Lady Lawson Street
Named after Lady Lawson, wife of Lord Robert Lawson of Hieriggs (High Riggs), who was Judiciary Clerk of James IV in 1493, the street was formerly known as Lady Lawson Wynd or Vennel. It originally lay only between Lauriston and West Port but was extended to Spittal Street after a Victorian Improvement Scheme.

Lady Wynd
This lane was named after a Chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Loretto, situated off the West Port.

Ladyfield Place
Thought to be after Lady Lawson but no evidence of this has been found.

Lauriston Place, Street, Terrace, Gardens, Park
The earliest map reference showing 'Lauriston' (Edgar 1765) shows the street running from modern day Forrest Road to the West Port by way of Lauriston Street. Towards the close of the 18th century the Tollcross to Lauriston section appears as Lauriston Lane and later Portland Place and West Lauriston Place. Probably named after John Lowrie or Laurie who feued land in the area around 1566.

The newly renovated and cleaned tenements bounded by Keir Street and Heriot Place, now owned by the Lister Housing Cooperative were built between 1814 and 1832.

The old Fire Station was built in 1900 on part of the site of a Cattle Market which remained until 1910. In 1907 the College of Art was also built on the market grounds. Before the Fire Station was built much concern was expressed about the possibility of fire engines colliding into droves of cattle.

Leamington Terrace, Road
Possibly named after the English spa town of the same name. A neighbouring street Montpelier may be similarly named after the spa resort in France.

Leven Street, Terrace
These streets are named after Alexander, fifth Earl of Leven, who bought Drumdryan House in 1750 and renamed it Leven Lodge. It was pulled down in 1905 to make way for the King's Theatre.

Bennet's Bar by the King's Theatre is part of a tenement built in 1872. The superb original 'Jacobethan' interior is set off by tiled pictures by William B Simpson and Sons of London. In 1900 the proprietor of the pub was Robert Marshall. The name Marshall can still be seen on decorative glasswork within the public bar and on the outside wall next to the King's Theatre. On the pub's doorstep are the words 'Established in 1839' which may refer to a former business of the Marshall family.

Lochrin Buildings, Place, Lane, Terrace
Taken from the Dalry Burn which ran from the Burgh Loch (now the Meadows), across Home Street and Fountainbridge to the Water of Leith at Roseburn. The Loch was completely drained by 1812.

The area of Lochrin was previously called Newbigging and changed to Lochrin around 1756.

Lonsdale Terrace
Built in the late 19th century, the street was named after the famous Edinburgh Physician, Henry Lonsdale of the Royal Infirmary, who died in 1875. This street was laid out for planning in 1822, to be called Morton Crescent. It was to be a slightly different shape from the one chosen and was to have been in honour of James Home Rigg of Morton and Downfield, on whose lands the Crescent was built.

Lothian Road
Kay's Portraits (1877) tells the story of how the road was built in one day in 1785 for a bet and to the total disregard of house and property. There is no historical evidence to back up this story. The road originally applied to Earl Grey Street (built in 1788) as well and, in 1822 the stretch of road between Morrison Street and Fountainbridge was called Downie Place (after the Chairman of the Union Canal Company) until the basin was filled-in in 1922.

Until the 1970s the Earl Grey section of the road was much narrower than the rest of Lothian Road. The latter had been widened on a number of occasions. A Painting around 1790 attributed to John Clerk of Edinburgh shows Lothian Road in its original state and is in the care of the National Galleries of Scotland.