Edinburgh History - Canonmills

1.	Eric Sloan Emerald, Victoria, Australia	- Golden Wonder Crisps - Shops and Cinema - Fame - Tenements
2.	Richard Greenwood Ripley, Derbyshire, England and reply from Jim Duncan New Brunswick, Canada	- Jackie Dennis
3.	Betty McGill Edinburgh	- 'Oblah De'
4.	Clive MacKinnon Orpington, Kent, England	- La De Dah
5.	Jim Duncan New Brunswick, Canada and reply from Les Braby Borders, Scotland	- Street Party Coronation 1953
6.	Danny Callaghan Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland	- Coronation Celebrations
7.	Danny Callaghan Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland	- Jackie Dennis
8.	Ian Scott Hazelmere, Buckinghamshire, England	- Ian Scott
9.	Sandy Sievwright Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland	- John Clephane & Sons
10.	Kathleen Lithgow Ratho, West Lothian, Scotland	- Canonmills Café
11.	Allan Dodds Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England	- Canonmills Ice Cream Shops
12.	Allan Dodds Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England	- Chemists' Shops - Canonmills Chemist
13.	Les Braby Borders, Scotland	- Tenements at Canonmills - Fire and Rescue
14.	Stuart Lyon Blackford, Edinburgh	- Tenements and Canonmills Bar - Pentland Arms
15.	Les Braby Borders, Scotland	- Old Ice Factory - Tenements - House: No.4 Canonmills - Bravery during the Fire - Canonmills Halls
16.	Les Braby Borders, Scotland	- Canonmills Fire - Early 1909?
17.	Allan Dodds Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England	- Canonmills Fish & Chip Shop
18.	Dave Farris Edinburgh	- Canonmills Fire - March 1909
19.	Peter Glasgow Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland	- Blair's Chip Shop

Recollections

Eric Sloan

Emerald, Victoria, Australia

Thank you to Eric Sloane for his recollections below. Eric lived in the Boswall area of Edinburgh from the 1940s until 1963.

Eric wrote:

Golden Wonder Crisps

"In the mid 1950s my uncle, Ian MacDougall, worked for the then fledgling Golden Wonder crisp company. There was a factory down Canonmills in a row alongside the Water of Leith.

I used to go with him to the factory which had what was like a Heath Robinson machine. I was fascinated by the place. The machine worked automatically, peeling and slicing the potatoes and dropping them into the fat vats for cooking, then out again for drying.

Ian drove a delivery van around the retailers and I used to help him dropping off the tin boxes containing the packets of crisps. Another job was pasting the labels on to the side of the boxes. That was kinda messy."

Shops and Cinema

"Later, around 1956 or '57, my Nan and Pop bought a shop in Rodney St. We were next to a milliner just north and across the road from Broughton Primary (which I attended for a while) and nearly opposite to the Ritz cinema.

I used to go to Saturday morning pictures there taking the tram from Granton Rd alone from as young as 8 year old.

The shop was a bit of everything, like an Australian milk bar. We sold sweets to the kids from the school and all kinds of groceries.

They bought a large van and Ian left Golden Wonder to come drive it. We operated a mobile shop going all over North Edinburgh."

Fame

"The last of that row of shops, at the southern end, was a chippie and next to that a block of tenements.

Jackie Dennis was brought up in the first of those tenements and went on to become a "one hit wonder" down in London appearing on the 'Six-Five Special' and 'Oh Boy' shows.

I remember everyone said what a nice lad he was. The hit song was called "Oh La De Dah" or something very close*.
Off Rodney St., just north of the row of shops was an old cobbled street leading up to an elevated waste ground."

* Please also see:

- Recollections 3 + 4 below, for the name of the song.

- Recollections 7 below, for more about Jackie Dennis.

- Peter Stubbs

Tenements

"The tenements in that street were very dilapidated, housing some fairly rough characters. I don't recall the name - it was Something Row.

The waste ground at the top was a great Cowboy and Indian playground and I remember one time when I was a captive. This kid from the street had me tied up to a clothes pole and was preparing to burn me at the stake! Somebody ran down for my grannie and I got rescued."

