Trinity House

The present Trinity House building, designed by Thomas Brown and built in 1816 on the site of a former Trinity House and hospital, served as the headquarters for the Incorporation of Mariners and Shipmasters in the Port of Leith for nearly two centuries. This charity was established to support the needs of injured and retired seamen and their families. Its origins can be traced back to 1380, when it was granted the right to levy a tax, known as prime gilt, on goods imported into Leith.

Little of the original building remains; on the left, viewed from St Anthony's Place, (the south face of the building), the only remaining exterior part of Trinity Hospital, dated 1570. The inscription reads:
"that goe down to the sea in shippes / That doe business in the great Waters / These see the works of the Lord / And his wonders in the deep / (Psalm 107 Verses 23 and 24)"

And, to the right on the same side, the oldest inscribed stone in Leith, dated 1555, which was transferred from the original building to this position when the Trinity House was rebuilt. The inscription reads:
"In the name of the Lord ve masteris and mareneris by1(d)is this hovs to ye povr Anno Domini 1555"

The cellars from the original hospital remain, and have had many uses over the years, probably for storage of wine and goods. In 1636 a grammar school used this building and around the same time Oliver Cromwell had the vaults taken as a store for his army.

Trinity House is now a working museum.