Cottages at the end of Burdiehouse villages

Recollections Burdiehouse
1.	Jimmy Cunningham Gracemount, Edinburg	End of Village Limekilns History
2.	Steven Oliver Duns, Borders, Scotland	The Road to Penicuik Bus Terminus The Name - Burdiehouse
3.	Steven Oliver Duns, Borders, Scotland	The Name - Burdiehouse The Road
4.	Jimmy Cunningham Gracemount, Edinburg	End of Village Limekilns History

Recollections

Thank you to Jimmy Cunningham, Gracemount, Edinburgh for sending me some photos of Burdiehouse Village, including the one above.

Jimmy wrote:

End of the Village

"Here is a row of houses at the end of the village, dating from the 1800s. I am led to believe that the road pictured here used to be the main road into the city from Penicuik direction."

Limekilns

"The old Burdiehouse limekilns are a few hundred yards away across the main route into the city, nearby. I wonder if these houses were anything to do with people who used to work there many years ago."

History

"I hope someone will be able to update us with a timeline and history of the area and some memories."

Recollections

Steven Oliver

Duns, Borders, Scotland

Thank you to Steven Oliver who wrote:

The Road to Penicuik

"I’ve just been looking at Jimmy Cunningham’s photo of Burdiehouse Village and can confirm that the road in the photo was indeed the original route into Edinburgh from Penicuik.

It was by-passed in the late 1960s, when the dual carriageway out to Straiton was built. Most of the east side of Burdiehouse was demolished to accommodate the new road, and the neighbouring village of Straiton suffered a similar fate, losing its west side.

Bus Terminus

"Until bus deregulation in 1986, Burdiehouse was the terminus for LRT services 18 and 37. They stopped in a lay-by opposite the north end of the village and then turned at the Burdiehouse access road to return to Edinburgh.

One service 18 journey did go beyond Burdiehouse, to Straiton. This ran in the early morning and was primarily for miners working at the nearby Bilston Glen Colliery.

The Name - Burdiehouse

"The name, Burdiehouse, is apparently a corruption of Bordeaux House, named as a result of a French family who settled in the area.

This was recalled in the name of the Old Bordeaux pub which was located on the east side of the old main road, at the access road into the village. Sadly, the pub was closed and demolished a few years ago and new housing now occupies the site of the pub."

Steven Oliver, Duns, Borders, Scotland: August 24, 2009

The Name - Burdiehouse

Stuart Harris, author of the book 'The Place Names of Edinburgh' has carried out a lot of research into place names, using old maps and other material. He quotes an 18th book, 'White's Liberton' as saying that Burdiehouse may have been derived from Bordeaux.

However, Stuart concludes that this is an unlikely explanation, and that Burdiehouse is more likely to have been derived from 'Barde' or 'Borde', meaning bank or rim or border which he says "aptly describes this place above the burn". [The Place Names of Edinburgh, pp. 126-7.]

Recollections

Steven Oliver

Duns, Borders, Scotland

Thank you to Steven Oliver for sending more comments about Burdiehouse.

Steven wrote:

The Name - Burdiehouse

"After I sent the email above, I remembered that particular block of houses was known as Bordeaux Place – the old street name is carved into the stonework of the building furthest away from the camera. A street name plate reading Old Burdiehouse Road is located directly above it."

The Road

"It’s hard to believe that at one time this formed part of the main road to Penicuik and Peebles. Certainly it wouldn’t have coped with today’s traffic volumes. It's a shame that part of the village was lost to the dual carriageway. I find these stretches of old road interesting as they are history in themselves."

Steven Oliver, Duns, Borders, Scotland: August 25, 2009

Recollections

Jimmy Cunningham

Gracemount, Edinburgh

The Name - Burdiehouse

Thank you to Jimmy Cunningham for following up Steven Oliver's comments about the name, Burdiehouse possibly being a corruption of 'Bordeaux House', and for taking the photograph below of a road signs on Old Burdiehouse Road.

Please click on the thumbnail image below to enlarge it.

Jimmy Cunningham, Gracemount, Edinburgh: September 8, 2009