The 'In the Firth of Forth' series includes:
Blackness Bank;
Ferries, Bridges & Whisky;
Dalmeny Dander;
In the Firth of Forth;
Riveting Newhaven;
Fisherrow Fumble;
and
Berwick Breeze.
The village of Newhaven, which is one of 38 conservation areas
in Edinburgh, started as a ship-building centre and later became a
fishing port. The houses in the village, which is just across the
main road, still have an 'olde-worlde' feel, and are reminiscent of
the wee fishing houses in the small villages along the Northern
shores of the Firth of Forth in Fife. It's a pleasant short stroll
around the village. Victoria Primary School, established in the
1850's, is a historic building in Newhaven Main Street, and is the
oldest local authority primary school still in use in Edinburgh.
With a small school role of 120 pupils, it has been under threat of
closure in recent years.
King James IV founded Newhaven in 1500 as a royal dockyard for
building much larger ships than was possible at Leith. He built
housing for an international workforce, which included French,
Dutch and Flemish craftsmen. The most famous ship built at Newhaven
was the Great Michael, the biggest of its time. It was launched in
1511 and took six years to build. It was 240 feet long, 36 feet
wide and had a hull of oak 10 feet thick. A crew of 420 manned her,
and the ship was able to carry 1000 troops. It is said its
construction laid waste to all the woods in Fife. My TB Little
Michael was launched from
Ships, Claret & Golf in memory of The Great Michael, and
has now travelled over 10,000 miles visiting harbours and seaports
around the world.
Newhaven was known as the premier oyster port of Scotland from
1572 until around 1890, when they became scarce due to overworking.
Herring was the main catch after that, and Newhaven became the
fish-market for Edinburgh in the late 19th Century. David Hill and
Robert Adamson took photographs of the Newhaven fisher-folk in
1843, and these comprised one of the first social history
photographic records. Other well-known photographers of the time,
such as David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson, also did many
studies of the fishwives of Newhaven. There are some good websites
that illustrate the old photographs
here and
here
The Newhaven fish-wives, with their cries of "Caller Ou" and
"Caller Herrin", were a common sight on Edinburgh streets from the
middle-ages, but the last one retired in 1974. They wore
distinctive striped outfits.
Newhaven Heritage museum, beside the old fish market at the side
of the harbour, is well worth a visit. The fish market was split
into 3 sections in 1994 and there is still a part that is
operational. The museum contains old photographs, and fishwives
costumes for children to dress up in. The museum is open from 12
noon until 4.45pm every day and admission is free.
From Newhaven harbour, you can take the 'Maid of the Forth'
to Inchcolm Island, and also the Seafari dinghy trip around the
Firth of Forth (highly recommended).
The cache is small, but in plain sight - you do not have to
search for it. However, you will need keen eyes, and also a
pen!