Edinburgh’s Historic Victoria Street : From tatted lace to fine teas, shops along this cobblestoned Scottish lane blend the old and new.

Edinburgh’s Victoria Street is what every historical shopping mall-- from Faneuil Hall in Boston to Covent Garden in London to Western Market in Hong Kong--dreams of being. Shops selling Victorian lace, contemporary opals and cleaning brushes for every conceivable task share common walls with a bistro with first-rate fare and a purveyor of fine coffees, teas and salads.

Victoria Street proper is no more ancient than the queen whose name graces its curving, bow-shaped road paved with cobblestones. But as the West Bow, a name that now applies to only its lower (or western) stretch, it dates back to medieval times: to the 1300s and earlier. James Grant, whose book “Old and New Edinburgh” (published in the late 19th Century) describes the houses in the original West Bow as “singular edifices, many of them of vast and unknown antiquity, and all more or less irregular, with stone gables and dovecot gablets, timber-galleries, outshots and strange projections, the dormer windows, patches and additions made in the succession of centuries, overhanging the narrow and tortuous street. . . .”

Present-day Victoria Street leads west, down a slope from George IV Bridge to the Grassmarket (an execution ground for 124 years), reverting to its original name--the West Bow--about two-thirds of the way down. It offers an irresistible blend of traditional old businesses and up-to-the-minute gratifications densely congregated within its archaic framework, which is found mostly on the north, or uphill, side of the street.

At No. 8, at the top of the street, the Old Town Bookshop’s dark wooden shelves are stocked to the ceiling with old books with an emphasis on literature and history. You might find a beautiful copy of James Grant, as I did, bound with a calf spine, or a first edition of Paul Scott’s “Birds of Paradise.” Or you can pick through the extensive collection of Penguin mysteries, perfect for reading en route and leaving on your hotel bedside table. Most of the narrow, four- and five-story houses that form an almost solid wall on either side of it, date back no further than the mid-19th Century, but part of the street itself is much older than that.

The former West Bow followed the twistings of an old road to Dunedin fort, which was used in the time of King David II, who died in 1371. Traces of its more ancient configuration reveal themselves in the dark and cramped stairs mounting almost vertically to the street called the Lawnmarket, next door to 22-24 Victorian St.

As recently as the 1960s, most of the ground-floor premises on the street were occupied by tradesmen and artisans’ shops, many of which had been here since the 19th Century. There was a ropery, a moleskin shop, a scales merchant, a tinsmith, two brush makers, tool merchants, iron mongers and a shop selling horn and wood ware. Most of these were closed during the ‘60s, probably as craftsmen retired and could find no successors.

The sole remnant from that era of Victoria Street artisans is Robert Cresser at No. 40. In that window hang a bath brush, two hearth brooms with brass handles, a whisk broom, push brooms of all sizes and types of hair and black and white horsehair shoe brushes.

Inside, shelves and hooks bristle with a brush for every imaginable use: a lime-wash brush of stiff Mexican plant fiber ($12.50), a yard brush of wood splits ($11), a boar bristle clothes brush ($9.25), a soft brush of gray hog bristle for polishing silver ($13), bagpipe brushes ($11 for a set of four), chimney sweep’s brushes ($14) and bottle brushes ($3)--all made by hand on the premises. The business is no longer owned by the Cresser family, but Edinburgh-born Stephen Gilhooly took it over from his father 22 years ago. The brushes are made upstairs in the workrooms, where the brush makers labor and where the beautiful stonework, vaulting arches and fireplace reveal the bare bones of the 1820 structure. Each brush is made of a particular type of plant or animal bristle, and each one has a distinctive smell.

At No. 26, MacKenzie is the only retail outlet in Edinburgh for the leather work of Alan MacKenzie, a saddle maker turned bag maker. His hand-made and finely finished variations of classic styles, such as the beautiful Gladstone bag (ranging in price from $430 to $470) or the traditional strapped briefcase, both made of heavy saddle leather, will last forever. MacKenzie also takes special orders.

If you arrive on the street before other businesses open, head for Kinnells House at No. 36 for morning coffee but note that even Kinnells does not open until 10 a.m. Inside you will find deep-crimson walls, black and white block linoleum floors, rows of shelves stocked with old teapots and teacups, a stag’s head and a model of a double-winged, single-engine plane hanging from the ceiling downstairs. Upstairs, large windows rising from banquettes to ceiling, provide a light and comfortable setting for indulging in strong, cafeteria-made unblended coffees, a variety of teas and pastries. They also sell a wide selection of coffee beans, teas, mustards, prepared salads and locally made jams.

Pine and Old Lace, at No. 46, presents an inviting aspect of the age. Hand-made lace shawls, embroidered tea cozies, collars, nightgowns, bloomers and baby dresses, trimmed with all kinds of lace, share space with stripped old pine chests and wardrobes.

Below Pine and Old Lace, the uphill side of the street becomes the West Bow. And there, at 87 West Bow, Clarkson specializes in British-made contemporary jewelry. Disregard, if possible, the incongruous and ugly modern display cases decorated with Union Jacks and focus on the semiprecious stones (primarily agate) in striking silver settings, made by Bill Hall (from $50 to $130). In addition, there are fine earrings in silver or gold set with opals and moonstones by Orkney jeweler Ola Gorie, and a group of Celtic-inspired pieces made on the premises.

The lower end of the West Bow tends toward the tacky as it feeds into the Grassmarket. The exception is Bow-Well Antiques at 103 West Bow. By the door, the words “God for all his Gift’s” are carved into a lintel next to the building’s date, 1616, proclaiming its antiquity. Inside, the antiques include a glass case of Victorian microscopes, a small corner of Scottish painted pottery and some furniture that I didn’t stop to investigate because it was too big to carry home. Instead, I was drawn through the large shop into a smaller back room with two cases of antique jewelry. Murdo McLeod is knowledgeable about Scottish jewelry, and his prices (ranging from $130 to $140 for Scottish agate jewelry) are very competitive.

Victoria Street is a rich world in itself, enough to keep a browser in history and more sensual pleasures, busy for days.

GUIDEBOOK

Where to Shop on Victoria Street

Bow-Well Antiques: 103 West Bow, Edinburgh; telephone in Edinburgh 225-3335.

Clarkson: 87 West Bow, Edinburgh; tel. 225-8141.

Kinnells House: 36 Victoria St., Edinburgh; tel. 220-1150.

MacKenzie: 26 Victoria St., Edinburgh; tel. 220-0089.

Old Town Bookshop: 8 Victoria St., Edinburgh; 225-9237.

Pine and Old Lace: 46 Victoria St., Edinburgh; tel. 225-3287.

Robert Cresser: 40 Victoria St. (West Bow), Edinburgh; tel. 225-1781.