Edinburgh History - Old Town - Recollections - Dumbiedykes factories and shops

Recollections - Edinburgh Old Town Dumbiedykes Factories and Shops ©
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1.	George C R Stevenson Livingston, West Lothian	Sweetie shop and Sawmill Brewery Box Makers and Newsagent Boot Repairers, Pub and Cafe Grocers and Bookie 'Scotchies'
2.	Jeanette Boon Welland, Ontario, Canada	Dumbiedykes Road - Shops - Dumbiedykes Reunion
3.	Eric Gold known to many as Eric McKenzie, East End, London with further comments from George Stevenson Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland and from Jean Rae Edinburgh and from Aileen (Alison) McIntosh nee Duff	East Arthur Place - 'Eastie' Prospect Street Middle Arthur Place - 'Middle' Ingliston Place Adam Street Pleasance
4.	Cathy McKinsley nee Calvey Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England	Caseys Fish & Chips Old Simon
5.	Syd Zoltie Southside, Edinburgh	St Leonard's Hill Toy Shop Schools Shop
6.	Catherine Taylor nee Clark	Jimmy Clark Newsagent St Leonard's Street Cigs, Ice Lollies, Sweets Edinburgh Changes
7.	Alex Blyth Greendykes, Edinburgh	Salteri's Shop
8.	George Stewart South Edinburgh	Clark's Newsagents
9.	Dick Martin Borders, Scotland	Newspapers Move to the Scottish Borders
10.	Bill Cockburn Comely Bank, Edinburgh	Salteri, Grocer Laing, Grocer Dumbiedykes Lane
11.	Ian Mycko Gilmerton, Edinburgh	Salteri, Grocer
12.	Liz Miller St Brelade, Jersey, Channel Islands	Salteri, Grocer
13.	Tony Henderson Canada	Chip Shop
14.	Ian McCallum Rosyth, Fife, Scotland	Chip Shop
15.	John Davie	Shopping in Edinburgh Mussels Tusi's Ice Cream

Recollections

Recollections by George C R Stevenson

Livingston, Scotland

Thank you to George C R H Stevenson, for sending some memories of life in the Dumbiedykes district of Edinburgh from 1953 to 1962.

George wrote:

Sweetie Shop and Saw Mill

"I stayed just adjoining Prospect Place, in Lower Viewcraig Row Balconies

Along the end of Lower Viewcraig Row, there was a sweetie shop called Yardley's and a saw mill where you could get bundles of very thin cut wood to make gliders and any other junk you wanted to make."

Brewery

"Nearby was the Holy Rood Brewery where you got stoppers from the wooden beer barrels for rolling down Bull's Close, Holyrood."

Box Makers and Newsagent

"The factory on the right, I think, was Cowan's box makers. There was an awful smell of glue from the vats at the bottom windows.

The shop at the far right was Affeck's Newsagents. Salteri's was at the other end."

Boot Repairers, Pub and Cafe

"My uncle, Sam Dolbear, had a boot repairers just round the corner in Dumbiedykes Road, next to the Bowlers' Rest Pub, along from Coppolas' Cafe."

Dumbiedykes Road

Grocers and Bookie

"I remember just round the corner beside the factory, there was a grocers - Dod Broons, I think it was called. You could buy a fourpit of potatoes, quarter corned beef, a gallon of pink paraffin in any order, and no sink to wash your hands.

A street bookie used to stand there. I used to put my Dad's bets on - a coin wrapped in a little bit of paper."

George C R H Stevenson

Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland, May 2005

More memories from George Stevenson:

'The Scotchie'

One of the houses facing St Margaret's Church in your photo, I think, could have been a shop a long time ago.

The house with the paintwork frontage, I'm sure, is where the Whiteheads lived. I remember George Whitehead.

There was a grocer's shop a couple of doors along, then Salteri's where you could buy sweets off the penny tray, etc.

This shop faced the hill called 'Scotchies', or 'The Scotchie'

George Stevenson, Livingston: 29 November 2005

Recollections

Eric Gold

East End, London

Thank you to Eric Gold for the recollections below, including memories of many of the people and their shops in Dumbiedykes.

