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Andy Arthur - ThreadinburghAtmospherically misleading: the thread about Louis H. Grimshaw’s paintings of Edinburgh
This thread was originally written and published in July 2023.
Today’s (July 9th 2023) Auction House Artefact was this evocative and eerie late-evening painting of the High Street in Edinburgh, looking towards St. Giles after the rain. Painted by Louis H. Grimshaw in 1895, in the “moonlit cityscape” style he inherited from his father, John Atkinson Grimshaw.
St. Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh, Louis H. Grimshaw, 1895The young Louis Grimshaw started working as an artist as an assistant to his father, helping with the details such as the people on moody and atmospheric late night scenes such as this one, “Glasgow, Saturday Night“, showing the hustle and bustle of the Broomielaw on the Clyde. The Grimshaws talent was one of capturing the ethereal glow of a sunset or moonlight as it reflected through clouds upon a wet cityscape and contrasting that with the bright, artificial lights of modernity. They also chose to deliberately avoid the dirt, grime and squalor of Victorian town life in their paintings, creating evocative but fundamentally sanitised scenes.
“Glasgow, Saturday Night”. John Atkinson Grimshaw, 1886Father and son worked together until the former’s death in 1893. At this juncture, Louis continued the style and subject matter himself. In his painting of St. Giles, we see the historic and frequently decrepit Old Town portrayed as a modern and prosperous city, with glowing shop lights, busy shoppers, clean streets, neat rows of gas lamps a horse tram picking up passengers. (This was the brief 12 year period when the Old Town had a tram route up the High Street, which was lost the year after this scene was painted when the horse trams moved over to cable traction and the route was shifted down the Mound instead)
Details. St. Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh, Louis H. Grimshaw, 1895Despite his talents, Louis Grimshaw packed in the unpredictable and insecure life as painter in 1905, swapping it for the steady pay and regular work of a cartographer, for The Guardian, in 1905. As such he left a limited body of work and it commands high prices – £70-100k for the St. Giles painting when it last sold in 2008. He mainly depicted London but seems to have painted 3 Edinburgh scenes in 1895. Below we have the classic view up the High Street from “John Knox’s” House looking towards the Tron Kirk and St. Giles, the moon glowing somewhere above Auld Reekie’s smoggy cloak.
Looking up the High Street to the Tron Kirk, Louis H. Grimshaw, 1895A small troop of Highlanders are marching downhill from the Castle to Holyrood. The gaslamps are lit, the shop windows are bright and on the right is the welcoming lamp and incongruous (for the Old Town) classical columns of Carrubers Close Mission.
Details. Looking up the High Street to the Tron Kirk, Louis H. Grimshaw, 1895Grimshaw’s scene matches *very* closely a photograph from the 1890s by John Patrick one can’t but wonder if it was the inspiration. The photo also shows the reality of the High Street compared to Grimshaw’s stylised, gentrified painting. Mixed in with the bustle and prosperity are the shoeless, malnourished children and obvious signs of the decaying, overcrowded accommodation of the Old Town that made life here so tenuous for so many children
High Street, Edinburgh, looking towards the Tron Kirk and St. Giles, by Robert Patrick, c. 1890, CC-by-NC National Galleries ScotlandIn fact, it’s such a close match, I think that Grimshaw’s scene can only have been a tracing of Patrick’s photograph. See for yourself below:
Grimshaw’s painting overlaid on Patrick’s photographGrimshaw’s last Edinburgh scene (that I can find) shows Holyroodhouse from the foot of the Canongate. Again the moon behind the cloud and smog casts an eerie glow over the damp road. Again the lights are bright and streets are clean. Again this is very sanitised scene compared to the reality of life in the Canongate at that time.
Holyroodhouse from the Canongate, Louis H. Grimshaw, 1895The reality was that in the 1890s, the Canongate – at one time long ago the suburban retreat of the City’s wealthy classes – was a crumbling, overcrowded and insanitary neighbourhood, where disease, malnourishment and poverty were endemic and child mortality was high.
