/http://www.leithhistory.co.uk/2007/05/26/provosts-of-leith-1833-1920/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

* Adam White (1760–1843), served 1833–1839
* James Reoch (1768–1845), served 1839–1845
* Thomas Hutchison (1796–1852), served 1845–1848
* George Adiston McLaren (1801–1881), served 1848–1851
* Robert Philip (d.1887), served 1851–1855
* James Taylor (1800–1890), served 1855–1860
* [[William Lindsay (shipowner)|William Lindsay]]  (1819–1884), served 1860–1866
* James Watt (1806–1881), served 1866–1875
* [[John Henderson (Provost)|Dr John Henderson]] (1818–1901), served 1875–1881, instigated the Leith Improvement Plan and creator of [[Henderson Street]]
* [[James Pringle (Provost)|James Pringle]] (1822–1886), served 1881–1886
* [[John Henderson (Provost)|Dr John Henderson]] (1818–1901), served second term 1886–1887 following Pringle's death in office
* [[Thomas Aitken]] (1833–1912), served 1887–1893
* John Bennet (1820–1902), served 1893–1899
* Sir [[Richard Mackie]] (1851–1923), served 1899–1908
* [[Malcolm Smith (Scottish politician)|Malcolm Smith]] (1856–1935), served 1908–1917
* John Allan Lindsay (1865–1942), served 1917–1920, the final Provost of Leith

==Notable residents==
{{columns-list|
* [[William Lindsay Alexander]] (1808–1884), theologian
* [[Thomas Anderson (chemist)|Thomas Anderson]] (1819–1874), chemist
* [[John Armstrong (journalist/poet)|John Armstrong]] (1771–1797), journalist and poet
* [[Adam Archibald]] (1879–1957), World War I recipient of the [[Victoria Cross]]
* [[Hugo Arnot]] (1749–1786), historian, buried in South Leith churchyard
* [[Andrew Barton (privateer)|Andrew Barton]] (c. 1466–1511), privateer, [[Lord High Admiral of Scotland]]
* [[Robert Barton of Over Barnton|Robert Barton]] (died 1540), brother of the above, privateer and [[Treasurer of Scotland|Lord High Treasurer of Scotland]]
* [[Edith Marian Begbie]] (1866–1932), militant suffragette and member of the [[WSPU]]
* [[Walter Leonard Bell]] (1865–1932) surgeon and antiquarian
* [[Kenneth Borthwick]] (1915–2017) [[Lord Provost of Edinburgh]] 1977–80, Chairman of the 1986 [[Commonwealth Games]].
* Sir [[Thomas Jamieson Boyd]] (1818–1902), [[Lord Provost]] of [[Edinburgh]] 1877–1882
* [[Eric Brown (pilot)|Eric "Winkle" Brown]] (1919–2016), test pilot of a record number of aircraft types
* [[James Brown (footballer born 1907)|James Brown]] (1907 – unknown), footballer
* [[Ken Buchanan]] (1945–2023), Undisputed Lightweight Champion of the World
* [[Paddy Buckley]] (1925–2008), footballer
* [[Ian Charleson]] (1949–1990), stage and screen actor
* [[John Cheyne (physician)|John Cheyne]] (1777–1836), surgeon
* [[John Chisholm (soldier)|John Chisholm]] (fl. 1560s), keeper of royal artillery at the [[John Chisholm (soldier)#King's Wark in Leith|King's Wark]]
* [[John Coldstream]] (1806–1863), physician
* [[Malcolm Ross (musician)|Malcolm Ross]], musician
* [[James Scarth Combe]] (1796–1883), surgeon (first to describe [[pernicious anaemia]])
* [[David Cousin]] (1809–1878), architect
* John Crabbie founder of [[Crabbie's]] on [[Great Junction Street]]
* [[David Craigie]] (1793–1866) medical author
* Professor [[Ernest Cruickshank]] (1888–1964)nutritionist, and twin brother, Brigadier [[Martin Melvin Cruickshank]] (also 1888–1964)
* [[Helen Crummy]] (1920–2011), founder of [[Craigmillar Festival Society]] for the local community
* [[Robert James Blair Cunynghame]] (1841–1903) physiologist and forensic scientist
* [[James Currie (shipowner)|James Currie]] (1863–1930) President of the [[Royal Society of Edinburgh]], shipowner and shipbuilder, proprietor of James Currie & Co and the Currie Line (shipping)
* [[Gordon Donaldson]] (1913–1993), historian
* [[Frank Doran (British politician)|Frank Doran]], [[Scottish Labour Party|Labour]] (1949–2017) politician
* [[Handyside Edgar]] (1754–1806), physician
* [[Sir Tom Farmer]], founder of Kwik-Fit and former owner of [[Hibernian F.C.]]