Eric says:

"Everyone in Arthur Street would know all these people"

Eric wrote:

East Arthur Place

Mr RATTERIE: Next door to us an No 4 was a grocers shop and Mr Ratterie had it. I remember when he got the corned beef tin he would make a small hole at the bottom and blow in to it and the corned beef would drop on to a dirty bench and then with his thumbnail he would pluck the corned beef on to a bit of paper.

He also had a van which one freezing snowy winter crashed over and we all got inside and helped ourselves.

Before Mr Ratterie the chap who had the shop was called Ian. He was an English guy. He was a friend of our family. So was Doctor Goldberg the residential Doctor for most of Arthur Street.

WILLIE CURRAN: Opposite, there was Willie Curran a grocers, a great guy.

DODD DICKSON: I remember Dodd, the fruit and veg man. Somebody wrote that his name was Dodd Broon but my sister tells me that his name was Dodd Dickson. My sister is a lot older than me. She lives in Edinburgh and knew Arthur Street well.

Thank you to Aileen (Alison) McIntosh (nee Duff) who wrote:

"Dodd Dickson was my uncle. He had a shop at the corner of Arthur Street and Prospect Street with my Auntie Chrissie (Teenie).

Their daughters Grace and Aline are my cousins. Their son Davie unfortunately died last year. My Mum Rae (maiden name Dunn) was born in Prospect Terrace and she had quite a few brothers and sisters."

Aileen added:

"The pictures are great. I was at Drummond Street, School, then South Bridge.

When my folks moved over from Fife we lived with my Auntie Chrissie and Uncle Dodd in Prospect Street until we got a house in Ingliston Street.

Round about 1963 we moved to King's Stables Road and then after I was married, for a few years, Gordon and I got a house in Viewcraig."

Aileen (Alison) McIntosh (nee Duff),
Roseburn, Edinburgh: January 16, 2007

RUSH & JACKSON: Up the brae from Dodd's there was a bakers called Rush and Jackson. The daughter Sylvia Rush was in my sisters class at school at St Patrick's in St Johns Hill.

The daughter was in my sisters class at school. They were great pals. Rush and Jackson were in Arthur Street on the brae on the right hand side looking up the brae from the Queen's Park.

It was owned by the Drysdale family well before my time. Both bakers were the bees knees. My mum would get a big bag of broken biscuits from both families until we moved to Craigmillar.

KATIE BURGESS: Also in Eastie there was a grocer called Katie Burgess.

TOFFEE APPLE MAN: At the end of Eastie there was the toffee apple man. He used to make the toffee apples in his house there and would say to me: "If you can help me with the big basket of apples up the brae I will give you one free." And so I did.

Prospect Street

MR SPIER: Opposite Dodd's, at the end of Prospect street, was a newsagents called Mr Spier, a nice man.

CAPOLA'S CAFE: Down the Brae.

SWEETIE SHOP: there was a small sweetie shop were you can buy a penny Vantis (soft drink) and a penny Dainty and gobstoppers.

Middle Arthur Place

MRS BOOTH: In Middle Arthur Place known as "Middle" there was Mrs Booth a grocer too, with big staring eyes.

MR LINTON: Opposite was Mr Linton a second-hand radio and TV shop.

CHIPPIE: Down the brae a wee bit was a chippie owned by an Italian family.

CASSIDY'S: There was a small shop at the end of Middle Arthur place called Cassidy's. I hung around with their son called James Cassidy.

Ingliston Place

CHIPPIE: ... but the best chippie was in Ingliston place at the top of Arthur Street and the bottom Adam Street. I can still taste the chips to this day .

Adam Street

YOUNG BROTHERS: In Adam Street, there was Young Brothers the bakers.

CUNNINGHAM's: Cunningham's the butchers were in East Adam Street.

We would get a cheap sheep's hied (head) from the butchers as it made good stock for broth, and also my auntie had an Alsatian dog called 'Rusty' and he would have a good dinner once the heid cooled down.

I took the eye out of the heid one day and put it in a hankie and covered it with tomato ketchup and ran into Mrs Booth's in Middle Arthur place and said "My eye has fell out". I would always catch her on April fools day. Mind you, my mum gave me a back hander but it was well worth the laugh.

GEORGE THE BARBER: "George the Barber" was in East Adam Street. He was the only barber hairdresser who could give a man a good shave and hair cut with a cut throat razor that barbers use without really concentrating on the face as most of the time he would have a great blether (chat) with someone in the shop and do his job professionally.