Stereoscopic view of Canongate looking east towards Holyrood, Thomas Begbie, 1887. From the Cavaye Collection © Edinburgh City LibrariesDon’t get me wrong, I love these paintings and the artist’s skill in conjouring up the atmosphere. But they are a set-dressed fantasy, this thread on the diet of the working class of the Canongate in 1901 gives a window on what life was really like here for many. My Mum’s family lived this reality, at this time- flitting between the slums of the Canongate, High Street, St. Leonards and Stockbridge, constantly on the move; looking for something better or leaving behind something worse. They were Irish immigrant labourers, at the very bottom of the pile, and that reality was of their eleven children, eight predeceased their mother and four never made their 1st birthday. Of the children that survived to adulthood, five died as young adults from TB: even in the better times of the 1930s and 40s, the legacy of a childhood in the slums caught up with them.
Sorry. Ranty reality check over – please don’t get me wrong, these are very nice and evocative paintings. Stick a couple of dancers and a butler in them and they’d be quite like a Jack Vettriano scene. Do enjoy them; but they absolutely need a word of caution about how artificial the world is that they present us with.
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EditorDYFATTY CRIME CRACKDOWN: Major police operation targets Swansea hotspot
The Dyfatty Clear Hold Build project is now underway, targeting long-standing issues linked to serious organised crime, anti-social behaviour and community safety concerns in the area around High Street North and nearby tower blocks.
Led by South Wales Police alongside the city council and other agencies, the operation is being described as a “long overdue” intervention for residents.
Map outlining the Dyfatty area targeted under the Clear Hold Build programme(Image: South Wales Police)
‘Long overdue’ action
Chief Superintendent Stephen Jones said the first phase will focus on removing criminal influence and protecting vulnerable people.
He said many residents have been forced to live with the impact of organised crime for years — despite having no connection to it themselves.
“This work is long overdue for the people who live in Dyfatty,” he said.
Residents, officials and partners attend the launch of the Building a Better Dyfatty programme(Image: South Wales Police)Chief Superintendent Stephen Jones addresses partners at the project launch event in High Street
(Image: South Wales Police)
Three-phase plan to transform the area
The scheme follows the national Clear Hold Build model — a strategy backed by the Home Office.
- Clear phase: A year-long police-led crackdown targeting offenders and disrupting criminal networks
- Hold phase: Stabilising the area and preventing gangs from returning
- Build phase: Long-term investment to tackle the root causes of crime
Officials say the aim is not just arrests — but lasting change.
Millions pledged to ‘transform’ Dyfatty
Council leader Rob Stewart said the project will work alongside a separate regeneration programme expected to bring up to £20 million into the area over the next decade.
He said the combined efforts would help “clean up and stabilise” Dyfatty while supporting long-term improvements.
The initiative is being coordinated through the Swansea Public Services Board, which includes partners such as Swansea Bay University Health Board and Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service.
Community at the heart of the plan
Chair of the board, Andrea Harrington, said the project would focus on listening to residents and working with local communities to deliver change.
She described Dyfatty as a diverse area facing a range of challenges — but said partners were committed to creating a safer, stronger neighbourhood.
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Police crackdown on Dyfatty anti-social behaviour
Dispersal powers introduced after rising incidents in the area.
Three arrested after armed police incident
Officers responded to a disturbance at flats, with arrests made following an investigation.
Dyfatty flats set for major upgrade
Multi-million pound plans to improve ageing council tower blocks.
Major makeover for Croft Street flats
More than 100 homes to benefit from upgrades including new kitchens and security.
CCTV upgrade at problem tower blocks
New security measures installed to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.
New anti-social behaviour powers proposed
Council seeks views on tougher measures to deal with persistent issues.
High-rise flats evacuated after major damage
Residents forced out following a serious incident in a Swansea tower block.
High Street revival plans gather pace
Community-led projects aim to bring new life to Swansea city centre.
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𝙹𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝙹𝚎𝚜𝚜#FotoVorschlag
Typisch für deine Stadt/Region
»Typical for your city/region«
Browsers Book Shop with signage in #Cymraeg (#Welsh) and Saesneg (English).
#Cymru #Wales #NorthWales #Porthmadog #BrowsersBookShop #bookstore #ShopLocal #HighStreet #IndependentBookShop #StreetPhotography #CandidPhoto #photography #Fotografie #AmateurPhotography
Typisch für deine Stadt/Region
»Typical for your city/region«
Browsers Book Shop with signage in #Cymraeg (#Welsh) and Saesneg (English).
#Cymru #Wales #NorthWales #Porthmadog #BrowsersBookShop #bookstore #ShopLocal #HighStreet #IndependentBookShop #StreetPhotography #CandidPhoto #photography #Fotografie #AmateurPhotography
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