Don't Mention the Trams...

Actually, this has no connection to the current tram fiasco but goes back to the system that replaced horse-drawn trams.

In January 1888 the Edinburgh Northern Tramways started the first cable-hauled trams, their depot and drive-mechanism sited on Henderson Row; the cable system only operated in certain central areas, not Leith or Portobello which were electrically powered.

In 1894 the Edinburgh Street Tramway lines in Edinburgh were taken over by the Edinburgh and District Tramways Company; on 1 July 1919 Edinburgh Corporation took over the operation of the city's tramways. The depot closed in 1920 and is partially preserved in the Scottish Life Assurance offices.

This is part of the original winding gear, discovered during alterations and now displayed by the pavement on the east side of the office.