At the base of an early 19th century four-storey sandstone tenement built by David Freebairn and operating as a wine and spirit merchants in 1890 it has a little altered main bar and tiny snug. Note the plaque on the exterior “Leith’s Oldest Unaltered Public House (1785)”. It has a small front bar with bare boards, a curved gantry on the left hand wall with mirrors – the low top section is full of whisky bottles etc. A fridge and a glass washing machine have replaced half of the lower shelves. The panelled counter could be old but has a new top – the small return section at the rear could be a modern addition as it of different design to the rest. Fixed seating is post-war. Excellent ‘Raeburn’s India Pale Ale, Edinburgh’ mirror. The tiny front left snug is claimed to be where sailors met the ladies of the night – Leith is a busy port. A bare wood passage with toilets off leads to a bare boarded rear room with stone walls, pew seating and the wood surround fireplace is not old.
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