- 1 h 15min
- 2 km
- Start Stockbridge Market.
Finish Modern One. Moderate activity level. Stairs and uneven surfaces.
- Audio Tour
- 8.50 pp
- Purchase more than one and receive a discount
Have a listen
On this self-guided walking audio tour in Edinburgh’s picturesque Dean Village, you will chart the fate of the area from industrious prosperity to complete disrepute, before it became the most desirable residential district in Edinburgh.
The tour will take you around the old milling village that still contains traces of its Baronial legacy. You’ll see the old bridge, the tollbooth, the mill and the weir, which were all formerly controlled by the Incorporation of Baxters (bakers).
The narrator will also show you the easy-to-miss details on buildings, and share old maps and drawings as you walk the lush green banks of the Water of Leith.
* The Dean Cemetery that the tour passes through closes at 5pm in summer and dusk in winter, so it is best not to start this too late. The cemetery does not allow dogs.
- Audio
- 1h
History and Architecture
in Edinburgh’s Dean Village
“We found ourselves applying our new knowledge of architectural features for the remainder of our trip!”
Highlights
- St Bernard’s Well
- Dean Bridge
- Old Baxter’s Tolbooth
- Well Court
- Dean Cemetery
- Water of Leith
- Modern Art Galleries
- Gormley's 6 Times
How audio tours work
When you purchase directly from us, you donate £1 from every tour to the Society for Protection of Ancient Buildings.
- After you paid for the tour, you will receive an activation code by email, along with detailed instructions that follow below.
- To go out and do the tour, all you need is a free audio tour VoiceMap app for iPhones and Android devices. Install it on your smartphone via Apple AppStore or Google Play's store.
- Find your tour in the app by entering your code that you received in the email from us.
- Download the tour to your fully charged smartphone. The audio will be available offline along with an offline map.
- Fetch some earphones and explore with our guide in your ear.
- The tours are location aware, so you will hear directions and stories as you move.
- Pause anytime in wonderful cafes and shops, and take as many pictures as you please!
More about the audio tour in Edinburgh Dean Village
Along the way, we’ll answer questions like:
- Where are the signs of Dean Village’s former industrial activity?
- Which Scottish castle is the Well Court design based on?
- Why did the Lord Provost pay for the Dean Bridge out of his own pocket?
- Where does the name “St Bernard’s Well” come from?
Romantic Landscapes
The walk will start in Stockbridge market, with an introduction of the history of villages around medieval Edinburgh.
You will then stroll along the Water of Leith while trying to spot abundant local wildlife. Here your narrator will analyse the origins of Alexander Nasmith’s ideas and the embodiment of a Claudian landscape that is the site of St Bernard’s Well.
Having acquainted yourself with the influences of 1750s grand tours, you will approach the magnificent Dean bridge, Thomas Telford’s structure to connect Dean Estate to the New Town.
In the heart of Dean Village
You will then arrive right to the heart of Dean Village, the Baxter’s guild’s settlement that still contains the old bridge, a tollbooth, a mill, and a weir.
Here the role of flour milling, its heyday, and eventual demise will be discussed. Using existing buildings as examples, your narrator will introduce you to the wider subject of Scottish Baronial architecture.
Victorian Social Housing
As you navigate the lanes of Dean Village, you will come upon the red sandstone building of Well Court, Victorian social housing funded by a local philanthropist and the owner of the Scotsman Newspaper.
On the way to the galleries, the tour will take you through a fashionable 19th century cemetery and familiarise you with a few influential figures buried there.
Philanthropic tradition
Thomas Hamilton’s orphanage turned gallery will present a great opportunity to discuss Edinburgh philanthropy traditions.
The tour will end with a perfect shot from the landform sculpture by Charles Jencks facing a beautiful example of stark Greek Revival architecture.
More about the audio tour in Edinburgh Dean Village
Along the way, we’ll answer questions like:
- Where are the signs of Dean Village’s former industrial activity?
- Which Scottish castle is the Well Court design based on?
- Why did the Lord Provost pay for the Dean Bridge out of his own pocket?
- Where does the name “St Bernard’s Well” come from?
Romantic Landscapes
The walk will start in Stockbridge market, with an introduction of the history of villages around medieval Edinburgh.
