Nor Loch
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The Nor Loch, also known as the Nor' Loch and the North Loch, was a body of water formerly in Edinburgh, in the area now occupied by Princes Street Gardens, which lies between the Royal Mile and Princes Street.
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[edit] Geological formation
The depression, along with the parallel one, now occupied by the Cowgate, was formed by glacial erosion during the Ice Age, when the icepack was forced to divide by the volcanic plug now known as Castle Rock.
[edit] Early history
The Nor Loch was initially a marsh, and part of the natural defence of the Edinburgh Old Town. Because the Old Town was built on a steep ridge (still clearly visible today), it expanded on an east-west axis, eastwards from the castle; expansion northward, as would happen with the later New Town, was extremely difficult at this point. The Nor Loch was thus a hindrance to both invaders and town growth.
At some point in the 15th Century the Nor Loch area was turned from marshland into a clear body of water, and existed for approximately six hundred years. It is thought never to have been particularly deep.
[edit] Middle Ages to 19th century
As the Old Town became ever more crowded during the Middle Ages, the Nor Loch became similarly polluted, by sewage, household waste, and general detritus thrown down the hillside. Historians are divided on whether the loch was ever used for drinking water.
The Nor Loch fulfilled a variety of other roles during this period including:
- Defence - Scotland, and particularly Edinburgh, suffered frequent English invasions during its independence.
- Witch dunking - over 300 suspected witch trials are documented at this site, as commemorated by a plaque on the castle esplanade, and it is possible that many more went undocumented. In many cases, these "trials" would have been fatal, and the suspects thus acquitted.
- Suicides - The Nor Loch was a popular spot for suicide attempts during its existence, later superseded by the city's bridges.
- Crime - The loch appears to have been used both as a smuggling route, and a site for the punishment of crime.
In the mid-19th century, the Nor Loch was drained and would form part of Princes Street Gardens, although frequent floods both then and now, threatened to "resurrect" it. As well as being an obvious health hazard, town planners preferred the area to be a park with gardens. For several decades after the Loch was drained, townspeople continued to refer to the area as the 'Nor Loch'.
[edit] Modern period
Although the Nor Loch was filled in during the 19th century, neither its legacy nor its name are entirely forgotten. During the construction of Waverley Station and the railway lines through the area, a number of bones were uncovered.
[edit] Other lost lochs in Edinburgh
The Nor Loch is not the only "lost loch" in the city. Another example is "Gogarloch" in the South Gyle/Corstorphine area. Like the Nor Loch, this was mostly marshland, rather than a true loch, and was also reclaimed for similar purposes, i.e. a park, housing and to build the railway to the Forth Bridge.
The Meadows, a large open park immediately to the south of the city centre, was once the Burgh Loch or occasionally the South Loch.
Lochrin is also a district of Edinburgh, and was also a manmade loch.
[edit] Further reading
- Fife, Malcolm - The Nor Loch, Scotland's Lost Loch (Scotforth Books, 2005)
