Recollections

Bonnington

Recollections

1.

Sybil

Lynn, Massachusetts, USA

Thank you to Sybil, Lynn Massachusetts, USA for the following comments.   Sybil wrote:

Chancelot Flour Mill

"I was born and raised in Edinburgh and came to USA in 1965, but I miss Scotland and get a lot of comfort from browsing through your photos.

My father worked at the old Chancelot mill all his life, and it just dawned on me that I had no pictures of it.  It was such a beautiful building, I can't believe they had to demolish it."

Sybil, Lynn Massachusetts, USA:  January 22, 2006

I agree.  Chancelot mill was a really impressive building.  I'll try to find a photo of it that is not in copyright, to add to the web site.    - Peter Stubbs

Recollections

2.

Alex Dow

Fife, Scotland

Alex Dow, Fife, Scotland wrote:

Chancelot Flour Mill

"I have an unusual memory of Chancelot Mill from the mid-Fifties."

Radio

"A neighbour owned a pre-war EKCO radio, one of the famous circular Bakelite series; and it had failed.  This neighbour worked in Chancelot Flour Mills.

I took it home; and removed the back to repair it. There was quite a large empty volume behind the speaker, to give plenty of air circulation for the mains dropper, which along with the various valves, gave off considerable heat. Hence the back having a multitude of holes and a vented slot directly above the dropper.

When the back came off, this interior was packed with off-white fluff, almost felt - handfulls of it, that around the dropper showing some signs of  scorching.  I cleaned it out, repaired the radio and returned it.."

Fluff

"The fluff almost certainly came from the neighbour's working whites, made from old cotton flour sacks, being attracted into the radio by the combination of the air circulation and static from the HT of around 250V found in typical valve radios.

The whites were washed every day in the early evening, then would be hung to dry on the pulley near the fire in the kitchen-cum-livingroom."

Money Box

"With those radios, the slot at the back was often mistaken by children as being the slot into a savings back, so coins were quite often found in them; but fluff !!!"

Alex Dow  February 7, 2006

Recollections

3.

Tom McKearney

Edinburgh

Tom McKearney wrote:

Chalmers Scrap Yard

"We lived at 260 Bonnington Road.   Our windows looked down onto Chalmers scrap yard, a Hell on Earth then.

My bed used to vibrate when the blast furnace was in full flow.  That  would not be allowed now.

Now that Tinto Place, an entrance to Chalmers is being developed for housing.  I'm a taxi driver.  I tell the people living there that they are on contaminated land.  They are not happy bunnies."

Tom McKearney, Edinburgh:  December 6, 2010