Dean Village

It is an attractive hamlet down in the dene - the steep valley - of the Water of Leith. It was the medieval crossing point on the route from Edinburgh to South Queensferry, and is the main access point for this section of the Water of Leith Walkway (described below). The fast-descending stream drove 11 grain mills here, so it was the powerbase for the Baxters, the bakers' merchant guild. The present bridge across the stream was built in the 18th century, only just wide enough for a horse and cart. The village declined in the 19th century when bigger flour mills were built at Leith, and bypassed in 1833 when Telford's Dean Bridge spanned the valley; the Belford Bridge was added upstream in 1887. Dean village therefore never developed modern roads or industry, so its charming core was preserved.

• history

Phone

+441312207720

Website

deanvillage.org (opens in a new tab)