You will then stroll along the Water of Leith while trying to spot abundant local wildlife. Here your narrator will analyse the origins of Alexander Nasmith’s ideas and the embodiment of a Claudian landscape that is the site of St Bernard’s Well.
Having acquainted yourself with the influences of 1750s grand tours, you will approach the magnificent Dean bridge, Thomas Telford’s structure to connect Dean Estate to the New Town.
In the heart of Dean Village
You will then arrive right to the heart of Dean Village, the Baxter’s guild’s settlement that still contains the old bridge, tollbooth, a mill, and a weir.
Here the role of flour milling, its heyday, and eventual demise will be discussed. Using existing buildings as examples, your narrator will introduce you to the wider subject of Scottish Baronial architecture.
Victorian Social Housing
As you navigate the lanes of Dean Village, you will come upon the red sandstone building of Well Court, Victorian social housing funded by a local philanthropist and the owner of the Scotsman Newspaper.
On the way to the galleries, the tour will take you through a fashionable 19th century cemetery and familiarise you with a few influential figures buried there.
Philanthropic tradition
Thomas Hamilton’s orphanage turned gallery will present a great opportunity to discuss Edinburgh philanthropy traditions.
The tour will end with a perfect shot from the landform sculpture by Charles Jencks facing a beautiful example of stark Greek Revival architecture.
Frequently asked questions
We no longer offer public guided tours in Edinburgh. Instead we offer self-guided audio tours for individuals, and private guided tours for groups.
Yes, we offer PRIVATE walking tours guided by a local architect, for groups of up to 30 people. These are well suited for study trips, meetings and conferences, however design geeks on a holiday are very welcome too! Prices start at £175 per tour.
Absolutely, if you are curious about cities and culture, an architecture tour will reveal lots of insights about Edinburgh.
The audio tour is available in English. Guided tours for private groups are also available in French.
On most audio tours of Edinburgh, we climb from 20 to a 100 steps. Our flattest walking audio tour is in the New Town.
Yes, except Dean Village where the audio tour passes through a private cemetery that does not allow dogs.
Select your audio tour and pay for it. After you paid for the tour, you will receive an activation code by email, along with detailed instructions.
To go out and do the tour, all you need is a free audio tour VoiceMap app for iPhones and Android devices. Install it on your smartphone via Apple AppStore or Google Play’s store. Then download the tour using your activation code.
Don’t forget your earphones!
Once purchased, Edinburgh audio tours are not refundable. However, your ticket will be valid indefinitely, so you can take the tour at any date, gift it to someone else, or enjoy a virtual tour.
Yes, but for the optimal experience and understanding of the content we recommend following a preset order.
Our Edinburgh audio tours are narrated by Olga Gogoleva, the founder of Cobble Tales. Olga is an architectural designer and tutor.
Yes, audio tour gift cards are available on our gift card page.
Frequently asked questions
We no longer offer public guided tours in Edinburgh. Instead we offer self-guided audio tours for individuals, and private guided tours for groups.
Yes, we offer PRIVATE walking tours guided by a local architect, for groups of up to 30 people. These are well suited for study trips, meetings and conferences, however design geeks on a holiday are very welcome too! Prices start at £175 per tour.
Absolutely, if you are curious about cities and culture, an architecture tour will reveal lots of insights about Edinburgh.
The audio tour is available in English. Guided tours for private groups are also available in French.
On most audio tours of Edinburgh, we climb from 20 to a 100 steps. Our flattest walking audio tour is in the New Town.
Yes, except Dean Village where the audio tour passes through a private cemetery that does not allow dogs.
Select your audio tour and pay for it. After you paid for the tour, you will receive an activation code by email, along with detailed instructions.
To go out and do the tour, all you need is a free audio tour VoiceMap app for iPhones and Android devices. Install it on your smartphone via Apple AppStore or Google Play’s store. Then download the tour using your activation code.
Don’t forget your earphones!
Once purchased, Edinburgh audio tours are not refundable. However, your ticket will be valid indefinitely, so you can take the tour at any date, gift it to someone else, or enjoy a virtual tour.
Yes, but for the optimal experience and understanding of the content we recommend following a preset order.
Our Edinburgh audio tours are narrated by Olga Gogoleva, the founder of Cobble Tales. Olga is an architectural designer and tutor.
Yes, audio tour gift cards are available on our gift card page.