James Leslie (engineer)

James Leslie FRSE (25 September 1801–29 December 1889) was a Scottish civil engineer specialising in docks, harbours bridges and reservoirs, largely on the east coast of Scotland.

[1] In 1818 he was articled to William Henry Playfair as an architect, but in 1824 he left this position to pursue engineering.

In 1830 he lived at 19 Constitution Street in Leith, located close to the main east entrance to the docks (fragments of the house remain).

In 1858 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh his proposer being David Stevenson.

In partnership with his son and son-in-law (see below) he ran Leslie & Reid from offices at 2 Charlotte Square.