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Recollections
1.
Frank Ferri
Newhaven, Leith |
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Thank you to Frank Ferri for writing about some of his memories
of growing up around Ballantyne Road. His stories would
cause concern to some of today's Health & Safety officials!
Frank wrote:
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Games
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"Old Ballantyne Road, before it
was demolished in the 1970s, was an ideal haven for kids to play
in. The quadrangle in it’s centre surrounded by the tenements of
Junction Street, Bowling Green Street and Ballantyne Road/Place
provided a safe sanctuary, away from traffic for kids to play all
the games of the day, rounders, cricket, football, peevers, even
sailing home-made sailing ships in the huge stagnant pool that
would form there when it rained, due to the constant clogging of a
central drain.
This
this was the main area for our bonfire on Guy Fawkes' Night."
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The Balconies
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"We made
paper aeroplanes and tiny parachutes from a wee handkerchief and
launched them from the open air tenement balconies. Some
even bread homing pigeons from a hut in this square. On days
when it was wet, we could sit on the balconies, playing board
games or with toy cars."
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The Piggery
Olympic Games
"We played in the piggery, a
colloquial name for a large stretch of waste land in Ballantyne
Place, so called because in days gone bye, this area was probably
used to keep farm livestock
This was another safe area. In
summer, we held our own Olympic Games there, competing with our
neighbours from Bowling Green Street (when we were not fighting
with them).
We used
makeshift hurdles and high jumps from any piece of brick or wood
laying about, using railing spikes as javelins, roof slates as the
discus and big Yawkers (large stones) for the shot-put.
Track
events were marked out on hard compacted earth. We we used
bows and arrows made from Bamboo sticks with the arrows tipped
with tar. The Bamboo was bought from the victual dealers in
Junction Street." |
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Axes and Fire
Cans
"As kids brought up in the 1940s.
There was no end to our imagination or improvisation. I
remember the kids having seen a movie about the stone age, circa
1940 “One Million Years BC” starring Victor Mature.
Influenced by what we saw in this
movie, we purloined slates from any building we could safely climb
and used these, tied to a stick to make a stone age axe, emulating
the film.
An
old Tate & Lyle syrup tin would come in handy. We attached a long
piece of wire to this for a handle, to create a fire can. This was
filled with a few very tiny sticks, pieces of old linoleum lying
about, or any other anything small but combustible.
We would then light the fire can,
then swing it about our heads to stimulate the wee fire inside.
In the dark evenings, you would se the sparks fly. Where we
got this idea from has been lost in time. It was like the
religious ritual that some South American natives do to ward off
evil spirits." |
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Ladies' Football
"The Piggery was also used for
football. There was a local ladies team known as the Lady
Dynamos football team. They took on the boys, or anybody and
gave all comers a good run for their money. A tough lot they
were.
One of their
surname was Leslie, as I
remember. She was a very masculine looking woman, with short
gents'-style hair cut. She wore trousers and very manly
clothes, which was unusual in those days other than the old movie
stars, Marlene Dietrich and Katherine Hepburn." |
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Guiders
"Home made guiders (go-carts)
were very popular. These were made from old timber and a set
of cannibalised pram wheels.
At the foot of Ballantyne Road,
the road surface turned into a dirt track that exited at Bowling
Green Street. It led past the Piggery into an industrialised
area containing a yacht builders, small chemical works, sawmill,
stables, a cooperage that we named 'The Barrels' and an amalgam of
other small businesses.
From the cooperage, we acquired
girders (large iron rings used to bind the wooden barrels
together). The girder was our imaginary vehicle. We
propelled along by hitting it with a stick. No one could
afford bicycles in those days." |
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Swings and Slide
"Playing on the swings in the
local Keddie Park, off Ferry Road, was another way to pass the
time on a warm summer’s day. We did 'broncos' - standing on
the swing and making it go as high as you could, then jumping off.
Many
a bang on the head was received if you did not clear the swing
fast enough. The park slide was also used constantly." |
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Frank Ferri, Newhaven, Edinburgh: March 18, 2010 |
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Recollections
2.
Christine Richardson (nee
Donaldson)
Waterdown, Ontario, Canada |
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Thank you to Christine Richardson (nee Donaldson) formerly of
Ballantyne Place, Leith for posting a message in the EdinPhoto
guest book.
Christine wrote:
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Memories of Leith
"What wonderful memories we
Leithers have. I wouldn't change my childhood for anything
when I look at what the kids have today.
I'd say we did appreciate what we
had, playing
outside with an old shoe polish tin (peevers)."
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Condensed Milk
"Do
you remember having condensed milk on a slice of bread? I
still love it. On a Friday night, after our bath, we
would have cocoa and hot buttered toast round the fire." |
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Sweetie Store
"My
sister and I would do the shopping in the store on Bangor Road.
When we were finished, we went to the sweetie store next door for
chocolate drops and little jelly sweets that we stuck on our ears
for earrings. Sometimes, we forgot to take them off."
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New Dresses
"We always got a new dress for
Sunday School Christmas Party. I remember Mrs. Smith, I
think her name was, who lived in a top flat on Ballantyne Road.
She made long dresses for us and dolly bags to match. We we
thought we were the best." |
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Home Baking
"We also had backgreen concerts,
where the mothers would bake fairy cakes and my favourite tablet.
It was great. I loved to come home from school and my mother
had a nice table cloth on the table and scones just out of the
oven. How lucky." |
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Wash House
"I remember, one day, my aunt got
my mother to go to the wash house. She didn't like it but
she gave in. When she got back, I said, 'How was it?' and
she said, 'Never again!'
I had to wait ages for a clothes
horse. I remember thinking, 'What a shame all these lovely
horses with dripping wet sheets on their backs.' " |
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Remember Me?
"I hope someone out there knows
me I would love to hear from them." |
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Christine Richardson (nee Donaldson), Waterdown,
Ontario, Canada
Message posted in Edinphoto guest
book, February 13, 2011 |
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