Postcard by an unidentified publisher

Lutton Place

Thank you to Bryan Gourlay for providing the postcard above.

Bryan wrote:

Postcard

"Here is a postcard of Lutton Place. It has never been through the post and there is no maker’s name. Curiously, the image is not centred on the page. There may be a reason for this?

If the postcard was published in 1902 or earlier, it will have an 'undivided back' only the address being permitted on the back. So the small space on the right-hand side on the front would have been left for the sender to add a brief message.

- Peter Stubbs: July 27, 2008

Bryan added:

Early 1900s

"I don’t know the age of this postcard. It has no distinguishing marks, but it seems to pre-date the motor car.

St Peter’s Episcopal Church can be seen in the foreground on the right with St Leonards Church and Arthur’s Seat in the distance.

1931

Brian mentioned that his grandparents moved to the 'main door' at 31 Lutton Place in 1931. Please click on the thumbnail image below to enlarge the image and read more about No. 13.

It must have been an upmarket location when my grandparents moved to the ‘main door’ at No 13 in 1931 – a big step from their early beginnings in the Dumbiedykes and the much older parts of St Leonards. I’ve got the paperwork showing they paid the princely sum of £750 for their house - a lot of money at that time I suppose.

The photo of No 13 shows the long-gone, causey covered street and the stylish iron railings and gate which were grabbed by the authorities for the war effort.

The same authorities seized my dad’s and grandad’s coal lorry they used to deliver coal from St Leonards depot – instantly putting them out of business. I guess some coal merchants must have been exempted from this; or people had to rely on those still delivering coal by horse and cart.

While many railings have been replaced in some way or other, you can still see walls with only the small iron stumps left in some parts of Edinburgh.

Penny, New Zealand, February 11+12, 2008