Photo Friday: Mews Of The New Town In Edinburgh

A while back, I posted about the delight of wandering the pretty mews in London – but did you know there are also mews in Edinburgh? Neither did I until I started spending more time in upmarket Stockbridge, and from there I discovered there are quite a few more dotted around, too.

While the Old Town in Edinburgh tends to get most of the attention, the New Town has some really lovely spots to explore. Some of these, like Stockbridge, have become big on social media with a couple of the views there, but other than that these spots are relatively off the beaten path – even when they’re right next to a tourist hot spot!

I’ve spent the past couple of years gathering photos when I have a few minutes to take a detour. I have to say – these make a delightful detour!

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Here are my favourite discoveries from my wanders.

Learmonth Gardens Mews

This is one of my favourite little streets that I’ve discovered in Edinburgh, and probably the one that kickstarted the idea for this post.

Just up from Stockbridge, this street is completely tucked away from the main roads, and it was really a random wandering on my way to work that led to me finding it.

Plus look at the start of it. It’s got a turret!

Dean Park Mews

Round the corner and right off the heart of Stockbridge is Dean Park Mews, another lovely street.

It’s quite a long street, so I had assumed all the roads around here were normal streets and I was quite surprised when I discovered this whole street is mews. Just goes to show there are surprises around every corner.

Belgrave Crescent Lane

Another one that took me by surprise because I often use a bus stop two minutes from here, and I had no idea it was here! This was a discovery after I’d decided to do this post, and I barely even needed a detour.

Belgrave Crescent Lane is above Dean Village and Stockbridge, just by Dean Bridge.

Just opposite here towards Stockbridge is another similar street, Lennox Street Lane. I did actually go there and have realised I have no photos because, I have just remembered, there were some guys standing around chatting and I felt a bit awkward standing and taking photos on a quiet residential street. So apparently I didn’t! *makes note to go back there to add to this post…*

Belford Mews

Literally right next to Dean Village, hidden in plain sight, is the lovely Belford Mews. This is the most recent one I got to, finally.

It’s one of my favourites so I’m glad I’ve managed to include it. It’s a really charming street and feels very much like a community.

There are even garage doors with the old signs!

This was probably my favourite street out of all of these to just wander. And to think I’d just left the crowds at Dean Village to find this lovely residential oasis next door. What an incredible place to live!

Dublin Meuse & Nelson Place

Tucked away in the middle of the New Town and only a short walk from Princes Street, an array of small houses are collected together in a square. I have no idea why it’s spelled “Meuse”.

However I was even more enamoured with these pretty houses above, on Nelson Place. You can see the mews behind, but these fit in nicely.

Jamaica Street North

Near to the above mews, I spotted Jamaica Mews on the map recently and decided to go take a look. It’s actually the streets north and south of the “mews” that are more like the traditional mews.

I didn’t have long to explore because this was a really roundabout detour on my way to work, so I’ll be coming back for another look around. It might be that Jamaica Street South is just as nice! Plus I didn’t even have my camera – the above photo is from my phone!

Carlton Terrace Mews

This one is a little out of the way compared to most of the others. While all the rest are in the heart of the New Town or Stockbridge, this one is out by London Road, past Calton Hill.

I’m actually annoyed because several years ago, I walked through nearby Royal Terrace Mews, which is mid when it comes to mews, and had NO IDEA that this was thirty seconds away. If I had, I might have discovered more of these Edinburgh mews earlier.

How gorgeous does that little corner look?! This might be dream levels of house for me.

Circus Lane

And saving the most famous for last – the Insta-famous Circus Lane.

This is one of the most popular streets in Edinburgh for photography – and I can see why! It’s an absolutely beautiful street, with St Stephen’s Church popping out at the end as the icing on the cake.

Circus Lane is a classic mews street, but the fact it’s so well known just made me more surprised that I didn’t know about any of the others!

It goes without saying that these are all residential streets, so it’s important to be respectful when visiting. Circus Lane has become a bit of a photoshoot hotspot and I certainly don’t want the others to follow suit. But as someone who loves photography, it’s been a delight to find these places and take a few quick snaps.

Hope you’ve enjoyed my little tour of a side of Edinburgh that isn’t often seen. Normal content will resume shortly!