Reply

Thank you to Jim Duncan who replied:

"The primary school on Rodney Street was Canonmills, not Broughton Primary.

The cobbled street north of the shops 'leading to elevated waste ground' was Heriothill Terrace, and the waste ground was 'The Sandy Hills'.

Okay, the tenements were leaning a bit in the late-1950's but 'dilapidated' is a bit strong, and as one of the 'rough characters', I protest! It was a lovely street, full of very close community people

We had our drunk who loved to celebrate getting her pension, but she was our drunk and if she was ill, she was looked after!

No wonder they tied you to a clothes pole and prepared to burn you, and somebody had to get your granny to save you!

LOL (laughing out loud) is all I can say. I wonder if I was involved?"

Jim Duncan, New Brunswick, Canada: May 22, 2009
Thank you to Jim has for also sending some photos of the area.
See recollections 5 below.

Recollections

Clive MacKinnon

Orpington, Kent, England

Clive MacKinnon did not agree with the comments above. Clive wrote:

'La Dee Dah'

"The song title was not 'Oblah De, Oblah Da'. It was 'La Dee Dah', a No.4 UK hit on the Decca label (F.10992).

It is also quoted as being featured in the film 'The Six-Five Special'.

Betty (3 above) is obviously thinking of the Beatles/Marmalade song from 11 years later."

Clive MacKinnon, Orpington, Kent, England July 30, 2008

Clive added:

'La Dee Dah'

"My daughter has a collection of '1950s 78s on You Tube under the name 78junkee. She has Jackie Dennis' La Dee Dah playing on there!"

Clive MacKinnon, Orpington, Kent, England July 30, 2008

Recollections

Reply

Les Braby

Borders, Scotland

Thank you to Les Braby who wrote:

Street Party

Coronation 1953

"I'm in this photo somewhere, but can't see myself at all.

Has anyone attempted to put name to the photos in Recollections 5? I can certainly put names to some of those in the photo. My two sisters Margaret and Helen are right in the forefront of the picture.

Putting a number on each individual and having a list compiled at the below the photo would, I think, be the only way. I'll have a think about it and see what I can do as there are a lot of people in the photo that I can name. Thats if you wish it?"

Les Braby, Borders, Scotland: 17, October 2014

Names

Thank you Les. Nobody else has yet given me the names of any of the people in this photo, or in the other three photos in Recollections 5 above, so it would be good if you could provide some names.

Perhaps you could scan your photo then add numbers to the scan and send the numbered scan to me to put on the EdinPhoto web site. I hope that makes sense to you! I look forward to hearing from you again.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: 17 October 2014

Recollections

Danny Callaghan

Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland

Thank you Danny Callaghan, who wrote:

Coronation Celebrations

Coronation Party

"I looked at this photo of the street party for the Coronation, in Heriot Hill Terrace , Broughton, with great interest.

I remember also going to a Coronation Party but it was held in the Church Hall in Rodney Street, near the Ritz cinema.

The party was funded by the Maran family who had the ice cream Café at 22 Rodney Street. I think they won large sum on the football pools and treated the kids to the party. I don't know why we in Broughton Road were invited and not the kids in Heriot Hill Terrace. Maybe they were the 'keelies'!"

Television

"My dad had brought a television in late-1952, a Cossor 12", for the princely sum of £64. It was 64 guineas (guinea = £1.05p) but for cash he got a discount, a fortune in these days. We were the first people I knew with television.

On Coronation Day, our family and neighbours were invited to watch the Coronation. They had to bring chairs. It was a full house. I remember the chairs being lined up like a cinema and my mother no doubt would have been dishing out cups of tea."

Coronation

"The party I went to finished before the Coronation, so I was back in house to see the Queen getting crowned.

I still have my Coronation mug and still use occasionally, and also the commemoration crown (5/-) we were given. The following week we were taken by school to see the Coronation film at the Gaumont at West End

It was great time and I don't think there was a house which did not have flags flying from their windows."

