Edinburgh History - Old Town - Recollections - Dumbiedykes houses and streets

List of Subjects
1	George C R Stevenson Livingston, West Lothian	Prospect Place and Arthur St. - The Balconies - The Scotchie - Wells o' Wearie - Memories - Down the Hill Facing St Margaret's Church
1	with replies from Bryan Gourlay Biggar, Lanarkshire, Scotland Ian Stewart London
2	George C R Stevenson Livingston, West Lothian with replies from Jeanette Boon Canada Ian Mycko Gilmerton, Edinburgh Janice Brodie Brisbane, Australia	Lower Viewcraig Row
3	Jeanette Boon Welland, Ontario, Canada	Dumbiedykes Road - Shops
	Robert B McNeill The Inch, Edinburgh	Dumbiedykes Road - Demolition - Our Tenement
	Jeanette Boon Welland, Ontario, Canada	Dumbiedykes Road - Shops
	Billy McCuaig	Dumbiedykes Road - Beside Queen's Park
	Lorraine Gulam	Dumbiedykes Road - No 63
4	Danny McGhee with reply from Lloyd Graham	Prince Albert Buildings - Our tenement
5	Isa Paulin Cheshire, England	Holyrood Square
6a	Eric Gold known to many as Eric McKenzie, East End, London, England with reply from Bryan Gourlay Biggar, Lanarkshire, Scotland	East Arthur Place - 'Eastie' After leaving Dumbiedykes Working Class Christmas 1959 Money Manages The Pawnbroker
6b	Questions and Answers David Woolard with reply from Eric Gold East End, London, England	East Arthur Place - Family - School - Bonfire Night - The Scotchie - King's Park
6b		Reply - Dumbiedykes in 1920s - Bonfire Night - Gas Light in Arthur Street
6c	Question from Eric Gold East End, London, England with replies from Bob Henderson Burdiehouse, Edinburgh	Houses Demolished - Arthur St + West Arthur Place Prospect Street - demolition Arthur Street - demolition
6d	Questions and Answers Bob Henderson Burdiehouse, Edinburgh	Houses Demolished - Arthur St + West Arthur Place
7	Bryan Gourlay Biggar, Lanarkshire, Scotland with reply from Charles Kelt Bottomley Ferniehill	Fergusson's Buildings
8	Bryan Gourlay Biggar, Lanarkshire, Scotland	1881 Census
9	James Morton-Robertson Sevenoaks, Kent# with reply from Charles Kelt Bottomley Ferniehill	Heriot Mount 'aggressive kids'
10a	Stan Urbaniak Planning to return to Edinburgh and comment from Cath Tuff (nee Hay), Warwickshire, England Ken Miller Edinburgh Joyce Cheshire	Saint Mary Street Doctors Holyrood Road Shops My Ancestors Rag & Bone Man Fond Memories
10b	with comment from Eric Gold known to many as Eric McKenzie East End, London, England	Tardis Isa Wass More Rag & Bone Men Fond Memories
10c	and comment from Jane Jones Cambridgeshire, England	Arthur Street Families
11a	Brian Finnen with replies from Margaret McBride Cape Town, South Africa Eric Gold East End, London, England	Middle Arthur Place
11b	and questions from Eleanor Macintyre and Colin Macintyre with reply from Eric Gold East End, London, England
11c	Janette Wokingham, Berkshire, England
11d	Tam Harrison Buckstone, Edinburgh
11e.	Michael Stanford South London
12
12	Jane Jones Cambridgeshire	Dr Gordon
13
13	Jean Rae Edinburgh	Dumbiedykes Road - 'The Brickies' + 'The Balconies'
14
14	Cath Tuff Warwickshire, England	Pleasance East Arthur Place
15
15	Charles Kelt Bottomley Ferniehill, Edinburgh	Holyrood Square Dumbiedykes Road Coconut Fernhill
16	Joe Coyle The Inch, Edinburgh	East Arthur Place Leaving Dumbiedykes
17	George T Smith The Inch, Edinburgh	Gas Lighting
18	Isobel MacIver	Dumbiedykes Road
19a	Eric Gold known to many as Eric McKenzie, East End, London, England	Gas Pokers and Fires The Grate Frying Pan
19b		What happened to Prospect St?
20	John Ballantyne Boswall, Edinburgh	Arthur Street
21	Hugh Kinnaird Corby, Northamptonshire, England	East Arthur Place 'Little Scotand'
22	Matthew Watt East Calder, West Lothian, Scotland	Beaumont Place
23	Tam Harrison Buckstone, Edinburgh	Middle Arthur Place
24	Eric Gold East London	Gas Meter

Message from George C R H Stevenson

and

Replies from Bryan Gourlay and Ian Stewart

Prospect Place and Arthur Street

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

Prospect Place

"Your photos of the Dumbiedykes took me back to my childhood, especially the one of Prospect Place.

