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Street in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The West Port is a street in Edinburgh's Old Town, just south of Edinburgh Castle. It runs from Main Point (the junction of Bread Street, Lauriston Street, East Fountainbridge and High Riggs) to the southwest corner of the Grassmarket.
.jpg) Main Point, the historic junction of the three roads (2nd l. to r.) to Biggar, Glasgow and Stirling | |
| Former name(s) | Wester Portsburgh |
|---|---|
| Length | 0.2 mi (0.32 km) |
| Coordinates | 55°56′47″N 3°12′00″W |
| west end | Main Point |
| east end | Grassmarket |
The street takes its name from the westernmost of the "ports" or gates in the Flodden Wall. The gate stood at the Grassmarket and opened onto the suburb of Portsburgh until it was demolished in the 1780s.[1]
Wester Portsburgh, as the area around the West Port was formerly known, was the main street through the western part of the burgh of Portsburgh[2] - a burgh of barony from 1649[3] to 1856.[4]
The name West Port originally referred only to the gate itself, but was used for the entire length of the street leading away from the gate in maps from around 1837 onwards.[5] Wester Portsburgh still appeared as the name of the street on maps as late as 1831.[6]
Portsburgh can also be seen as the name for the same street in a map from 1836.[7] However, this does not serve to distinguish it from the eastern part of Portsburgh (Easter Portsburgh), which was still part of the same burgh at that date, the two parts of Portsburgh having their own administrative systems and baillies.[8]
The Art Nouveau Salvation Army Women's Hostel at the corner of the Grassmarket, The Vennel[14] and the West Port was built in 1910 and is C Listed.[15] Edinburgh College of Art, purchased and used the Hostel, in addition to the next-door Portsburgh Church, entered via the Vennel. Planning permission was granted in October 2007 for the two buildings to be changed to serviced apartments.[16]
The name of Portsburgh Square[17] on the north side of West Port is a reminder of the area's former name.
Dominating the north side of the West Port at its junction with Lady Lawson Street is Argyle House, built in 1968 to designs by Michael Laird and Partners.[18] Long used as local and national government offices, it now houses CodeBase, the largest tech incubator in Scotland, University of Edinburgh offices, along with various other businesses.
Evolution House, the newest building of the Edinburgh College of Art stands on the south east corner of West Port and Lady Lawson Street.[19]
Westport 102 was constructed on the West Port side of the block between Lady Lawson Street and Lauriston Street[20] on the site of the old Post Office headquarters, which famously collapsed during demolition in 2007, leading to several roads being closed in the area for an extended period of time.[21]
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