Granton Harbour lies on the Firth of Forth, to the west of Leith and Newhaven harbours, about three miles to north of Edinburgh.Granton forms part of Edinburgh's waterfront along the Firth of Forth, and was historically an industrial area, largely due to the size of the harbour. In the later part of the 20th century, the area became extensively derelict, leading to moves to redevelop Granton as part of Edinburgh's large scale waterfront regeneration programme.

Granton Harbour was begun in 1836 by the 5th Duke of Buccleuch on part of his estate of Caroline Park, of which only the house and a small area of grounds remains today. Lighthouse engineer Robert Stevenson oversaw construction, which was completed in 1863, although part of the harbour was open by 1838. Constructed using stone chiefly quarried from adjacent land owned by the Duke of Buccleuch, it provided a deep water harbour for the steamships that were gradually replacing the old sailing ships.

The middle pier, some 520 m (1,700 ft) long and between 24 m (80 ft) and 49 m (160 ft0 wide, and two breakwaters, each over 915 m (3,000 ft) long, created two harbours - the Western Harbour, of some 27.1 hectares (67 acres), and theEastern Harbour , of some 21 heactares (52 acres). Much of Western Harbour was reclaimed in the 20th century, and more is now being reclaimed as part of the Edinburgh Waterfront project. The pier was named 'Victoria Jetty', after Queen Victoria, and was partially completed and opened on her coronation day, 28 June 1838. The Queen visited Edinburgh on 15 September, 1942, arriving at Middle Pier on the Royal Yacht, 'Royal George', and departed on board the 'Trident'. The 1,700 ft pier was completed in October 1844.

The harbour had a large fishing fleet. In 1850, the world's first ferry-train began operating between Granton and Burntisland, Fife (see entry). The paddle-steamer Leviathan carried the trains, which formed the main link across the Forth until completion of the Forth Bridge in 1890. Granton Hotel nearby (see entry) was built in 1838 for passengers. Passenger and car ferry services continued into the 1960s. Two boat clubs jointly run the Edinburgh Marina: the Forth Corinthian Yacht Club and the Royal Forth Yacht Club. In the 1980s West Granton was one of the most deprived areas with most of the housing boarded up and was demolished around 1995.

Granton Gasworks were formerly one of Edinburgh waterfront's most prominent landmarks, comprising three blue gasometers and a station (see entry) which were clearly visible from Fife. Two of the structures, built in the 1930s and 1970s, have now been demolished. The third structure remains, and is listed as an example of Victorian industrial architecture. The gasworks site is spread over 44 heactares (110 acres), and is to be redeveloped as the ForthQuarter, a mixed use development of housing, offices, local services, a park, and a new campus for Telford College.

The oldest surviving car factory building in Britain is also located in Granton. The Madelvic Motor Carriage Company works (see entry) were built in 1898 for the manufacture of electric cars. Like the gasometers, the factory is also a listed building.