Cafe and shops at the Canonmills Bridge over the Water of Leith

Canonmills Bridge

This photograph was taken on a fine day in March 2006. The of cafe and shops at the bridge over the Water of Leith at Canonmills was taken from the foot of Brandon Terrace at Canonmills.

Recollections

Allan Dodds

Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England

Thank you to Allan Dodds who wrote:

1940s

McGlashen's Stonemasons

"Your picture of Canonmills Bridge reminds me of how it was in the 1940s.

The shops and restaurant in my day were part of McGlashens, stonemasons. They advertised examples of their work there, invariably tombstones.

Behind the frontage was a yard (now a car park) where huge blocks of granite were sawn into smaller pieces by a machine. The sawing went on throughout the night and to a young child it was a comforting sound, although my parents always complained that their sleep had been disturbed.

The only continuity today is the fireplace specialist who sells stone fireplaces."

Allan Dodds, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England: February 6, 2010

Recollections

Peter Stubbs

Edinburgh

1960s

Ships' Chandlers

"I moved to Edinburgh in 1963 and lived near Stockbridge, in Inverleith Terrace. I remember the the stonemasons that Allan speaks of, and the yard behind the shop.

The main shop that I remember on Canonmills Bridge in the late-1960s was a ship's chandlers, owned by one of the Tulloch family. It sold parts for yachts and dinghies and was used by members of the yacht clubs at Granton Harbour and Cramond. It has now become a restaurant."

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: February 6, 2010