Puzzled by the rain

It is raining yet again and to add insult to injury, it is now cold.

Never mind, it did not stop me having a lunchtime wander to Hopetoun Crescent Gardens, which are ever so pretty, even in the rain.

The history of these gardens is quite intriguing. Hidden off Leith Walk this peaceful garden's claim to fame is it is the site of the original Botanic Gardens of Edinburgh.

In 1763 a Physic Garden , with a large plant collection, was established off Leith Walk by John Hope. The 5 acre site was designed to reflect the new discoveries and knowledge of Botany at that time. By 1820, when Robert Graham became the 3rd Regius Keeper, the Garden site established by John Hope could no longer accommodate its collections properly, so the decision was made to move it to a new site in Inverleith where the current Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh is now found.

The old site was built on as Edinburgh expanded and the small area of garden left became a neglected site - full of rubbish. In the 1990s the local community started to get involved with the site and in 2002 the Friends of Hopetoun Crescent Garden were established. They breathed fresh life into the park by clearing the rubbish, upgrading paths and installing interpretation panels.

Have a good afternoon and evening!