Wilkies Bar

In 1880, when the tenement was built, the ground floor was a cobbler’s shop and the cellar was a bakery. Two bakery ovens are still in existence 130 years later and each extends 10 yards into the back green at the rear.

Part of the cellar extends under the street pavement where there was a trap door which was opened to allow the flour to be dropped off the horse and cart onto a chute and into the bakehouse. At the turn of the nineteenth century the premises became a public house and, apart from a short period, has been a freehouse ever since. In the 1950s women were welcomed with a ladies’ toilet being created, and part of the cellar was converted into a nautical themed cellar bar, features of which remain to this day. At one time 20 years ago, one of the lengths of wall seating was jokingly referred to as ‘the dead man’s bench’ due to a number of deaths in quick succession – all due to natural causes of course.

‘the writer Irvine Welsh, who mentions Wilkies Bar in his novel Filth, brought James McAvoy, the star of Filth, in for a pint.’

Many famous Leithers pop in for a pint including Ken Buchanan, arguably Scotland’s greatest boxer, the writer Irvine Welsh, who mentions Wilkies Bar in his novel Filth, and he has also brought James McAvoy, the star of Filth, in for a pint. We also welcome many local politicians as well as a member of the House of Lords who returns to Leith every weekend. The present owner, Jim Wilkie, has run the bar for 22 years. Amazingly, we have a barmaid who has worked in the bar for 50 years. And yes, we’ve always been known as a bar and not a pub!

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