* [[Robert Forbes (bishop)|Robert Forbes]], Episcopalian Bishop and author of the Lyon in Mourning
* [[Dick Gaughan]], folk singer
* John Gibson Gibson (1889–1970) physicist and mathematician
* [[Robert Gilchrist (cricketer)|Robert Gilchrist]] (1821–1905), first-class cricketer
* Dr [[George Ritchie Gilruth]] (1842–1921) surgeon
* [[Sir John Gladstone, 1st Baronet|John Gladstone]] (1754–1861), [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|MP]] and father of [[William Ewart Gladstone]]
* Professor [[John Russell Greig]] (1889–1963) Director of the [[Moredun Research Institute]]
* [[Tallulah Greive]], actress
* [[Leigh Griffiths]], footballer
* [[John Hall (Scotland)|John Hall]] (1559–1627), [[Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland]], minister of Leith for a time
* Sir [[Peter Heatly]] (1924–2015), springboard and platform diver
* [[John Home]] (1722–1808), poet and dramatist
* [[John Hughes (footballer born 1964)|John Hughes]] (born 1964), football manager formerly of [[Falkirk F.C.]] and [[Hibernian F.C.]]
* Vice Admiral[[John Hunter (Royal Navy officer)|John Hunter]] (1737–1821), second [[Governors of New South Wales|Governor of New South Wales]]
* [[Russell Hunter]] (1925–2004), actor
* [[James Campbell Irons]] (1840–1910) legal author and historian, author of ''The Antiquities of Leith''
* [[Robert Jameson]] (1774–1854), naturalist and mineralogist
* [[William Jameson (botanist born 1815)|William Jameson]]  (1815–1882), botanist responsible for the promotion of tea-growing in northern India
* Captain [[William Henry Johnston|William Johnston]] VC (1879–1915), recipient of the Victoria Cross
* Dr [[George Kellie]] (1720–1779) surgeon, and his grandson Dr George Kellie  (1781–1829)
* Dr [[Thomas Latta]] (1796–1833) inventor of [[intravenous therapy|saline drip]]
* [[Tancy Lee]] (1882–1941) boxer
* [[David Lindsay (bishop of Ross)|David Lindsay]] (1531–1615), [[chaplain]] of [[James VI of Scotland]] and [[Bishop of Ross (Scotland)|Bishop of Ross]], buried here
* [[Jack Lowden]], Scottish actor
* [[Harold Mahony]] (1867–1905), Irish tennis player who had a home at Dalmore Lodge in Leith
* [[Sam McCluskie]] (1932–1995), Labour politician and trade unionist
* [[Andrew Macdonald (poet)]] (1757–1790) born at the foot of [[Leith Walk]]
* [[Robert MacDonald (minister)|Very Rev Robert MacDonald]] (1813–1893) minister of North Leith Free Church, [[Moderator of the General Assembly]] of the Free Church of Scotland 1882/83.
