A community garden in West Central Edinburgh, the West Port Garden occupies a steeply sloping site to the south of West Port, opposite Portsburgh, in the Old Town. First opened in 1910, to provide an area for children from the nearby slums to play and experience nature, it was inspired by urban planner Patrick Geddes (1854 - 1932), who was present at the opening, but designed and supervised by his daughter Norah Mears (1887 - 1967). Still tended by volunteers, the garden was revitalised by the Grassmarket Residents' Association in 2013, in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council and Edinburgh World Heritage. Lying next to a busy road and within a dense urban development, this small garden provides a haven for nature with birds including blackbird, chaffinch, dunnock, goldfinch, robin, thrush, tits and wren.
