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Portobello is a coastal suburb of Edinburgh once famed as a beach resort located three miles (5 km) to the east of the city centre, facing the Firth of Forth, in eastern central Scotland. Although historically it was a town in its own right, and is often seen as such by its inhabitants, it is now a residential suburb of Edinburgh, with a promenade fronting on to the wide sand beach. It lies between the suburbs of Joppa and Craigentinny. Prior to its current revival, its heyday as a resort was almost certainly in the late 19th century, and it was in slow decline throughout the 20th century. Its attraction was mainly limited to the inhabitants of Edinburgh, but some claim it was an attraction to Glaswegians, particularly when the Glasgow Fair "trade holiday" signalled the start of a two-week holiday for the west. By the 1960s it had evolved into an area of amusement arcades and some permanent funfair attractions. From the 1980s onwards these also gradually disappeared and by the end of the 20th century the Promenade had almost no attractions specific to its seaside location, although the Tower Amusements and Fun City amusement arcades remain as the only 'seaside attractions' to this day. ==History== The area was originally known as Figgate Muir, an expanse of moorland through which the Figgate Burn flowed from Duddingston Loch to the sea, with a broad sandy beach on the Firth of Forth. The name ''Figgate'' was thought to come from the Saxon term for "cow's ditch". However, the land was used as pasture by the monks of Holyrood Abbey and the name is more likely to mean "cow road" as in Cowgate in Edinburgh.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 Placenames of Midlothian )〕 In 1296 William Wallace mustered forces on the moor in a campaign that led to the Battle of Dunbar, and in 1650 the moor was the supposed scene of a secret meeting between Oliver Cromwell and Scottish leaders. A report from 1661 describes a race in which twelve browster-wives ran from the Burn (recorded as the Thicket Burn) to the top of Arthur's Seat. By the 18th century it had become a haunt of seamen and smugglers. In 1742 a cottage was built on what is now the High Street (close to the junction with what is now Brighton Place) by a seaman by the name of George Hamilton, who had served under Admiral Edward Vernon during the 1739 capture of Porto Bello, Panama, meaning literally "beautiful port or harbour", and who named the cottage ''Portobello Hut'' in honour of that victory. By 1753 there were other houses around it, and the cottage itself remained intact until 1851, becoming a hostelry for foot-travellers and becoming known as the ''Shepherd's Ha.〔 In 1763, the lands known as the Figgate Whins were sold by Lord Milton to Baron Mure for about £1500, and afterwards feued out by the latter to a Mr. William Jameson or Jamieson at the rate of £3 per acre. Jameson discovered a valuable bed of clay near the burn, and built a brick and tile works beside the stream. He later built an earthenware pottery factory, and the local population grew so that Portobello became a thriving village.〔 Land values subsequently rose, and by the turn of the century some parts had been sold at a yearly feu-duty of £40 per annum for every acre.〔 Portobello Sands were used at that time by the Edinburgh Light Horse for drill practice. Walter Scott was their quartermaster, and in 1802 while riding in a charge he was kicked by a horse, and was confined to his lodgings for three days. While recovering, he finished ''The Lay of the Last Minstrel''.〔 ''The Scots Magazine'' in 1806 said the lands were "a perfect waste covered almost entirely with whins or furze." Portobello developed into a fashionable bathing resort, and in 1807 new salt-water baths were erected at a cost of £5000.〔Gilbert, W.M., editor, ''Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century'', Edinburgh, 1901: 45〕 In 1822, the Visit of King George IV to Scotland, organised by Scott, included a review of troops and Highlanders held on the sands, with spectators crowding the sand dunes.〔 During the 19th century Portobello also became an industrial town, manufacturing bricks (the distinctive "Portobello brick" being locally famed), glass, lead, paper, pottery, soap, and mustard. Joppa to the east was important in the production of salt. In 1833 the town was made a burgh, then in 1896 it was incorporated into Edinburgh by Act of Parliament.〔Gilbert, W.M., editor, ''Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century'', Edinburgh, 1901: 176〕 A formidable red-brick power station (designed by Ebenezer James MacRae) was built in 1934 at the west end of the beach and operated until 1977. It was demolished in the following 18 months.〔Gifford, John; McWilliam, Colin; Walker, David; Wilson, Christopher, editors, ''The Buildings of Scotland - Edinburgh'', London, 1984: 650, ISBN 0-14-071068-X ,〕 Between 1846 and 1964 a railway station provided ready access for visitors to the resort, whose facilities came to include a large open air heated swimming pool (where the actor Sean Connery had once worked as a life guard) which made use of the power station's spare heat. It was closed in 1984. There was also a lido (now demolished) and a permanent funfair which closed in 2007. Two small amusement arcades remain: Fun City - Amusement Emporium and Tower Amusements. In 1901 Portobello baths were opened on The Promenade overlooking the beach. The baths, now known as Portobello Swim Centre, are still open and are home to one of only 3〔http://www.victorianturkishbath.org/_6DIRECTORY/Lists/Scotland/ScotlandEng.htm〕 remaining operational turkish baths in Scotland (other non-functioning baths exist). The Turkish baths are open to the public. Portobello Pier was a pleasure pier situated near the end of Bath Street. It operated from 23 May 1871 until the start of World War I. The pier was 1250 feet long and had a restaurant and observatory at the end. It cost £7000 and was designed by Sir Thomas Bouch infamously linked to the Tay Bridge Disaster. In a similar ending the iron supports rusted away and the pier was demolished as uneconomic to repair in 1917. The Promenade/Esplanade was created between the town and the beach in 1876. More short-lived, the Edinburgh Marine Gardens were built north of Kings Road in 1908/09. This included an al fresco theatre, an industrial hall, a ballroom (later used as a skating rink), a scenic railway, a "rustic mill and water-wheel" and a speedway track. It fell out of use in World War I and never recovered, giving it a mere 6 years of "full use". The speedway/motor cycle track continued in use until 1939 and the outbreak of World War II. The entire site was cleared in 1966 and is now home to the Lothian Buses Marine bus depot and various car showrooms. The building of Portobello Lido in 1933 and of the Pool equipped with the first wave-making machine in Scotland three years later helped revive the area for a while. The abduction and murder of young Caroline Hogg by Robert Black in July 1983 from the Promenade area had a severe impact on the area, which spent months as the centre of police and media attention. This publicity did little to help the already declining attendances to the fairground attractions. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Portobello, Edinburgh」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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