Edinburgh is known as a place for ideas.

Historically a powerhouse of philosophy, economics, science and medicine, Scotland's capital city is set amongst an elegant landscape of Georgian buildings, castles, cobbled streets, grand banks and libraries. There have been industrial activities  in the past - the printing presses, the breweries and the distilleries - but twentieth century Edinburgh was always more of a commercial centre compared to the growing manufacturing industry of Glasgow.

Today, Edinburgh matches ideas with production. The city has an undoubtedly entrepreneurial edge; from those working in the tech or financial sector, to the multitude of micro manufacturers such as woodworkers, stonemasons, printers and foundries all benefitting from the tourism, hotels and festivals the city attracts.

In this Make Works guide to manufacturing in Edinburgh we’ll tell you about the skilled craftsmen and fabricators nestled away in industrial estates, converted brewries to repurposed office blocks throughout the city. Who is making what, what’s being made where, and how you can be a part of it.

Leith

Stretching from the docks all the way into the town, Leith was, and still is one of the most industrial areas of Edinburgh. While companies like Roses traditionally sold Lime Juice to the sailors going off to sea, the docks provided work in shipbuilding and the harbour was laced in wealth for the merchants and maritime society.

Today, in what were once distilleries, print works, bakeries or assembly halls, Leith is a rabbit warren of buildings repurposed for creative or fabrication work. Starting near the water, you can find digital fabric printers like BeFab BeCreative, a bureau specialising in short runs for fashion designers run on Giles Street; through to small scale garment manufacturers, Kalopsia Collective in Ocean Terminal. Stop by any artist studios in the area, such as Coburg House, and you’ll be sure to come across dozens of individual makers too -  from weavers to metalworkers and jewellers.

If industrial estates are more your thing, then near the docklands you’ll find some slightly larger gems, such as french polishers Gabriel Polishing (the most passionate polishers we’ve ever met!) to traditional cast iron foundry Edinburgh Cast Metals -  making metal work for architects and artists alike.

More centrally, on Leith Walk itself, you’ll find jewellery workshop, Silverhub, which provides benches and classes for jewellers. Further up the street is the recently opened Edinburgh ReMakery -  a facility for repair, 3D printing and electronics.  No guide to Edinburgh manufacturing would be complete, without mentioning new start organisation The Edinburgh Tool Library on Spey Street Lane, which supports members of the community to borrow tools such as hammers, drills and saws for any number of creative and DIY projects.

Off Leith Walk you’ll find Out of the Blue Drill Hall, which in addition to having a number of studios, also houses its own risograph printing service, perfect for posters, zines and publications. While over near Leith Links are bespoke artist fabricators SPLINTR whose work focuses around the fabrication of commercial interiors and bespoke fabrication.

Further east, you’ll find the Albion Center just off Easter Road. This collection of workshops is where many woodworkers, such as Broad Workshop and Sharon Kirby share workshop space and often work together on projects. It is here that you will also find silk screening studio Tessuti Scotland, upholstery studio Native Flok and Ger Mac of Holster upholstery nearby. 

Powderhall

There is pocket of industrial space in the north of Edinburgh, which lies between Leith and Granton, and is known as Powderhall. Until recently, it was most well known for greyhound racing - but the name in fact comes from an old gunpowder factory which sat on the edge of the Water of Leith.

This area is home to a number of industrial estates and business parks full of suppliers, but most notable is probably Powderhall Bronze Foundry. This artist foundry uses the lost wax technique and creates work for some of the world’s most renowned artists, as well as teaching and offering a casting service for private commissions.

In this area you will also come across Beaverhall Studios, where surrounded by many other small maker businesses such as ceramics studio Cyan Clayworks. Offering access to facilities, courses, tuition and project support for designers, artists and makers interested in clay. 

Up the road, are B Scenic, a bespoke fabricator working on props, exhibition and interior displays, with laser cutters and a CNC machine nestled away upstairs. Further towards Granton are Sinclairs, a fabricator of bespoke curtains and soft furnishings for the trade and retail markets.

On Hawthornvale you will also find the recently built Edinburgh Sculpture Workshops - who offer purpose built public workshops for stone, woodwork, metal, casting and general artist production - which can be used by their members or just hired out by the day.

Old Town

The winding streets, tourist traps and intricate buildings of Edinburgh’s old town are not the most practical for manufacturing. However, in recent years, digital fabrication techniques have begun to set up shop here. This is largely because unlike traditional trades, the machinery required for digital fabrication takes up very little space so is better suited to the smaller spaces available in this area.