He was a great character and was well liked by all in Arthur Street. He told me he has never cut anyone's face while shaving them.

JIMMY BROADBENT: The street bookie was called Jimmy Broadbent. He would stand at the corner of 'Eastie' and take bets. He too was a friend of our family.

Pleasance

MR SCHOLBERG: Mr Scholberg had a joke shop in the Pleasance but later rented the premises to Dr Goldberg.

We would buy stink bombs and other funny stuff of him. I let a few of in my classroom at St Patrick's.

On the day after the Jewish Sabbath or any Jewish holiday Dr Goldberg and Mr Scholberg would invite our family to his house in St Leonard's place and we would have a lovely meal then the big treat would come when he played all the big jazz stuff like Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday and all the great stars.

When we were at home Mr Scholberg would come to our house and he tuned into a an American jazz station with the radio that he gave us. What a sound it had and it was through Mr Scholberg and Dr Goldberg and my mother and father that got me hooked on jazz.

I remember the day Billie Holiday died in 1959 as I went in to Mr Scholberg's shop for stink bombs and he was crying so I said what is up as I though he had bad news from Hungary and he told me that it was announced on the radio that Billie Holiday had died in New York.

Eric Gold, East End, London: February 22 to19, 2006

George Stevenson writes:

"Eric Gold’s contributions were very interesting. Especially about Mr Scholberg, Scholeys as we use to call his Aladdin’s Cave - penny bangers etc."

George Stevenson, Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland: February 21, 2006

Eric Gold replies:

"Do tell George many thanks for his kind words, and I remember that you could get fireworks there too. We called the bangers squibs."

Eric Gold, East End, London: February 22, 2006

Jean Rae also remembers Scholberg's shop in the Pleasance.

Jean says:

"I used to buy tiny toys from Mr Scholberg's shop in the Pleasance. They cost a farthing each. (There were 960 farthings in £1.)

One day my mother had money (from where?) and she gave me £5. I spent the whole £5 on farthing toys, thinking I would never again need to buy any more toys. My mother was not happy when I told her what I had done. (I expect Mr Scholberg would have been happy that day!)

Recollections

Cathy McKinsley nee Calvey

Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England

Thank you to Cathy McKinsley, who remembers Jeannie Veitche's Sweetie Shop in Crosscauseway, and also the shops below:

Cathy wrote:

Casey's

"We had Casey's Chocolate shop on the left hand side of Carnegie Street, just down from the Deaconess Hospital. That was before they became, 'Casey's of Edinburgh'.

If my memory serves me well, I think it was a small shop. They cooled the chocolate on a table by the open windows at the back room of the shop.

Needless to say, the windows were heavily screened with strong wire mesh to stop us street urchins from helping ourselves - although that didn't stop us poking our scrawny fingers through in an attempt to get a scrape of chocolate. (Sweet coupons were still in force then.)

The aroma just drew us! Alas, the trays were always just out of reach and we were always chased away with a mouthful from the owners."

Fish & Chips

"There was a fish and chip shop further down Carnegie Street. I can't recall the owner's name. However, one of your readers was absolutely right when he said, ' the best fish and chip shop was in Ingliston Street'."

Old Simon

"Does anyone remember old Simon, the Jewish man, who re-stuffed mattresses and pillows? His place was at the top of Brown Street on the right hand side going towards the Pleasance. I remember it was down some steps."

Cathy McKinsley (nee Calvey), Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England: September 6, 2007

Recollections

Syd Zoltie

Southside, Edinburgh

Thank you to who still lives at Southside, Edinburgh, for sending his recollections of growing up in the area.

Syd wrote:

St Leonard's Hill

"I was born in 1930 at 15, St Leonard's Hill. We were a large Jewish family, and I was the youngest of 10 children. My father, Morris had no favourites. He hated all of us! "

Toy Shop

"My uncle was Michael Schulberg who had the toy shop in St. Mary Street. He lived at 123 Nicholson Street, above the fish shop.

One of his party tricks was to comb the hairs on his legs (which were unbelievably long!) After his retirement he emigrated to South Africa, where he died around 1970."

Schools

"We left St .Leonard's Hill in 1939 and moved to 3, Dalkeith Road. I went to Preston Street School and then to Boroughmuir until 1948."

