The Pleasance (street)

This article relies excessively on references to primary sources. Please improve this article by adding secondary or tertiary sources.
Find sources: "The Pleasance" street – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

The Pleasance is a street just outside the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland, a remnant of the Flodden Wall flanking the west side of the street between Drummond Street and the Cowgate.[1] Historically, the street was one of the main routes into Edinburgh from the south, meeting St Mary's Wynd (now St Mary's Street) at St Mary's Wynd Port, one of the gateways of the town walls. The name derives from the Scots plesance, meaning a park or garden. It first appears in 1507 as the name of a nearby house, and was later transferred to the street and then the suburb which was part of the regality of the Canongate.[2] The derivation of the name from a nunnery of St Mary of Placentia, often mentioned in histories of Edinburgh, is an invention by William Maitland in his 1753 History of Edinburgh.[3]

The street is largely residential - mainly 19th century tenements and 20th century flats - although the University of Edinburgh owns property in the area, including a large new [2017] university student flats complex on St Leonard's Street, the southerly extension of the Pleasance, on a site formerly occupied by a Homebase home improvements and gardening store. In addition, although the Pleasance along with St Leonard's Street is a quieter area than the nearby main commercial centres and streets of the Southside there are several restaurants, pubs, a few shops, lawyers' offices, churches, and the modern St Leonard's police station. After years of planning blight from the 1960s and 1970s in which redevelopment of the formerly rather run-down area was hampered after the abandonment of bizarre plans to build a major road comparable to a motorway, from the late 20th century onwards the area benefited from a gradual renaissance.

## University of Edinburgh union buildings[edit]

Student Union buildings

The Pleasance contains a complex of university-owned buildings which, for nine months of the year, operate as one of the four Student Union venues that serve the Edinburgh University Students' Association. In August, the complex is converted to use as one of the major venues of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, for which it is most publicly well-known. The Pleasance Theatre Trust, named after the complex, runs the venue during the Fringe, as well as a sister venue in London.

The Pleasance complex consists of two main bars: The Pleasance Bar and The Cabaret Bar; the Pleasance Theatre (with a capacity of 320[4]); and several rooms that can be booked out for society use. Two LCD televisions and a large projector also ensure that all major sporting events are shown in the main bar. The Pleasance is the only one of the four student unions to hold a public licence, which means anyone can gain access without having to be a university student or signed in by a member.[citation needed]

As well as providing the opportunity to purchase food and drink, the Pleasance complex maintains a program of evening entertainment. Live comedy traditionally takes place on Tuesday evenings, with acts such as Russell Howard and Jim Jefferies appearing in recent years.[citation needed] The Edinburgh Folk Club use the Cabaret Bar as the venue for their gigs on Wednesday nights. However the busiest evenings of the week normally fall on Monday nights, with the Pleasance Pub Quiz for instance attracting up to 40 teams on occasions in recent years.[citation needed]

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Edinburgh, Pleasance, Flodden Wall". Retrieved 18 March 2013.
2. ^ S Harris, The Place Names of Edinburgh, London 1996
3. ^ "Edinburgh, Pleasance, 'Convent Of St Mary Of Placentia'". Retrieved 18 March 2013.
4. ^ "Pleasance Edinburgh: Pleasance One". Pleasance.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 August 2009. Retrieved 7 August 2009.

## External links[edit]

* Pleasance Trust website

* v
* t
* e

Transport in Edinburgh

Bus

Present|

* Lothian Buses
* McGill's Scotland East

Past|

* Edinburgh Corporation Transport
* Lothian Regional Transport
* Eastern Scottish
* First Scotland East
* Scottish Motor Traction
* Scottish Omnibuses

Rail

Present|

| Stations|

* Brunstane
* Curriehill
* Dalmeny
* Edinburgh Gateway
* Edinburgh Park
* Edinburgh Waverley
* Haymarket
* Kingsknowe
* Newcraighall
* Slateford
* South Gyle
* Wester Hailes

|

Lines|

* Borders Railway
* Edinburgh–Aberdeen
* Edinburgh–Dunblane
* Fife Circle
* Forth Bridge
* North Berwick
* North Clyde
* Shotts

Operations|

* Caledonian Sleeper
* Craigentinny TMD
* Haymarket TMD
* ScotRail

Past|

| Stations|

* Abbeyhill
* Balerno
* Balgreen Halt
* Blackford Hill
* Corstorphine
* Craiglockhart
* Duddingston & Craigmillar
* Easter Road
* Easter Road Park Halt
* Edinburgh Princes Street
* Gorgie East
* Hailes Halt
* Joppa
* Leith Central
* Leith Citadel
* Leith Walk
* Meadowbank Stadium
* Merchiston
* Morningside Road
* Newington
* Piershill
* Pinkhill
* Portobello railway station (E&DR)
* Portobello railway station (NBR)
* Ravelrig Junction Platform
* Scotland Street
* South Leith
* St Leonards

|

Lines|

* Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway
* Edinburgh Suburban and Southside Junction Railway
* Edinburgh and Dalkeith Railway

Operations|

* Caledonian Railway
* Edinburgh & Glasgow Railway
* North British Railway
* LNER
* Scottish Region of British Railways
* ScotRail

Tram

Present|

* Edinburgh Trams

Past|

* Edinburgh Corporation Tramways

Roads

Motorways|

* M8
* M9

A roads|

* A1
* European route E15
* A68
* A7
* A772
* A71
* A700
* A701
* A702
* A8
* A89
* B800/A8000
* A90
* Edinburgh City Bypass

Streets|

* Chambers Street
* Constitution Street
* Cowgate
* Drummond Street
* Easter Road
* Ferry Road
* George IV Bridge
* George Street
* Great Junction Street
* Leith Walk
* The Mound
* The Pleasance
* Princes Street
* Regent Terrace
* Rose Street
* Royal Mile
* South Bridge
* West Port

Bridges|

* Dean Bridge
* Forth Road Bridge
* Leamington Lift Bridge
* North Bridge
* Queensferry Crossing
* Regent Bridge
* Victoria Swing Bridge
* Waverley Bridge

Other

Air|

* Edinburgh Airport

Water|

* Firth of Forth hovercraft (proposed)
* Almond Aqueduct
* Bonnington Aqueduct
* Scott Russell Aqueduct
* Slateford Aqueduct
* Union Canal

Cycling|

* National Cycle Route 1
* National Cycle Route 75
* National Cycle Route 76

* Transport for Edinburgh
* Transport in Scotland

* v
* t
* e

Streets and squares in Edinburgh

Old Town|

* Advocates Close
* Chambers Street
* Cockburn Street
* Cowgate
* George IV Bridge
* Grassmarket
* Mary King's Close
* The Mound
* Ramsay Garden
* Royal Mile (List of closes on the Royal Mile)
* South Bridge
* West Port
* White Horse Close

Princes Street

New Town|

* Charlotte Square
* Carlton Terrace
* George Street
* Heriot Row
* Multrees Walk
* North Bridge
* Princes Street
* Queen Street
* Regent Terrace
* Rose Street
* Royal Terrace
* St Andrew Square
* Waverley Bridge
* York Place

Leith|

* Bernard Street
* Constitution Street
* Great Junction Street
* Henderson Street
* Kirkgate

North|

* Easter Road
* Ferry Road
* Leith Walk
* Raeburn Place

South|

* Bristo Square
* Drummond Street
* George Square
* The Pleasance

List of former Edinburgh street names

55°56′51.33″N 3°10′55.23″W﻿ / ﻿55.9475917°N 3.1820083°W﻿ / 55.9475917; -3.1820083
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template