Danny Callaghan, Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland: November 16, 2009

Recollections

10.

Kathleen Lithgow

Ratho, West Lothian, Scotland

In his recollections of working for John Clephane & Sons, Sandy Sievwright wrote:

"On the left of Canon Street, opposite our main entrance was a Café. I remember the owner was called Ted and I can still taste the fish and chips lunch that I got once a week on pay day."

Sandy Sievwright, Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland: May 20, 2012

Now Kathleen Lithgow, Ratho, West Lothian, Scotland has posted a message in the EdinPhoto guest book in response to Sandy's comments above.

Kathleen wrote:

Canonmills Café

"I read, with interest, the reference regarding a Café in the 1960s. It belonged to my grandad, Frederick Burns, and was called Canonmills Café.

The writer had fond memories of being served a mean fish and chips from my uncle Ted, who later took over from my grandad. I have great memories from visiting the Café as a child."

Kathleen Lithgow, Ratho, West Lothian, Scotland
Message posted in EdinPhoto Guestbook: June 13, 2012

Recollections

11.

Allan Dodds

Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England

Allan Dodds who wrote:

Canonmills Ice Cream Shops

Two Shops

"There were two Italian ice cream shops near us in Canonmills:

- One was Mr Coia's shop in Howard Street (now part of the Loon Fung).

- The other was opposite my grandmother's sweetie shop in Pitt Street (now Dundas Street). It was situated very close to Clark's Bar. Its owner was Mr Moran."

No customers!

"Neither of these shops appeared ever to have any customers just after the War. Their proprietors would often stand in the doorway most of the day with their arms folded, watching the world go by.

Raymond Faccenda may be able to supply more details because of his Italian and ice cream connections!"

Allan Dodds, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England: October 29, 2011

Recollections

12.

Allan Dodds

Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England

Thank you to Allan Dodds for also replying to a message about the large jars in the windows of chemists' shops in Edinburgh.

Allan wrote:

Chemists' Shops

"June Wood asks about chemists' shops with jars filled with coloured liquid. These were displayed in almost all chemists' shops' front windows in the 1950s. The 'carboys', as they were called, evolved over a couple of centuries from small receptacles to much larger ones as shop window panes became larger through advances in glass making technology.

Canonmills Chemist

At Canonmills in the 1950s, Miss Bryson's chemist's shop sported three of those receptacles in the front window. Even more impressive, inside were huge mahogany cabinets of powders and potions, all with Latin names.

Miss Bryson was trusted every bit as much as the Doctor in those days. Once, she refused to issue a prescription to my Mother because she thought that the Doctor had got the dosage wrong. She telephoned him, demanding clarification, and the Doctor backed down and apologised for his mistake.

Allan Dodds, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England: 4 June 2013

Recollections

13.

Les Braby

Scottish Borders

Thank you to Les Braby who wrote:

Old Tenements at Canonmills

on the site of the

Esso Petrol Station

"I'm interested in photographs or other images of the tenements that were at the foot of Canonmills, opposite the now Baptist Church (Robert Louis Stevenson's old school) and where the Esso Service Station is now situated.

They had wooden stairways and balconies, if my memory serves me correctly. There was also a pub there, which may have been called The Pentland Arms.

I'm not sure when they were demolished but it was certainly in the late-1950s or early-1960s. My Father was resident there for a number of years at the turn of the last century; certainly until 1908, when my Grandfather died."

Fire and Rescue

"There was apparently a fire in those tenements at some stage, and my Father as a boy of 8 or 9-years-old saved his the life of his sister, Mary, by rescuing her, for which he was awarded an Andrew Carnegie Silver Watch.

I'm currently looking into my family history and any information or photos etc would be much appreciated."

Les Braby, Borders, Scotland: September 7, 2014

Further Investigations

Tenements at Canonmills

Hi Les:

Are there, perhaps, similar tenements to those that you mention nearby in Canon Street? I'll have a look next time I pass that way.

