Written on the 27th October 2026
We went for a walk recently near Craigmillar Castle in Edinburgh and came across a ruined building but we couldn't figure out what it was.
The National Library of Scotland has a nice "side by side maps" feature which lets you see a current map and compare to an old one. I had a look for clues; the map for the location is here. The buildings are shown in the 1914 Edinburgh OS map as "Craigend". I'm unsure what "Craigend" is, but as it looked to have animal stalls and a possible feeding trough we suspect something farming related.
I discovered that the maps have a "zoom to your current location" feature when you use them on a phone. This looked interesting so I went out for a walk to try it out.
My reverie
I stood near the Western Approach Road (map link) and noticed that I was standing near what were apparently sidings for a mineral depot.
It was a grey, windy, rainy day but I felt transported as I stood quietly and imagined my location as it would have been over a century ago. I assumed hulking steam locomotives would be chuffing in and out of the sidings. Grimy men in leather coats might be unloading cargo from the trains onto carts on the platform. Perhaps there were even horses to transport the cargo onwards - I do not know.
Pretty soon the heavens opened and the coldness of heavy rain landing on me brought me out of my reverie, making me run to seek shelter. I returned to the warmth and light of the indoors to explore the maps online instead.
Different times
Some of the older maps (OS six-inch 1888-1913) demonstrate very Victorian values: scrolling around shows there was a "Home for fallen women" and some of the offices at Exchange Crescent used to be St Cuthbert's poorhouse. What I think are now student flats at Tollcross used to be a slaughterhouse (people tell me academia isn't too different now; some things change little). I'm sure every pupil behaved perfectly at the "Ministers Daughters' College", off Grange Loan.
Some things seem cruelly tempting - who would put a "confectionary works" opposite a school?
I looked up "Home for fallen women" and found the Few Forgotten Women site. I have only had a brief look so far but there are some very cruel, tragic and upsetting stories there. I hope we can continue to work to improve conditions for people in this modern world.
Libraries
Walking around with a map is fun, but with winter approaching, Edinburgh cold and darkness isn't. So: If I remember, the Edinburgh and Scottish Collection at the magnificent Central Library in Edinburgh have a collection of large, heavy old maps and is worth a visit (and has lights and heating). Using your muscles to lift a heavy old map book onto a table adds an experience you don't get by scrolling! The National Library of Scotland Maps reading room at Causewayside is also worth a visit.
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I didn't really think I liked history, but exploring has been fun and interesting. I hope that you too will enjoy exploring your area using old maps, and that you too can be transported into a different time.