Edinburgh World Heritage

'The River of Leith'
The braes of Belgrave Crescent is lovely to see, With its beautiful walks and green shrubbery, ‘Tis health for the people that lives near by there... To walk along the bonny walks and breathe the sweet air.
Therefore all lovers of the picturesque, be advised by me And the beautiful scenery of the River Leith go and see, And I am sure you will get a very great treat, Because the River of Leith scenery cannot be beat.
– William McGonagall, long regarded as the worst poet in the history of the English language.
Whether or not you agree with that sentiment, it's easy to see why the Water of Leith inspires creativity of all kinds...
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Some lovely shots from our walking tour through the gardens of the New Town last night... many more over on Twitter, too. Thank you to everyone who joined us.

A horse-powered lawn-mower
Belgrave Crescent gardens, like many of the other private gardens in the New Town, required regular maintenance, and in 1880 its management committee purchased a horse-driven mowing machine, 'to bring the grass into better condition'.
The large, sloping areas of lawn were maintained in this way for nearly half a century (although probably with different horses during that time), until the horse-drawn method was replaced by a 17" Pennsylvania mower i...n 1927. The large and relatively level lawn allowed for games of tennis, and even a short-hole golf course to take place over the years.
We look forward to seeing you on our walking tour this evening.
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Last chance to join our walking tour
The New Town gardens were designed to take full advantage of the city’s topography, adding colour and vibrancy to the city’s urban landscape and providing a lush green contrast to the classical sandstone architecture.
They not only contribute aesthetically to Edinburgh’s ‘outstanding universal value’ as recognised by the city’s UNESCO world heritage inscription, but at the impressive acreage of 3 288 hectares altogether, they create the ef...fect of 'rus in urbe' – the countryside in the town – and reflect the philosophy of the Scottish Enlightenment which aimed to harmonise human intervention with nature.
There are only a few tickets left for our walking tour this Thursday, exploring six of these gardens. Come along and learn about their history: www.facebook.com/events/246046046131207