Thomas Cleghorn was a seedsman, born on a farm in the Borders. By the time he was in his 20s, he had moved to Edinburgh and was working for the highly reputable gardening company of Dickson Brothers, Seedsmen and Florists. Gardening was becoming increasingly fashionable in Scotland, and Edinburgh was no slouch in the competition for the best herbaceous borders.
There was a market for good gardeners and reliable suppliers of seed in the city. In 1832, Thomas established himself in his own business, and announced his new seed shop on Princes Street, opposite the Register Office. Shoppers and gardeners could discover the “fine condition of his annual supply of bulbous flowers and roots, direct from the most eminent growers in Holland, consisting of an extensive collection of Hyacinths, Narcissus, and Anemones”.
A map of Edinburgh’s city centre in 1835 shows just how well Thomas was doing. Where we see East Princes Street Gardens today, shoppers and strollers in the very New Town would have seen Cleghorn's Nursery and Flower Gardens. Underhand dealings by railway investors Thomas had signed a 28-year lease on this land reclaimed from the drained Nor Loch.
A park was to be created for the keyholders of the new Gardens. Subscribers were thrilled by the design Mr Cleghorn presented. The steep slopes that had once led down to a ‘stagnant puddle’ were already planted with trees and shrubs.
Rustic walks were planned through glades of holly and Portuguese laurel. It wasn’t t.
