Well Court

Well Court stands out for its bright red sandstone walls and its clock tower rising above the steep banks of the Water of Leith. The Edinburgh Social Union commissioned these tenement flats in eighteen eighty-four to improve housing for local mill workers. Architect Sydney Mitchell designed the complex to replace the crumbling slums that once lined the river. John Findlay, a benefactor of the project, insisted on the medieval-style courtyard layout to give residents a sense of pride and community in their daily lives.