Panorama taken from a bridge over the Water of Leith in Edinburgh in Dean. The picture shows some of the old buildings of Dean built here along the river.

Dean Village - Edinburgh visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Dean Village' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Lothian.

Dean Village lies a little west of the center of Edinburgh. 'Dean' (or dene) meas deep valley, and this reflects the village's location along the Water of Leith. This is an ancient area with records of a milling community here dating back to 1128. At one time there were 11 mills, operated by the Incorporation of Baxters (Bakers Guild), supplying meal for the growing town of Edinburgh as well as for the surrounding villages.

Dean is an attractive area to walk around, full of old buildings and narrow passages. Tourist attractions in the area include the Dean Gallery, Dean Gardens, Dean Cemetery, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and views from Dean Bridge. Some of the old mill stones lie in a small park on Miller Row. Nearby on Bell's Brae are various other panels and buildings from the Baxter era. At the top is Kirkbrae House, prominent at the souther end of Dean Bridge it used to serve as a tavern for the Baxters in the 17th century.

At the heart of Dean is Well Court, built around 1884. The building has a clock tower and was once the village hall. Nearby are the Hawthorn Buildings, half timber buildings lining the southern side of the Water of Leith dating from around 1895. The Hawthorn Buildings can be seen in this picture.

The Water of Leith Walk runs alongside the river here and is popular with locals.

Bus: Dean Bridge
Dean is just over a mile from Waverley Station and the Tourist Information Centre. The easiest way to walk there is west along Princes Street, continue past St John's Church onto Shandwick Place, and then turn right onto Queensferry Road which passes over Dean Bridge.