Shops

"Being Jewish, we had a plethora of local shops:

- Kleinbergs the Kaker in East Crosscauseway

- Hoffenbergs the butcher in West.

- Lurie the butcher in Buccleuch Street

Many other Jewish shops were scattered around the area:

- Pass

- Rosen

- Bialeck

- Cowen

as well as a Kosher fish and chip shop in Davie Street called Bullons."

Syd Zoltie, Southside, Edinburgh: January 9, 2008.

Recollections

Catherine Taylor nee Clark

Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England

Thank you to Catherine Taylor (nee Clark) who wrote:

Jimmy Clark Newsagent

"I have found the James Clark School pages, and wonder if any of the former pupils remember my mum & dads shop."

UPDATE

See 'Recollections 8' below

St Leonard's Street

"They were at St Leonard's Street from 1954 until the early 1970s when they moved across the road to the old co-op bakery shop."

Cigs, Ice Lollies, Sweets

"A great many of the schools pupils bought their single cigs, ice lollies and sweets from the old shop."

Edinburgh Changes

"I myself went to Darroch which sadly is no longer a school like so many. I've been back and, sad to say, find so much has changed.

Even the church I was married in (St Paul's Newington) is no longer functioning as a Church of Scotland.

Recently my daughter visited Edinburgh and stayed in Drummond Street School (my first school) now residential accommodation."

Catherine Taylor (nee Clark), Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England: February 10, 2008

Recollections

George Stewart

South Edinburgh

Thank you to George Stewart who wrote

Clark's the Newsagents

"I used to work for Clark's, the newsagents. In fact it was my first job. I was 12 years old and by law you were supposed to be 13 years but my mum told a wee lie and said I was nearly 13. This was in 1970 and I was still at primary school."

First Day

"Mrs Clark took me on the paper round first day and gave me a well-used piece of cardboard to show all the names etc. I vaguely remember a girl who used to take the wee Pekinese dog for walkies (Catherine Taylor?). Come to think of it Mrs Clarks name i think was Cathy."

Mr & Mrs Clark

"Both Mr and Mrs Clark smoked very strong cigarettes and Mr Clark. liked a wee refreshment in the Parkside Bar on the corner opposite the fruit shop.

We stayed at Carnegie Court. Mr Clark was very strict on timekeeping for both morning and evening rounds. Mrs Clark used to stick up for me most times, but it stood me in good stead for all the other jobs in that part of the Southside."

Mrs Millar's Dairy

"In fact i also worked in the second shop, next to No. 47, and for Mrs Millar's dairy shop on the corner of St Leonards Lane at the same time, so i didnae really have time to sleep in.

One of the people I used to deliver to was Mrs Crawford (Aggie). She was very good to me, She stayed on the very top floor on the corner of Forbes Street, and due to ill health was unable to get up and down the stairs, so i used to help her out whenever possible.

It just seems like yesterday!!!"

George Stewart, South Edinburgh: August 20, 2008

Recollections

15.

John Davie

Thank you to John Davie who wrote:

Shopping in Edinburgh

"I chanced on your site with the photographs of Davie Street. My name is John Davie and I'm now seventy-one years old. I was brought up in Craigmillar and I used to go 'up the town' for messages for my mother when I was about ten years old

I bought haddock from 'Granton Fisheries' and pork-sausages from 'Hornig's Butchers' in Clerk Street. That was my routine on a Saturday morning and my old mother would reward me with sixpence on top of the 2/6d. it cost for each of the food purchases."

Mussels

" I would spend my money on a saucer of mussels and a poke of buckies from the fisherwoman who had a stance in Davie Street. She wore the full uniform and had a creel. I think she came from Fisherrow. The mussels were delicious and the peppered-juice was even better when I drank it from the saucer at the end.

The buckies were lovely and juicy on the pin and I always looked forward to Saturday mornings."

Tusi's Ice Cream

"I can also remember being fascinated by an ice-cream shop which was opposite the turning into Davie Place. It had its name on a fascia above the premises and it was called TUSI BROS. I didn't understand it at the time, but it was obviously "Tusi Brothers" and almost certainly an Italian business.

Those were the days!!!. Thanks for rekindling some innocent memories of when I was a boy. All the best. John."