For example, in the arches near Waverly Station, you will discover laser cutting bureau, Uncover Lab. Then hidden away off the Royal Mile, you’ll discover Evergreen studio  - another laser cutting service, who specialise in cutting and etching on wood.

Head south to Infirmary Street you’ll find The Dovecot, home to a tapestry weaving, rug tufting studio and gallery in what was once a Victorian Baths. It has an incredible history in connecting artists with making. Along the bridges are dozens of small print and vinyl shops such as Signarama and Minuteman Press

Nearer the Meadows, look out for garment makers, Totty Rocks who alongside their retail space are seamstresses and pattern cutters making bespoke clothing for the likes of Nicola Sturgeon, Kate Moss and Gok Wan!

New Town

With its department stores, restaurants and townhouses the New Town is another spot where you would expect to find much of a manufacturing hub, but even here there are a few gems to be discovered. On George Street you’ll find Hamilton and Inches, a family run jewellery maker and repairer that opened its doors back in 1866. Upstairs from their shopfront, Hamilton and Inches have three floors of workshops with some of the best chasers, polishers and silversmiths in Scotland delivering a bespoke service to the public and jewellers alike. 

Down the hill, at Hill Street Design House you’ll also find a whole host of designers and makers, including scarf maker Karen Mabon, and Workhorse Press, a printing and publishing studio specialising in risograph printing which is a perfect process for making posters, prints and zines. 

On the cusp of the new town and Broughton you’ll also find Edinburgh Printmakers – a printmaking studio, gallery and shop providing open access to their facilities, alongwith commission printmaking and digital printing. They will shortly be moving over to their new home in Fountainbridge. 

Meadowbank

Today Meadowbank is known for it's discount retail centre, a running stadium and good views of Arthur's Seat. Back in 1901 however, this retail park site was home to both a brewery and a foundry - and the stadium was a rail works and a locomotive depot. 

Tucked away in repurposed office block however, you’ll fnow ind dozens of artists, designers and makers in St Margaret’s House. Make sure to look our for fashion designer and seamstress extraordinaire, Emily Millichip who produces bespoke and custom one-off pieces. You’ll also find Araminta Campbell, a weaver specialising in bespoke tweed pieces and Moody Monday who apply print to wall coverings, fabric and interior accessories using screen printing.

Outskirts and Lothians

Depending on who you ask, Edinburgh could be seen to sprawl to the beaches in East Lothian to past the Pentland hills. A perk to being small businesses, many fabricators and makers in Edinburgh choose to use this to their advantage and work from beautiful studio surroundings. The commuter-towns like East Calder and Livingstone in the central belt also play a large part in the manufacturing scene for Edinburgh, with many suppliers working not only with clients in the city but utilising their position to work across Scotland. 

In East Lothian you’ll find Old School Fabrications, designers and fabricaotrs of just about anything working from an old school house. Most of their work focuses on prop making, sculpture and installations but they have a very open ‘no job too weird’ attitude.

Mussleburgh is another hidden gem for interesting companies, where alongside space technology company Astrosat you'll find sign maker and fabricator Eastern Graphics whose production capactiy includes wide format printing, vinyl cutting and CNC routing.

For surfers there’s Jay Surfboards, maker and repairer of custom surfboards in Dalkeith. We’ve recently discovered Chalk Works who you’ll find over in Duddingston, run by Tim Chalk producing one-off commissioned artworks, fully inclusive from design to fabrication and installation, to the fabrication of artefacts, objects, models.

Moving to the central belt, in East Calder you’ll find Hunter Press, a fantastic letterpress studio run by Lyndsey Hunter which she started after finding an old Heidelberg press.  

In Livingston, you’ll find family run businesses like J Hewit & Sons, a leather tannery for bookbinding leather, and bookbinding supplies for the trade and makers. The company re-located from Edinburgh for bigger premises. Nearby, you will also discover thriving new businesses like Mike Stoane lighting - a manufacturer of custom architectural light fittings.

We’ve been exploring manufacturing in Edinburgh for a couple of years now but we know there’s still much more to be uncovered! If you live in Edinburgh and think you know somebody who should have been mentioned here, please suggest a factory so that we can make it as useful as can be.

You might also be interested in reading our Guide to Manufacturing in Glasgow.