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Leith Links
Leith Links is the principal open space within Leith, the docks district of Edinburgh, Scotland. This public park is divided by a road into two main areas, a western section and an eastern section, both being largely flat expanses of grass bordered by mature trees. Historically it covered a wider area extending north as far as the shoreline of the Firth of Forth. This area of grass and former sand-dunes was previously used as a golf links.
The west section of the park contains children's play areas, football pitches and, in the north-west corner, and tennis and petanque courts. There are also three disused bowling greens due to be redeveloped into a new activity centre and community space.
In the east section an informal cricket pitch has existed since 1826. It is used by Leith Franklin Academicals Beige cricket club which, taking its name from Benjamin Franklin, was established in 1852 as the Leith Franklin cricket club. The club has a clubhouse outside, but adjacent to, the park next to the Seafield Bowling Club's enclosed lawn bowls bowling green (from 1883) and clubhouse also outwith the park.
In the first week of June, Leith Festival Gala Day is held here. The Edinburgh Mela (since 2010) is held on the Links in late August
Historically the park contained a Victorian bandstand, a pond for model yachts, and was used for annual events such as pageants. Leith Races were held on Leith Sands at the edge of the original links.
During the Scottish Reformation, on 25 July 1559, the Protestant Lords of the Congregation made a truce with the Catholic Queen Regent, Mary of Guise, at the Links, who agreed to vacate Holyroodhouse and leave Edinburgh.
During the Siege of Leith in 1560, English and Scottish troops made use of the area to create siege trenches. Two mounds on Leith Links, known as "Giant's Brae" and "Lady Fyfe's Brae", identified on later maps as "Somerset's Battery" and "Pelham's Battery" respectively, are scheduled monuments as artillery mounds created for the siege in April 1560. However, a contemporary map at Petworth shows that Pelham's Battery was built on the slope to the south of Leith Links and Somerset's battery was located adjacent to the present Pilrig House. The tradition that these two batteries were on the Links goes no further back than Campbell's "History of Leith" published in 1827. Lent authority by the Ordnance Survey 1852, the identification saved the mounds in 1888 when several other hillocks were removed during landscaping.
Bishop Couper was playing golf on Leith Links in 1619 when he had a vision. Charles I of England was playing golf on Leith Links in 1642 when he received news of the Irish rebellion. Games were frequently the subject of betting and Captain John Porteous bet 20 guineas in a match against Alexander Elphinstone (d.1732), brother of Lord Balmerino in 1724.
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Leith Links AI simulator
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Leith Links
Leith Links is the principal open space within Leith, the docks district of Edinburgh, Scotland. This public park is divided by a road into two main areas, a western section and an eastern section, both being largely flat expanses of grass bordered by mature trees. Historically it covered a wider area extending north as far as the shoreline of the Firth of Forth. This area of grass and former sand-dunes was previously used as a golf links.
The west section of the park contains children's play areas, football pitches and, in the north-west corner, and tennis and petanque courts. There are also three disused bowling greens due to be redeveloped into a new activity centre and community space.
In the east section an informal cricket pitch has existed since 1826. It is used by Leith Franklin Academicals Beige cricket club which, taking its name from Benjamin Franklin, was established in 1852 as the Leith Franklin cricket club. The club has a clubhouse outside, but adjacent to, the park next to the Seafield Bowling Club's enclosed lawn bowls bowling green (from 1883) and clubhouse also outwith the park.
In the first week of June, Leith Festival Gala Day is held here. The Edinburgh Mela (since 2010) is held on the Links in late August
Historically the park contained a Victorian bandstand, a pond for model yachts, and was used for annual events such as pageants. Leith Races were held on Leith Sands at the edge of the original links.
During the Scottish Reformation, on 25 July 1559, the Protestant Lords of the Congregation made a truce with the Catholic Queen Regent, Mary of Guise, at the Links, who agreed to vacate Holyroodhouse and leave Edinburgh.
During the Siege of Leith in 1560, English and Scottish troops made use of the area to create siege trenches. Two mounds on Leith Links, known as "Giant's Brae" and "Lady Fyfe's Brae", identified on later maps as "Somerset's Battery" and "Pelham's Battery" respectively, are scheduled monuments as artillery mounds created for the siege in April 1560. However, a contemporary map at Petworth shows that Pelham's Battery was built on the slope to the south of Leith Links and Somerset's battery was located adjacent to the present Pilrig House. The tradition that these two batteries were on the Links goes no further back than Campbell's "History of Leith" published in 1827. Lent authority by the Ordnance Survey 1852, the identification saved the mounds in 1888 when several other hillocks were removed during landscaping.
Bishop Couper was playing golf on Leith Links in 1619 when he had a vision. Charles I of England was playing golf on Leith Links in 1642 when he received news of the Irish rebellion. Games were frequently the subject of betting and Captain John Porteous bet 20 guineas in a match against Alexander Elphinstone (d.1732), brother of Lord Balmerino in 1724.