There were balconies at:

- Upper Viewcraig Row.

- Lower Viewcraig Row.

- Prince Albert Buildings.

- Dumbiedykes Road.

I stayed just adjoining Prospect Place, in Lower View, Craig Row Balconies."

The Balconies

"My brother got his head stuck in the balcony railings a few times. He even got a skelp from Dad with his head stuck in the railings. The problem was solved with Dad putting up chicken wire."

'The Scotchie'

"The hill in the photo was called 'The Scotchie', where we played 'Cowboys and Indians' and 'British and Germans'."

Wells o' Wearie

"We used to visit the 'Wells o' Wearie' Railway House in the Park. It was my Uncle Andrew's till it was condemned.

Do you have any photos of the Wearie Railway Cottage?

Unfortunately, No. - Peter Stubbs

It might amuse you to know that when he and my auntie got shifted to St John's Hill, 3rd floor tenement, they had two dogs, cat , pigeon, budgies and a chicken - a mini zoo."

Prospect Place

"I was ten when the photo of Prospect Place. Your photos brought back happy memories - Chatty but happy!"

I joined the Merchant Navy in 1965 and am still in the Merchant Navy.

What sticks in my mind is that I have been all over the world, but I've never seen a street like Arthur Street, which was so steep, with large buildings, and so densely populated."

Down the Hill

"I watched Leckies, the coal merchant, chasing after his lorry in Arthur Street.

Also, there was a Sunblest bread van careered down and hit the wall at the bottom.

We got our photos taken by a newspaper, having an egg fight, which came out the van."

George C R H Stevenson: Livingston, West Lothian, Scotland, May 2005

George wrote these notes while working on the 'Aberdeen to Shetland' ferry.

Thank you to Bryan Gourlay for sending the following response:

Down the Hill

"It was interesting to hear George Stevenson’s recollections of Leckie, the coal merchant’s lorry careering down Arthur Street. I knew Brian Leckie, the owner’s son, who eventually went into the business. The Leckies lived in Dalkeith Road near to the junction with Prestonfield Avenue.

My father, David Gourlay, used to deliver coal to Arthur Street in the 1930s. On replacing the horse and cart, he made the mistake once, and only once, of taking the loaded lorry down to the bottom of the street and couldn’t get back up again.

They had to offload the lorry and get lots of help from the locals to push and pull the lorry back to the top. From then on, his coal deliveries to the lower half of Arthur Street were made by pony – 'shank’s pony'."

St Leonard's Coal Yard

"Listening to my dad’s stories, there seemed to be a great friendship amongst the many coal merchants that operated from St Leonards coal depot that lasted for decades.

Thanks for the pictures of this on your site."

Bryan Gourlay, March 29, 2006

Thank you to Ian Stewart (Teeny), formerly Ian Martinussen, now living in London, for the following comments.

Ian wrote:

Arthur Street

"My name is Ian Stewart [Teeny]. I was born in 1944 and used to play in Arthur Street. I was brought up at:

- 32 Carnegie Street, for (1946-53)

- 6a Roxburgh Street (1953-56)

- Nicolson Street (1956-66).

I have lived in London for the past 37 years, but come back home as often as I can. Your site brought back many happy memories. We were poor but very happy. I would love anybody who knew me to make contact."

Ian Stewart, August 30, 2006

Please e-mail me if you would like to contact Ian, and I will pass on your message to him. - Peter Stubbs

Message from Robert B McNeill

Dumbiedykes Road

Thank you to Robert B McNeill, Edinburgh, for the following:

Robert writes:

Dumbiedykes Road

Demolition

"The photographs of Dumbiedykes Road and surrounding area above brings back fond memories. My grandfather (Joe McNeill) raised my father, two brothers and two sisters there after my grandmother died in the early 1920s in a first floor flat at number 144 Dumbiedykes Road — situated between Carnegie Street and Brown Street).

