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Fireplace at Dumbiedykes
6 Heriot Mount
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Wullie Croal's Fireplace -
6 Heriot Mountt
© Wullie Croal.
Thank you to Tam Croal (Wullie's son) for sending this photograph to me.
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1950s to
1960s |
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Shoes at the Fireplace
Thank you to Tam
Croal for sending me several of his dad's photos taken in
Edinburgh, mainly around the Dumbiedykes district and Holyrood
Park, between the 1950s and 1970s.
The photograph above
is of shoes and boots in front of the fireplace at Wullie's home. I originally thought that this photo had been taken at the
family's home at 44 West Richmond Street, Southside, Edinburgh -
but see 'Recollections 1' below. |
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Recollections
1.
Joyce Ritchie (nee
Croal)
London, England |
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Thank you to Joyce
Ritchie who wrote, after seeing one of Wullie Croal's photos:
6 Heriot Mount
"I am one of Wullie
Croal's daughters. I've just seen the photograph of our
fireplace that my brother Tam sent to you. I think my poor
brother's memory is worse than mine, as the photograph was taken
at our home in 6 Heriot Mount.
The and the shoes (from
left to right) belonged to:
- my father
Wullie
- my mum May
- my sister, June
- myself
- our little
sister, Linda.
Tam can be forgiven for
the error, as neither he or my brother Brian were born at the
time.
Joyce Ritchie (nee Croal): March 5, 2009
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Recollections
2.
Eric Gold
East End, London, England |
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Thank you to Eric Gold who saw this photo of the shoes in the
fireplace and wrote:
Fireplace
©
"At
Dumbiedykes, we all had
one of these Victorian grates (fireplaces). I remember
ours well, with the gas poker and two chairs, one either
side, were one could sit and get warmed up especially in the
cold winters.
My mother
would bake a great steak and kidney pie and the crust was great,
I have never tasted a pie as good as hers, not because she was
my mother. The old Scottish recipe was handed down from
generation to generation.
I told the
head chef on the Queen Mary about the pie and he agreed with me
as when you’re cooking for a family and not thousands the pie
will always be best, home cooked.
On Friday
nights, my ma would blacken the fireplace with Zeebo, a paste
for fireplaces, then burnish the silver handles, I don’t know
what you call the thing but it was like a wire wool ball.
My friend who has an antique shop said these fireplaces are
worth a few quid nowadays. I only wish I knew what happened to
all those fireplaces when Arthur Street met it fateful end."
Eric Gold, East End, London: March 6, 2009 |
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Recollections
3.
John Devlin
Sun City, Florida, USA |
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John Devlin wrote
Boots and Shoes
©
"Wonderful photo of the
fireplace at Heriot Mount. What I note is seeing how the
shoes, for the most part, have been carefully polished."
John Devlin, Sun City, Florida: March 7,
2009 |
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Recollections
4.
Eric Gold
East End, London, England |
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Eric Gold added:
Skillet
©
"I
forgot to mention that those grates had an old cast iron skillet
(frying pan) and ours was very old.
My ma struck
a deal with my Auntie Marion who also stayed in East Arthur
Place, and changed hers for an electric one.
My Auntie
Marion gave the pan to her daughter, Rena, who is going to let
me have it, as long as it stays in the family and will not be
sold, as the pan has been passed from generation to generation"
Eric Gold, East End, London: March 8, 2009 |
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Recollections
5.
Joyce Ritchie (nee
Croal)
London, England |
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Thank you to Joyce
Ritchie who replied
Boots and
Shoes
©
"John Devlin
in America left a nice comment about our fireplace
photo, mentioning the shine on the shoes lined up in front of
it.
Well, every
night my dad would polish these shoes to within an inch of their
lives, and mum would iron our hair ribbons, which would hang on
the brass rail above the fire (just out of shot in the photo.)
Mum and dad
slept in the bed recess (just left of the fireplace) while my
sisters and I slept in the bedroom, which also doubled as dad's
dark room.
Happy, happy
days"
Joyce Ritchie (nee Croal): March 9, 2009
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