Walking along Leith's Newkirkgate now, you'd be forgiven for finding it hard to imagine what came before the current 1960s plaza lined with budget supermarkets and discount shops, which in turn leads to a quiet pedestrianised area ringed with severe-looking flats.
However, over 100 years ago this area was a thriving, well to do and busy part of town, full of merchants who had made their fortune on the back of the lucrative maritime trade.
The Kirkgate was originally used as the way to the kirk (church). South Leith Parish Church still stands, as does Trinity House - a listed building that was used as a centre for maritime administration- but little else remains, with countless historic buildings lost over the years.
One of those buildings was an ancient tavern called Cant's Ordinary, a quaint old building with a distinctive three arched frontage that was a popular Leith meeting point for centuries. It was owned - at least at first - by one William Cant who was said to come from a long line of seamen.
It's believed to have been built in the 14th century, which would have made one of the oldest pubs in Scotland if it was still running today. The Sheep Heid Inn, in Duddingston, Edinburgh, currently claims to be the oldest boozer in the country with alcohol being sold on the site as long ago as 1360.
But what really set Cant's Ordinary apart from the crowd was its celebrity clientele. It was visited by Mary Queen of Scots, Oliver Cromwell and King Charles II in its heyday.
Cant's Ordinary also played a vital role in the civil war that broke out in 1568 between the supporters of Mary Queen of Scots and those who ruled in the name of her infant son James VI. Edinburgh Castle became the focus of the conflict, which only ended in 1573 when the castle was overthrown.
Reconciliation between the opposing sides was attempted in 1578 - in a tense summit that took place at Cant's Ordinary.
After Cant's Ordinary was demolished in 1888, it was replaced with a restaurant called Kinnards, and one of its rooms - Queen Mary’s room - was decorated with a copy of the ceiling of its ancient predecessor.
A plaque was also put outside the Victorian restaurant to commemorate the lost historic tavern, which was in turn relocated to the block of flats that was built on the site during the 1960s redevelopment.
That plaque is now all that remains of this unique and significant piece of Edinburgh's history. So the next time you're passing, take a minute to check it out and think about Cant's Ordinary, and the other ancient buildings Edinburgh has sadly lost over the years.
