Built in the 19th century to improve living conditions for the working classes, Edinburgh Colonies are now hugely-sought after homes with some selling for upwards of £300,000.
Pioneered in Edinburgh and Leith, the unique-looking properties were built to house the city's artisans and skilled workers and their families.
They usually consisted of rows of terraced houses with front doors on opposite sides of the building, allowing each occupier to have their own front garden and external lavatory - luxuries that were unavailable to working class tenement dwellers.
READ MORE: The history of the Edinburgh Colonies and how they got their name
The first example of this type of model dwelling house was built by the Pilrig Model Dwellings Company at Pilrig on the boundary between Edinburgh and Leith in 1850. Four rows of housing were built on the site, containing a total of 44 homes.
Several more of the developments were to follow over the next 60 years, with the most well-known being located at Stockbridge, Dalry, Leith Links and Abbeyhill.
The name 'colony' is thought to have been derived from the fact the early developments were situated outside of the city boundaries.
Originally costing as little as £130, the compact properties are now incredibly sought after in Edinburgh with some selling for upwards of £300,000.
Colony housing can still be found all over Edinburgh and Leith in ten locations. Click on our photo gallery below to view the full list.
A new book, Happy Homes: Cooperation, Community and the Edinburgh Colonies, by Professor Richard Rodger, has been published that looks at the history of the iconic colony homes.
The book takes its title from the Reverend James Begg’s 1866 publication, “Happy Homes and How to Get Them”. Begg was one of several influential Free Church of Scotland ministers who encouraged better housing as an alternative to what they perceived as the ungodly overcrowded and insanitary tenement flats in the Old Town.
You can purchase the book here.
