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10 of Edinburgh's historic colonies and where you can find them

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
Published date29 June 2022
Pioneered in Edinburgh and Leith, the unique-looking properties were built to house the city's artisans and skilled workers and their families

They usually consisted of rows of terraced houses with front doors on opposite sides of the building, allowing each occupier to have their own front garden and external lavatory - luxuries that were unavailable to working class tenement dwellers.

The first example of this type of model dwelling house was built by the Pilrig Model Dwellings Company at Pilrig on the boundary between Edinburgh and Leith in 1850. Four rows of housing were built on the site, containing a total of 44 homes.

Several more of the developments were to follow over the next 60 years, with the most well-known being located at Stockbridge, Dalry, Leith Links and Abbeyhill.

The name 'colony' is thought to have been derived from the fact the early developments were situated outside of the city boundaries.

Originally costing as little as £130, the compact properties are now incredibly sought after in Edinburgh with some...

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