Robert Burns

It stood on the north-western corner of the junction of Adelaide Street and Flora Street, originally right opposite the Union Road Nursery as we see here at the top of this mid-nineteenth century map. The Flora element (Street, Place and Cottages) comes from the nurseries in the area and John Rendle’s botanic gardens rather than any association with one of Scotland’s most celebrated Jacobite heroines – Flora Macdonald from the Isle of Skye – the one who helped Bonnie Prince Charlie escape after the Battle of Culloden Moor in 1746 and is commemorated in the Skye Boat Song. However one can’t help but wonder if that tenuous link was responsible for the decision to name this short lived Flora Street beerhouse in honour of Scotland’s king of the romantic poem and song – Robert Burns.

Licensees

1850 - Richard Slade
1865 - William Drew