Saughton Park & Winter Garden

Balgreen Road, Edinburgh, EH11  3BQ
0131 529 7921
parks@edinburgh.gov.uk
www.edinburgh.gov.uk/saughtonpark

Long before it became a public park, the land now encompassing Saughton Park and Gardens was part of the ancient Saughton Estate and its historic mansion house. 

Perhaps harder to imagine is that in 1908, over 3 and half million people visited the park to see spectacular Scottish National Exhibition which included exhibition halls, concert hall, model railway and even gondolas.

Visitors today can enjoy landscaped gardens, a lovely rose garden and winter garden, children's play area and skate park.

A Friends group was formed in 2014 with a view to restoring the park to its former glory.

H Mural Trail

What are the signs of gentrification? Coffee shops? Direct action? Murals? Community Gardens? Yarn-bombing? Bunting?  We don't know, but we heart wandering around and spotting signs of change. 

This trail will take about 30 minutes to walk this 1.4m trail – and you will be rewarded by official and unofficial street art along the way and a cuppa at the end:

Halmyre Street Mural

11 Halmyre St, Edinburgh EH6 8QA

The mural, coordinated by local art project, Leith Late, features the SS Explorer, the last steam ship to be registered in Leith and now one of the last surviving steam powered trawlers in the world.

Artists include Rabiya Choudhry, Fraser Douglas, DUFI, Fraser Gray, Martin McGuinness and Skint Richie.

Henderson Street Mural

77 Henderson Street, Edinburgh EH6 6ED

Russell Ian Dempster's bold homage to the Leith-born Eduardo Paolozzi on a derelict shop front.

Haven Mural

9 Anchorfield, Edinburgh EH6 4JG

0131 467 7513

havencafe.co.uk

With it's vintage mirrors and comfy armchairs, the Haven Cafe has the feel of a old-fashioned tea room. The real surprise however is Michael Clark's mural on the exterior wall featuring teapot, roses and a gramophone.

Ramsay Cornish lane sale auction

As well as traditional and specialist auctions, Ramsay Cornish hold cash only 'Lane Sales' on Thursdays at 11am. You can view the items from 9.30am on the day of the sale. It's more flea market than antique but that's half the fun.

15-17 Jane Street, Edinburgh EH6 5HE

0131 553 7000

info@ramsaycornish.com

ramsaycornish.com

@CornishRamsay

Queen Charlotte Street Figurehead

63 Queen Charlotte Street, Edinburgh EH6 7EY.

A female figurehead protrudes from the wall of what is now an architect's office.

At the other end of Queen Charlotte Street, where it meets Water Street, look up to the first floor where you will a curious Blue Coupons ghost sign “All wise ladies collect blue coupons”.

Police Box Museum

3a Braid Hills Road, Edinburgh EH10 6LA

www.angusself.co.uk

This police box is one of 86 designed by Ebenezer MacRae. It was restored in 2013 by Angus Self, great grandson of the late Chief Constable, Roderick Ross, who introduced the two-tonne cast iron structures to Edinburgh in 1933. The police box will be open for view on specific days of the year.

Some of Edinburgh's police phone boxes have been converted into snack kiosks but many more are in a sorry state of disrepair. The last 20 blue boxes still in the ownership of Lothian & Borders police were put up for sale in August 2014.

The police boxes installed in Edinburgh were quite different from the 'TARDIS” design used in London, being considerably larger and more rectangular. This hasn't stopped one householder from converting the front door of their private residence to resemble Doctor Who's famous time machine. The Liberton TARDIS can be seen at Kenilworth Drive, Edinburgh EH16 6DD.

See some more of Edinburgh's iconic boxes here (via Edinburgh Reportage)

Museums Collection Centre

Located on the site of a 19th century flesh, fish and poultry market, the centre today houses the reserve collections of the city museums, there are many interesting objects on ‘open storage’ display, especially social history objects, decorative art and archaeology collections.

Open for group and individual visits on the first Tuesday of the month at 2pm. Advance booking advisable. Research and study visits by arrangement. Strictly for the curious.

10 Broughton Market, Edinburgh, EH3 6NU
0131 556 9536
www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/Venues/Museum-Collections-Centre
museumcollectionscentre@edinburgh.gov.uk
@EdinCulture

Horne Terrace Mural

On a gable end is an engrossing hyper-realistic mural painted in the late 70s by Robert Callender, a hugely popular teacher at Edinburgh College of Art and President of the Society of Scottish Artists.

The world needs more gable end murals. The world needs more Robert Callenders.

Horne Terrace, Edinburgh EH11 1JJ