Robbie Broome has just created a lovely bright mural in Giles Street. And Sarah Fraser made him do it!

It depicts Leith trades over the years – on the top row rope-making, soap, glass, whisky, whisky storage, the ports and lead piping. On the bottom row there are images of whaling, ship steering, wheel, shipbuilding and timber.

If you saw the wall before it was covered in black patches and was very unsightly. Sarah looks out on it from her flat and became determined to do something about it. She started a fundraiser with local people and then commissioned Robbie to create it. Robbie works by day in a cycle shop so he is still working even during the lockdown, but he took two days off earlier this week to paint the design he had created.

We went to meet them earlier this afternoon, and if you happen to pass by you will see that it is really quite a delightful tribute to Leith in days gone by.

He wants to decorate the planters on Leith Links and on Leith Walk next if the council will agree, although first of all Sarah needs help to finish what they call the lollipop – a wall and circular area in front of the mural.

So if you would like to commission Robbie then get in touch with him here hello@rbrme.studio

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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.