Disclaimer

These reviews are provided for entertainment purposes only. They reflect the opinion solely of the named reviewers. In no way do they represent the views of the Institute of Geography, School of GeoSciences, or the University of Edinburgh.

Mayfield and Sciennes

• Leslie’s Bar

Leslie’s Bar 

19 August 2005. 45 Ratcliffe Terrace, EDINBURGH, EH9 1SU. [Map]
Mayfield and Sciennes
0131 667 5957
http://www.lesliesbar.com/

Jo and Paul, more than adequately refreshed, in Leslie’s Bar. Behind its rather plain façade, Leslie’s Bar reveals a rich, intricate, and beautifully-preserved Edwardian interior—little changed in the more than one hundred years since its opening (with the exception of some 1950s wood panelling and olde worlde light fittings). The central bar divides the pub neatly in two, separating the private bar from the saloon. The bar fitment is rather unusual, with a number of serving hatches on the saloon side through which orders can be placed, and drinks collected. In addition to the main public and saloon bars, there is a snug, and two side rooms. Leslie’s has a good range of ale, but can get very busy on Friday and Saturday nights. Come early in the week, and marvel at this slice of Edinburgh Edwardiana. On tap the night we visited: Derwent’s Carlisle State Bitter (3·7%); Harviestoun’s Brooker’s Bitter & Twisted (3·8%); Skye’s Blaven (5·0%); and Taylor’s Landlord (Landlord 4·3%). — Innes

From People’s palaces: Victorian and Edwardian pubs of Scotland (1989, 126):

In 1895 a small-time property investor by the came of Colin McAndrew commissioned P. L. Henderson to build a four-storey tenement at 283–287 Causewayside. On the ground floor, provision was made for licensed premises and a small shop. The pub, at 283 Causewayside (now 45 Ratcliffe Terrace), which Henderson designed for a spirit merchant called Donald Cameron, was acquired in 1902 by John Leslie; it survives in impeccable condition, and is still known as Leslie’s Bar. The premises originally consisted of public and saloon bars, with two small rooms at the rear, and a separate compartment for jug and bottle sales, but at a much later date the neighbouring shop was annexed and converted into a sitting room adjunct of the public bar. The long, rectangular bar counter, centrally-placed to separate the two drinking spaced, boasts a form of “snob screen” which prevents customers in the public bar from seeing what is going on in the saloon bar—and vice versa. The people in the saloon bar obtain their refreshments by applying at several small hatches, not unlike ticker windows in an old-fashioned railway booking office. The decorative detail is of an admirably restrained neo-classical character which effectively highlights the solid craftsmanship of the bar cabinetwork and bolection-moulded panelling.