After my granddad died in 1953, my aunt Mary took over the flat and my father and mother moved into the flat next door in 1956.

I think your photograph above shows a view of the corner of Dumbiedykes Road and Brown Street. This must have been taken around 1961-62, as my aunt Mary (who died in 2003) was one of the last to move out in 1961. I was staying with her at the time.

I was then, and still am, a keen photographer and remember taking a number of photographs at the back green of Dumbiedykes (which had a view of the rear of the Deaconess Hospital). I'm sorry to say these photographs have been lost in the intervening years."

Robert added:

Dumbiedykes Road

Our Tenement

"I have now identified the tenement and the flat where we stayed! It can be seen in the picture above. I'm absolutely delighted to have found this picture.

The first floor flat we tenanted is just visible bottom left of the block in the middle of the photograph.

There was a yard to the left of this block, and the communal back green, bounded by Carnegie Street, that section of Dumbiedykes Road, and Brown Street, can be seen above the yard's back partition.

Clearly, not all tenants had yet moved from Brown Street ... someone's washing is still visible!"

Robert B McNeill. The Inch, Edinburgh, 31 August 2005

Billy McCuaig wrote

Dumbiedykes Road

beside Queen's Park

"I lived at 119 Dumbiedykes Road from birth until we had to move in 1968.

The flats we lived in faced directly up Brown Street and as I remember the square you mentioned was not Brown Street Square but Salisbury Square.

Salisbury Square

it was a fantastic place to live as a child. My fathers family the McCuaig's lived there as did my mothers family the Morans

When my granny McCuaig moved we got her house in the top flat of 119 Dumbiedykes Road. There was only a wall separating our back green from the Queens Park. That was our playground. Who could ask for more?"

Billy McCuaig: 13 March 2006

Lorraine Gulam wrote

No 63, Dumbiedykes Road

"i was born in 1957 at no. 63 Dumbiedykes Road, then moved over the road. My granny was Betsy Haig. My mother was Irene Gray.

Somebody may remember me or my family."

Lorraine Gulam: July 25, 2007

If you remember Lorraine and would like to contact her, please e-mail me and I will pass your message on to her. Thank you. - Peter Stubbs

Message from Danny McGhee

Prince Albert Buildings

Thank you to Danny McGhee and Lloyd Graham for the following comments:

Danny writes:

Prince Albert Buildings

Our Tenement

"I have just found this web page and found myself instantly transported back to the Dumbie Dykes.

My name is Danny McGhee.

I have four sisters Rhoda, Hannah, Carol and Sandra. I also had two brothers Gerry who unfortunately died about five years ago, and Billy.

I lived down at the Dumbie Dykes from around 1960 to 1969, at 42 Prince Albert Buildings

A lot of the names that you mention and the shops, e.g. Yardley's, still seem fresh in my mind - like walking up Bulls Close to go to school, and making dens up the Scotchie.

I would love to read more if anyone has any more recollections or if anyone remembers me or any one in my family"

Danny McGhee, 13 September 2005

Lloyd Graham writes:

Response to Danny McGhee's message (above)

"I was born and brought up in Dumbiedykes, Edinburgh 1955 to 1968. It was a great place and I had a wonderful childhood lots of great memories.

I was surfing your site and can't believe that my best friend Danny (dirty dungus) McGhee ! was on. I haven't heard from you in thirty years. Unbelievable.

I remember Danny as my best pal we went to school together Norton Park and went to Rangers games every fortnight! Remember the Ibrox disaster game?

I never wanted to leave Dumbiedykes. It always comes up in conversations and will never be forgotten.

My brothers were Raymond (Raymo), Ian and Paul. I remember Charlie McCormack who lived upstairs from Ian Mycko, Gordon Rose and Craig Mitchell."

Lloyd Graham, 23 October 2005

6a.

Message from Eric Gold

East Arthur Place

Thank you to Eric Gold for the recollections below. Eric used to live in East Arthur Place and now lives in the East End of London.

