Great Junction Street

Great Junction Street is a street in Leith, on the northern outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland. It runs southeast to northwest following approximately the southwestmost line of the old town walls around Leith. The road was planned c.1800 as a route to join the foot of Leith Walk with Ferry Road and the new wet docks bypassing the narrow and busy streets of old Leith. The link was completed by the construction of Junction Bridge over the Water of Leith in 1818 although the road between the bridge and Bonnington Road was not surfaced until the late 1830s. The trams of the early 20th century were discontinued in 1956. There were plans to reinstate a modern tram link, connecting Edinburgh Airport and Newhaven. This was not to run along Great Junction street as it formerly did, but there was to be a tram stop at Constitution Street at its south-eastern end. However the trams are no longer planned to run beyond York Place in Edinburgh.

The street was the site of a triumphal arch which was constructed for the reception of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1842. Great crowds attended this despite the heavy rain. Prince Albert added to the general merriment of the occasion by observing that he supposed that this was just a Scotch mist.

People from Leith often refer to Great Junction Street as Junction Street. North Junction Street lies at its extreme west end. It is connected to the area known as the Shore via Henderson Street.

Although typified by tenements the tenements in their own right are not necessarily typical. Great Junction Street has an abnormal number of flat-roofed tenements. These survived the ravages of the Scottish weather due to their novel construction; three inches of horse hair and tar (strong, flexible and impervious). These roofs normally survive well until tackled by Housing Repair Grant projects, which invariably replace them with felt, not appreciating the duarability and value of the original roof.

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