image copyright Rachel Windsor

St Anthony Lane is so called because of the Preceptory of St Anthony, which was in this area. The Preceptory served as the only religious and hospital house in Leith for many years, until the creation of the Kirk of Our Lady, now known as South Leith Parish Church. The grounds of St Anthony went at least as far as Kirk Street, at the bottom of Leith Walk, and human remains were found when construction works took place, suggesting the presence of a large graveyard. The Preceptory is thought to have been associated with the Knights Templar, and in 1808 a Freemason's Lodge was built here.

The preceptory also controlled St Anthony's Chapel in Holyrood Park.