Eric tells me that he had a part in the film The Elephant Man, and in the film A Tale of Two Cities, shot in London

Eric wrote:

East Arthur Place

"I was brought up in East Arthur Place or 'Eastie' as we called it. I was born there in 1948.

Our family were the first to be moved out, in 1961, due to a huge crack in the kitchen and bedroom. We moved to Craigmillar."

Arthur Street

After leaving Dumbiedykes

"I now live in London's East End near Canary Wharf. I was at sea for many years and sailed out of London and Southampton.

I have travelled worldwide working on cruise liners for 20 years and I had a ball as a steward on them, but my happiest days are when I was brought up in East Arthur Place. Your photos brought me back fond memories."

Working Class

"Everyone in Arthur street was working class like the people I know now in London's East End.

Things were tough, no Plasma TV flat screens or mobile phones or fancy microwaves or other mod cons such as satellite dishes, but we were all happy there.

As I have said when I worked aboard the Queen Mary and other huge liners for 20 years as a waiter I met the rich and famous, and I have been to a couple of their huge houses in the USA where they treated me great.

But give me Arthur Street any day as the memories for the 11 years when I stayed there are priceless."

Christmas 1959

"I remember Christmas 1959 well. I found about £150 in our ootside lavie (outside toilet). It was a stroke of luck really, as about 4 families shared that lavie'. I would say this was Jimmie Broadbent's stash as street bookies were not licensed.

As we were skint we had a great Xmas and as we were the only family who couldn't afford a TV. Well we bought one.

Earlier Mr Linton, the TV guy up the brae had tried to sell us a TV and when he turned it on the Lone Ranger was on then smoke appeared from the back of the telly.

My mum said it was faulty and Mr Linton, a great salesman, said it was special effects (ha ha ha) as the Lone Ranger was on his horse Trigger."

Eric Gold, East End, London: February 2 to-14, 2006

Here are more memories of East Arthur Place from Eric Gold:

'Money Manages'

"Money Manages were Shopping Clubs, or Christmas Clubs as they were called in the East End of London.

My mother would run the Manage. It was a group of housewives from East Arthur Place or any friends that came around our house.

Say for example you have 25 women all putting a £1 in every week, then when their turn came up, they would get the quota of £25.

When the Manage started up my mother or Doctor Goldberg would cut a deck of cards and the winner would get the Manage of £25 but the £1 per week from all would still have to be paid in every week.

It was handy really as it would pay the tick man (debt collector) such as an insurance, gas or any other man that collected debts, which was always on a Friday.

I always liked when Ricky Fulton or Chick Murray would say in one of their sketches on TV or live theatre, 'You couldn't run a Manage' it made me laugh."

The Pawnbroker

"My mum would go to the pawnbroker in Hill Place near the Lascala cinema, and collect my older brothers suits also my father's too for the weekend. But on Monday, back to the Pawnbrokers with the suits we would go.

I remember Mr Rose in Richmond Street he was a great character, and being Jewish knew Doctor Goldberg. My mum would get a little extra.

The last time I was in Edinburgh Mr Rose's son was still running the pawnbrokers in Richmond Street.

I remember the cubical where one would banter with Mr Rose or whichever pawnbroker they dealt with, then everything was wrapped in brown paper.

I remember my mum and I met a posh woman my mum knew, just after we came out of the pawnbrokers, and the woman would say, "Where have you been?" My mum said "Nicolson Street"

Then I let the cat out of the bag and said "the pawn", she though St Margaret's Loch (the pond), and said "Did you see the lovely swans and ducks?" and I said "No, only cubical and brown paper and people saying "Can you give me 10/- (10 shillings)" (ha ha ha)

Then the posh lady would laugh and would give a tanner (sixpence in old money) but as soon as we got to the top of the Brae, my mum would say "Give me the tanner" and I got a penny so I bought some sweets the bottom of the brae, a wee shop near Coppolas Cafe."

Eric Gold, East End, London: March 20, 2006

Thank you to Bryan Gourlay who replied:

The Pawnbroker

"Eric Gold's mother, and many others, helped Mr Rose the pawnbroker buy the bungalow next to ours in Kirkhill Terrace, Priestfield in the early 1960s."

Bryan Gourlay, Biggar, Lanarkshire, Scotland: March 29, 2006