In pictures: 9 of Edinburgh's lost lochs, including Nor' Loch where suspected witches and wizards were drowned

By Gary Flockhart

Lifestyle Editor

Published 20th Sep 2022, 17:56 BST

Updated 6th Jul 2023, 16:06 BST

Did you know the site of Edinburgh’s iconic Princes Street Gardens was once occupied bythe Nor’ Loch, or that for every hill in the city there was a loch?

Indeed, Edinburgh was once dominated by rugged hills, volcanic crags and deep bodies of water. Tens of millions of years of intense volcanic activity followed by several thousand years of glacial erosion in the Lothians carved out a dramatic and picturesque landscape.

Some of Edinburgh most famous lost lochs include Canonmills Loch, the Burgh Loch, and the aforemntioned Nor’ Loch, where more than 300 men and women were sentenced to be tried for wizardry and witchcraft either in the loch itself or around its banks.

Others – such as Duddingston Loch and Lochend Loch – survive to this day, but they are now much smaller than they were.

Take a look through our photo gallery to find out more.

The most famous of Edinburgh's lost lochs is the Nor' Loch.

. Nor' Loch

The most famous of Edinburgh's lost lochs is the Nor' Loch. Photo: UNKNOWN

The Burgh Loch once occupied almost the entirety of what is now the Meadows parkland. Over the centuries the loch shrank considerably, to the point where the town council agreed to begin draining it in 1657. Hope Park, or the Meadows, which we all know today was created in stages over the next 200 years

. Burgh Loch

The Burgh Loch once occupied almost the entirety of what is now the Meadows parkland. Over the centuries the loch shrank considerably, to the point where the town council agreed to begin draining it in 1657. Hope Park, or the Meadows, which we all know today was created in stages over the next 200 years Photo: Ian Georgeson

The most famous of Edinburgh's lost lochs is the Nor' Loch.

1. Nor' Loch

The most famous of Edinburgh's lost lochs is the Nor' Loch. Photo: UNKNOWN

The Burgh Loch once occupied almost the entirety of what is now the Meadows parkland. Over the centuries the loch shrank considerably, to the point where the town council agreed to begin draining it in 1657. Hope Park, or the Meadows, which we all know today was created in stages over the next 200 years

2. Burgh Loch

The Burgh Loch once occupied almost the entirety of what is now the Meadows parkland. Over the centuries the loch shrank considerably, to the point where the town council agreed to begin draining it in 1657. Hope Park, or the Meadows, which we all know today was created in stages over the next 200 years Photo: Ian Georgeson

There is evidence that a loch, the Cowgate loch, once filled the ravine between the Grassmarket and Holyrood. Its existence was recorded in the 17th century ‘Provinciae Edinburgenae Descriptio’, which states that there was a loch through the Cowgate until it was drained in the early 1400s.

3. Cowgate Loch

There is evidence that a loch, the Cowgate loch, once filled the ravine between the Grassmarket and Holyrood. Its existence was recorded in the 17th century ‘Provinciae Edinburgenae Descriptio’, which states that there was a loch through the Cowgate until it was drained in the early 1400s. Photo: Photographer: Scott Louden

Canonmills Loch once filled the large hollow between the bottom of modern-day Dundas Street and Rodney Street. It is thought the loch was once as large as Duddingston Loch is today. Between 1847 and 1864 Canonmills Loch was drained and the hollow transformed to become what is now King George V Park.

4. Canonmills Loch

Canonmills Loch once filled the large hollow between the bottom of modern-day Dundas Street and Rodney Street. It is thought the loch was once as large as Duddingston Loch is today. Between 1847 and 1864 Canonmills Loch was drained and the hollow transformed to become what is now King George V Park. Photo: Ian Georgeson

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