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The pub’s story
P L Henderson designed the rock-faced tenement and timber pub frontage in 1895. Four years later the licensed premises received the interior that still defines Leslie's Bar. A long island counter divides the public bar from the former saloon side. Above it, mirrored glass and coloured leaded panels form snob screens, with small ticket-window hatches that once let lounge customers order without being seen from the public bar. At the far end, a separate gantry carries a water tank originally used for pumping draught ale, with a clock below. Stone pilasters, embossed Arcadian figures, a garlanded Lincrusta frieze and plaster ceiling roses complete the room. The name is thought to come from John Leslie, the second licensee, who held the licence from 1902 to 1924. Later work was restrained: a 1958 restoration, then alterations in 1969 and 1973. The interior was listed at Category B in 2000 and CAMRA recognises it as a nationally important historic pub interior.
What to notice
- 01
The surviving room is principally the 1899 scheme, not the 1895 shell. Historic Environment Scotland lists the interior at Category B.
- 02
The little hatches below the coloured glass are ticket windows. They let lounge customers order without being seen from the public bar.
- 03
The fascia says JOHN LESLIE. The name is thought to come from the second licensee, who held the licence from 1902 to 1924.
The time rail
The building, the pub and its interior may date from different periods. The timeline keeps documented dates separate from tradition.
P L Henderson designed the four storey rockfaced sandstone tenement and the pub's timber-clad frontage; the ground floor was laid out with a small shop as well as licensed premises.
The interior was refurbished, and most of the features and layout in the pub today date from this scheme.
The small shop on the ground floor had already been annexed by the bar as a store room.
John Leslie held the licence as the second licensee; the pub's name is thought to derive from him.
A restoration this year is credited with the timber dado panelling, said to have come from a neighbouring house, and with the snug at the rear of the lounge.
The only other refurbishments documented in the Dean of Guild records, mainly the opening up of the small former store room at the front of the bar.
The pub was added to the statutory list at Category B as LB46775.
Sources & confidence
Historic Environment Scotland's Category B record carries the whole chronology and an unusually detailed interior description: P L Henderson's tenement and frontage of 1895, the 1899 refurbishment that produced the surviving interior, the annexation of the neighbouring shop by 1899, the name's attribution to the second licensee John Leslie, the 1958 panelling and the 1969 and 1973 works documented in Dean of Guild records. CAMRA independently records the same interior as outstanding and nationally important, grades it Three Star, prints the Category B status, dates the pub to 1899 under Henderson, and adds that the hatches let lounge drinkers order unseen from the public bar and that the rear snug dates from 1958. The statutory grid reference converts to within four metres of CAMRA's map point, and a 2017 photograph confirms the frontage and its JOHN LESLIE fascia. The limits are narrow: the exact date of first licensing is not established, since HES notes the licensed use is not clearly shown in the 1895 plans, and the commemorative plaque inside has not been read.
Research reviewed
- 45 RATCLIFFE TERRACE, LESLIE'S BAR (LB46775)Historic Environment Scotlandheritage
SupportsCategory B designation of 3 March 2000 and the statutory grid reference; P L Henderson's 1895 tenement and pub frontage; the 1899 interior refurbishment and its survival; the full exterior and interior descriptions; the original shop annexed by 1899; the attribution of the name to the second licensee John Leslie (1902-24); the 1958 panelling attribution; and the 1969 and 1973 Dean of Guild refurbishments.
- John Leslie [Leslie's Bar], EdinburghCampaign for Real Ale (CAMRA)specialist
SupportsCurrent identity, address 45-47 Ratcliffe Terrace, postcode, phone, the absence of a website, current hours, the Good Beer Guide badge, and, from its Historic Interior tab, the Three Star grade, the Category B listed status, the dating of the pub to 1899 under P. L. Henderson, the unique ticket booth gantry, and the report that the dado panelling and rear snug date from a 1958 restoration.
- Scotland's Real Heritage Pubs (list dated 15.5.23)CAMRA Scotlandspecialist
SupportsSupporting evidence that the Three Star National Inventory grade for John Leslie, EH9 1SU, pub code EDN/174, was already held in May 2023. The grade itself is printed on the live CAMRA record.
- Historic pub interiorsCampaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) Pub Heritage Groupspecialist
SupportsThe National Inventory framework and the three star categories used for historic pub interiors since 2023.
- Edinburgh, 45, 47, 49 Ratcliffe Terrace, Leslie's BarWikimedia Commons, photograph by Dogwoodfireappearance
SupportsDated frontage photograph supporting the JOHN LESLIE fascia, burgundy timberwork, arched bays, entrance position and projecting clock.