* [[Una McLean]] MBE, actor
* [[William Merrilees|Willie Merrilees]] OBE QPM (1898–1984), lifesaver and [[King's Medal for Police and Fire Service|distinguished]] policeman, later Chief Constable of the Lothians and Peebles Constabulary
* [[Alexander Morgan (mathematician)|Alexander Morgan]] (1860–1946)
* [[James Morton (footballer, born 1885)|James Morton]] (1885–1926), footballer
* [[Thomas Morton (shipwright)|Thomas Morton]] (1781–1832), shipbuilder and inventor (the [[patent slip]])
* [[Erskine Nicol]]  (1825–1904) artist
* [[Eduardo Paolozzi]] (1924–2005) artist
* Charlie and Craig Reid of folk band [[The Proclaimers]]
* [[George T. H. Reid]], [[Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland]] 1973/4
* [[Henry Robb]] (1874–1951), shipbuilder
* [[J.K. Rowling]], author
* [[Clarice Marion McNab Shaw|Clarice Shaw]] (1883–1946), pioneering woman Labour politician and MP
* [[Margery Sampson]] (1890–1915) Scotland’s first female bell-ringer
* [[James Simpson (Scottish architect)|James Simpson]] (1830–1894) architect, creator of the Leith Improvement Scheme
* [[John Sligo]] of [[Carmyle]]  (1794–1858) merchant and amateur geologist
* [[Chris Small]], professional [[snooker]] player
* [[Neil Smith (geographer)|Neil Smith]] (1954–2012), geographer
* [[Ralph Stockman]] (1861–1946) and his younger brother [[Stewart Stockman]] (1869–1926)
* [[William Struth]] (1875–1956), football manager with [[Rangers FC]] (1920–1954)
* [[Danny Swanson]], footballer with [[Peterborough United FC|Peterborough United]]
* [[Derek Trail]] (born 1946), Scottish former professional footballer
* [[Unicorn Kid]] (Oliver Sabin, born 1991), electronic music/chip music composer
* [[Irvine Welsh]], author, ''[[Trainspotting (novel)|Trainspotting]]''
}}

==See also==
* [[Mercantilism]]
* [[Cleanse the Causeway]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |last= Campbell |first= Alex |title= The History of Leith, from the Earliest Accounts to the Present Period |year= 1827 |publisher= William Reid & Son |location= Leith}}
* {{Citation| editor-last= Gilbert| editor-first= W.M.| year= 1901| title= Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century}}
* {{cite book |last= Grant |first= James |title= Old and New Edinburgh |volume=VI }}
* {{cite book |last= Marshall |first= J. M. |title= The Life and Times of Leith |publisher= John Donald |year= 1986 |url-access= registration |url= https://archive.org/details/lifetimesofleith00mars |isbn= 978-085976-128-4}}
* {{cite book |last= Neish |first= R. O. |title= They Once Were Shipbuilders Leith-Built Ships Vol. I |location= Dunbeath, Scotland |publisher= Whittles Publishing |date= 2020 |type= Paperback |isbn= 978-184995-443-3}}
* {{cite book |last= Neish |first= R. O. |title= Leith Shipyards 1918–1939 Leith Built Ships, Vol. II |location= Dunbeath, Scotland |publisher= Whittles Publishing |date= 2021 |type= Paperback |isbn= 978-184995-481-5}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikivoyage|Edinburgh/Leith|Leith}}
* [http://www.leithermagazine.com/ ''The Leither Magazine''], a free community-centric [[magazine]] covering news, culture, reviews and blogs "from the edges of Edinburgh"
* [http://www.leithfestival.com/ Leith Festival]—A community-based festival
* {{Wikisource-inline|list=
** {{Cite AmCyc|wstitle=Leith|short=x |noicon=x}}
** {{Cite NIE|wstitle=Leith|year=1905|short=x |noicon=x}}
** {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Leith|short=x |noicon=x}}
** {{Cite NSRW|wstitle=Leith|short=1|noicon=x}}
** {{Cite Americana|wstitle=Leith|short=x |noicon=x}}
** {{Cite Collier's|wstitle=Leith|short=x |noicon=x}}
}}

{{Hanseatic League}}
{{Areas of Edinburgh}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Leith| ]]
[[Category:History of Edinburgh]]
[[Category:Irish diaspora in Scotland]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns of the North Sea]]
[[Category:Red-light districts in Scotland]]
[[Category:Royal burghs]]