Canon Lane is the narrow street immediately to the west of the Esso Service Station. Canon Lane follows the approximate course of the outlet that once ran from Canonmills Loch (now gone) to the Water of Leith at Canonmills.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: September 28, 2014

Update

I've now been to Canonmills and taken a photo of Canon Street. I found the buildings there, to the west of the Esso Service Station, to be interesting but they don't match the tenements described above by Les.

This is the photo that I took there:

Canon Street

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: October 5, 2014

Update

The photo above may not be much help to Les who is looking for a photograph of the old tenements at Canonmills - but see Recollections 14 below!

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: October 5, 2014

Recollections

14.

Stuart Lyon

Blackford, Edinburgh

Thank you to Stuart Lyon for following up the mention of a pub, probably called The Pentland Arms, that Les Brady mentions in his Recollections 13 above. Stuart found two photos, both on the RCAHMS web site.

Stuart wrote:

Pentland Arms

"Les Braby mentions a pub at Canonmills that he remembers. It may have been called 'The Pentland Arms'

I've looked a the RCAHMS (Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historical Monuments of Scotland) web site and found these two photos:

Photo

Subject: Pub at 19-21 Canon Mills

Date: 1960s

Identification No: ED/5524/29 or ED/5525/33.

Comment: The pub proprietor's name on this photo can be seen to be James Pentland.

Photo

Subject: Pub and Tenements at 7-21 Canon Mills

Date: Probably earlier than Photo 1 above.

Yes: This photo would have been taken at an earlier date than photo 1. It was taken by Frances M Crystal, a photographer who took many photos for Edinburgh Photographic Society's 'Survey Group' in the early 20th century. - Peter Stubbs), Oct. 5, 2014

Identification No: ED/7577 or SC/1098309

Stuart Lyon, Blackford, Edinburgh: October 1 + 5, 2014

Tenements

and

Canonmills Bar

The second photo above looks like a good match for the photo that Les Brady was searching or in his Recollections 13 above, so I've reproduced it here:

Tenements and Pub at Canonmills

7-21 Canon Mills. This site is now occupied by Esso Service Station

© Reproduced with acknowledgement to the Royal Commission on Ancient & Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS)
Photo Identification No: ED/7577 or SC/1098309. Photographer: Frances M Crystal

Enlarge this photo

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: October 5, 2014

Reply

15.

Les Braby

Scottish Borders

After thanking those, particularly Stuart Lyon, for providing the photos and comments in Recollections 13 and Recollections 14 above, Les Braby wrote:

Photo in

Recollections 13

New Flats

on the site of the

Old Ice Factory

"With regard to the photo of Canon Street in Recollections 13 above, the flats immediately to the left are new; that is where the ice factory used to be.

I couldn't tell you when the ice factory was closed or even pulled down. It always appeared a somewhat 'ramshackle affair'. In the summer months, we used to go round there and gets lumps of ice to suck when we had no money - which was most of the time!"

Tenements and Shops

in the background

"The building at the top of the photo is the same as it always was. The corner shop was owned by my uncle's cousin (I think). It was known as 'Yardleys' which was his name. It was a sweet shop / newsagent / etc.

On the opposite side from Yardleys in Eyre Place, there was a another small shop, just to the right of the tenement in your photo).

I cannot remember the the name of the shop, but it was run by a elderly lady and we used to go in there for Fanta drinks and home-made, flavoured ice lollies.

A new swing park was opened in the early-1950s. It was just round the corner from there. It has a titled name but we always just called it the 'New Swing Park'."

Photo in

Recollections 14

"I'm deeply indebted to Stuart Lyon for his kind efforts. The photograph above that he has submitted is 'bang on the nose'."

House at

No 4

Canonmills

"I've subsequently found out from other documents that my Father was in No 4 Canonmills when the fire incident took place, which I think is further up towards Rodney Street and John Twist's Pub which was on the corner of Canonmills and Eyre Place; opposite St Cuthbert's bakery shop.

