Embassy Cinema, Boswall Parkway, 1957 - Queue for 'Bridge on the River Kwai'

Recollections

Steven Oliver

Duns, Borders , Scotland

Thank you to Steven Oliver who wrote:

Supermarket

on the site of the Embassy

Laws

The supermarket built on the site of the Embassy Cinema was actually built for Laws of Gateshead, who had a number of stores in Scotland and north-east England.

Just before Christmas 1980, the building was gutted by fire and had to be stripped out and rebuilt, eventually reopening in September 1981.

Lows

When Laws was acquired by Wm Low's in 1985, the newly-acquired stores, including the one in Boswall Parkway, were rebranded as Wm Low.

Quicksave

Eight years later, in 1993, Wm Low's were bought out by Tesco, who sold the building and several other former Low's stores to Shoprite, and by 1995 it had become a Kwik-Save.

It closed around 1999 and was demolished a few years later, with a block of flats now occupying the site of the supermarket.

Steven Oliver, Duns, Borders, Scotland: February 10, 2010

Recollections

Steven Oliver

Duns, Borders , Scotland

Thank you to Steven Oliver who wrote:

Law's Supermarket Fire

"I can recall hearing the report of the fire at Law's Supermarket on Radio Forth news on the Sunday before Christmas in 1980.

It was quite a bad fire. I remember the news report mentioning that the ceiling collapsed during the blaze - and I remember walking past the supermarket the next day with my grandad and seeing displays of tinned food amongst other things (obviously ruined by the fire) through one of the smoke-blackened windows.

By April 1981, the inside of the supermarket had been stripped out, ready for the interior to be refitted. I remember seeing a hole in the roof of the building from one of the entrance doors which had been opened to allow a workman to wash it out with a hose.

There was a notice placed above the entrance which said something along the lines of:

We are sorry about the fire.
We hope to have the store
re-opened as soon as possible.

- Laws

Steven Oliver, Duns, Borders, Scotland: February 11, 2010

Recollections

Steven Oliver

Duns, Borders , Scotland

Thank you to Steven Oliver who wrote:

Scout Huts

"There was a scout hut on a site to the west of the Embassy Cinema, at the junction of Boswall Parkway, Royston Mains Gardens and Pilton Place

This scout hut burned down as a result of vandalism in the early 1990s and a new scout hut, which still stands, was built on the site of the old one."

Steven Oliver, Duns, Borders, Scotland: February 11, 2010

The new scout hut can be seen on the right-hand side of this photo, taken in December 2009:

Please see also, Recollections 4 below

Peter Stubbs: March 6, 2010

Recollections

Steven Oliver

Duns, Borders , Scotland

Thank you to Steven Oliver and his dad for providing the details below.

Steven wrote:

Scout Hut

"I've now got further information from my dad about the Scout Troops based in the Scout Hut next to the Embassy Cinema on Boswall Parkway between 1958 and 1964, which should fill in a few of the gaps of the previous contribution.

Tuesdays

"33rd Inverleith Troop (my dad's one!) - maroon neckerchieves
The Scoutmaster was Graeme Henderson, assisted by brothers Andy and Bobby Cockburn."

Thursdays

"123rd Inverleith Troop - blue and white trim.

The Scoutmaster was Tom Simpson."

Fridays

"33rd Inverleith Cubs, led by Akela, Violet Marshall, THEN

82nd Inverleith Troop - tartan neckerchieves
The Scoutmaster was Chris Hansen."

Steven Oliver, Duns, Borders, Scotland: May 19, 2010

Embassy Cinema

Here are links to two more photos of the Embassy Cinema:

1957