Maps on this site and more

A number of maps are available on this site:

Maps from the Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory:

The maps from 1933, 1940 and 1952 are linked so that you can easily compare the same areas over the years.

This section of the NLS website allows you to view historical maps in various formats. Probably the easiest way to view them is to use the KML files which show the maps overlaid on Google Earth. (The page includes a link to download Google Earth if you do not already have it installed.) Alternatively the ‘view map’ option allows maps to be viewed with a recent map as a background, making it easy to relate features to the present day. The maps can be zoomed to show very good detail. They show the city of Edinburgh, and most include Granton. The 1852 and 1877 Ordnance Survey maps are particularly interesting.

The Addressing History website links Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory information and can be searched in a number of ways.

The sources below sell reprint versions of old Ordnance Survey (OS) maps, which are relatively inexpensive. These maps may also be available from local bookshops. The National Library of Scotland will provide colour photocopies of maps in their collection – see link above.

The Alan Godfrey map is reprinted at 1:4,340 and described as 1894.

There are numerous maps in the National Library of Scotland map room at Causewayside – see link above – which may be studied on their premises. The City of Edinburgh Central Library has a collection of maps in the Edinburgh Room at George IV Bridge, but some are available on microfiche only.