My Grandmother and family moved to No 4 Heriothill Terrace shortly after the incident. That's where I grew up and stayed till I enlisted in the Scots Guards in 1962.

As an aside, I seem to remember there was a fish & chip shop on the gable end of the building shown in Stuart Lyon's photograph."

Bravery

During the Fire

"I have a 'certificate' (for want of a better title) from a ceremony that took place at my Grandfathers office in Princes Street, honouring my father for his bravery at the fire.

I've tried to look up the Newspaper Archives for this period to see if I can glean any other information but with no success. Does anybody have any ideas where I should start?"

Les:

Newspaper Reports

1. If you can tell me the approximate date of the fire, I'll speak to my contact an the Fire Museum of Edinburgh, a retired fireman - to see if he can provide any info.

2. You could also try looking at The Scotsman Digital Archive. It has text from articles in 'The Scotsman' newspaper for all years from 1817 to 1950. There is a charge for using this site.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: October 16, 2014

Canonmills Halls

Lifeboys + Boys' Brigade

"In the halls opposite The Pentland Arms at Canonmills Hall, we used to attend the 'Lifeboys', then the 46th Company Boys Brigade.

We used to set off from there for our monthly Church Parade to Dublin Street Baptist Church with the Pipe band and Bugle Corps. I was a bugler.

When I first joined the 46 Coy BB., we used to hold our Friday night parades in Canonmills Primary School.

Les Braby, Borders, Scotland: October 16, 2014

Reply

Dave Farries

Edinburgh

I wrote to the Fire Museum at Lauriston Place, Edinburgh, to see if anybody could give me any information about the fire at Canonmills in eqrly-1909, mentioned in Recollections 13 and subsequent Recollections above.

Thank you to Dave Farries for replying on behalf of Scottish Fire & Rescue Service.

Dave wrote:

Canonmills Fire

"The following is the information I obtained from the Fire Brigade's Record of Fires January 1908 - December 1909, now held at the City Chambers, Edinburgh:

I have put the actual extracts in bold to differentiate them from the bits I have added for interpretation and flow."

Canonmills Fire

1909

On 13^th March 1909 at 10.47am, a Motor Steamer from N0.6 Station with 6 men attended a fire at 4 Canonmills. The occupier was Margaret Braby and the landlord of the premises was Munro & Hall of West Nicolson Street.

The building was ‘a stone tenement with slated roof consisting of three floors.’ Fire was in ‘Back kitchen 1^st floor, 12 feet by 10 feet. Contents partly burnt out. Kitchen severely damaged by fire and smoke.’

The fire was extinguished by ‘Firemen with Donkey Pump (pump worked for 15 minutes)’. ‘Contents and building’ damage was estimated at ‘£100’ and the ‘loss’ to the ‘Caledonian’ was ‘£10.10 shillings’

In a note in red ink under Remarks it states ‘George Braby, aged 10, when he found the bed on fire rushed in rescued 2 children, aged 3 & 5 years, who were in bed at the time. None of the children were injured in any way’.

Source: Fire Brigade's Record of Fires January 1908 - December 1909

Dave Farries, Scottish Fire & Rescue Service: June 17, 2015

Reply

19.

Peter Glasgow

Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland

Thank you to to Peter Glasgow for writing again, about five years after sending his first message to me about Gilmerton.

Here, Peter responds to the comments about the Canonmills Fish & Chip shop in Reply 17 above.

Peter wrote:

Blair's Chip Shop

"I've just found your website showing pictures of the old tenement in Canonmills opposite the then Dublin Street hall.

I lived in Munro Place, down the side of the B0ys' Brigade hall until I was 11.

I noticed that it was suggested that the fish and chip shop was the corner 'white' part of the building. I think the building was called something like 'Summerland' and Ii remember the toilets were at either end of the building. That may have been the only place for running water.

Anyway, the chip shop was just round the corner out of view behind the white part of the building. They had a one armed bandit on which we sometimes won enough to buy our fish suppers. I think the coins could only be used in the chip shop."

Peter Glasgow, Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland: January 6, 2016