Did you know Edinburgh’s iconic Princes Street Gardens used to be occupied by the Nor’ Loch, or that for every hill in the Capital there was a loch? Indeed, Auld Reekie was once dominated by rugged hills, volcanic crags, and deep bodies of water. Tens of millions of years of intense volcanic activity followed by several thousand years of glacial erosion in the Lothians carved out a dramatic and picturesque landscape.
Some of Edinburgh’s most famous lost lochs include Canonmills Loch, the Burgh Loch, and the aforementioned Nor’ Loch, where more than 300 men and women were sentenced to be tried for wizardry and witchcraft – either in the loch itself or around its banks. Others – such as Duddingston Loch and Lochend Loch – still survive to this day, but they are now much smaller than they were back then.
Scroll through our picture gallery to find out more.
1. Duddingston Loch
Though not technically lost, in prehistoric times, Duddingston Loch is thought to have been at least ten times larger than it is today, stretching as far south as Cameron Toll and the eastern foot of Blackford Hill. Photo: ROB MCDOUGALL
2. Cowgate Loch
There is evidence that a loch, the Cowgate loch, once filled the ravine between the Grassmarket and Holyrood. Its existence was recorded in the 17th century ‘Provinciae Edinburgenae Descriptio’, which states that there was a loch through the Cowgate until it was drained in the early 1400s. Photo: Photographer: Scott Louden
3. Canonmills Loch
Canonmills Loch once filled the large hollow between the bottom of modern-day Dundas Street and Rodney Street. It is thought the loch was once as large as Duddingston Loch is today. Between 1847 and 1864 Canonmills Loch was drained and the hollow transformed to become what is now King George V Park. Photo: Ian Georgeson
