Recollections  -  Edinburgh Old Town

Dumbiedykes

People and Play

   ©

1a.

from

George C R Stevenson
Livingston, West Lothian

'The Scotchie'

The Queen's Park

Clothes

Neighbours

Bonfires

Street Gangs

Church Cubs

Cinemas

One Man Band

1b.

from

George C R Stevenson
Livingston, West Lothian

Pleasance

Holyrood Square

2.

from

Robert B McNeill
The Inch, Edinburgh

Dumbiedykes Road

3.

from

George Smith
known to many as
Eric McKenzie
British Colombia, Canada

4.

from

Isa Paulin
Cheshire, England

Children from Holyrood Square

Infirmary Street Baths

5.

from

Jeanette Boon
Welland, Ontario, Canada

Dumbiedykes Road

-  St Margaret's Church

6.

from

Kathleen Honan
Slateford, Edinburgh

Homes

7a.

from

Eric Gold
known to many as
Eric McKenzie
East End, London

'The Scotchie'

The Rat Man

Doctor Goldberg

Saturday Nights

Nae Kick the Can

Peevery Beds

Halloween

The Bogeyman

St Margaret's Loch

7b.

from

Eric Gold
known to many as
Eric McKenzie
East End, London

8.

from

James Reid
Entre Naranios, Orhuela, Spain

and reply from

George Smith
British Colombia, Canada

Beaumont Place

9.

Bryan Gourlay
Biggar, Lanarkshire, Scotland

Schools

Football

School Dentist

10.

from

George Smith
British Colombia, Canada

11a.

from

Old Photos

Schools

11b.

from

12.

from

13.

from

14.

from

Rab Waugh
Queensland, Australia

with reply from

Schools

Emigration to Australia

15.

from

Moray House Theatre

16a.

from

Peter Bottomley
North Gyle, Edinburgh

'The Embers'

16b.

Reply from

16c.

Reply from

'The Embers'

17a.

from

17b.

from

18a.

from

Arthur Street

Memories

Streets and the 'Scotchie'

Young Brothers' Bakery

18b.

from

Arthur Street

Memories

Streets and the 'Scotchie'

Young Brothers' Bakery

18c.

from

Teeny!  Where are you?

19.

from

Dumbiedykes

Dumbiedykes Road

People Remembered

20.

from

Dumbiedykes

Dumbiedykes Road

People Remembered

21a.

from

Arthur street

Middle Arthur Place

Doctors, Bonfires and Shops

21b.

Grace Owen

and replies from

Tom Harrison
Buckstone, Edinburgh

Mamie Scott (nee Carr) and

James A Rafferty
Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland

Arthur street

Middle Arthur Place

Doctors, Bonfires and Shops

22.

from

Friends

Shops

Contact

23.

from

Dumbiedykes Road

Family

The Balconies

Christmas Presents

The Store

'The Toffs'

Shops

24.

from

25.

from

Catherine McKinsley
(nee Calvey)
Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England

The Calvey Family

Move to The Dummy

Friends

Shops

At Play

Willy Allen's Hall

Winter

Little Theatre Club

Move from The Dummy

26.

from

Bob Henderson
Burdiehouse, Edinburgh

Chippie

Arthur Street

Coal Deliveries

Bookies

Rag Sorters

27.

from

Eric Gold
known to many as
Eric McKenzie
East End, London

and reply from

Tony Ivanov

St Ann's School

Chippie and Rag Store

28.

from

Eric Gold
known to many as
Eric McKenzie
East End, London

Box Player

Trades Fortnight

29.

from

Bob Henderson
Burdiehouse, Edinburgh

Arthur Street - Houses

30.

from

Jim Robertson
Berlin, Germany

and replies from

Bob Henderson
Burdiehouse, Edinburgh, and

St Patrick's School

St Patrick's School Class

31.

from

Jackie Hamilton

Arthur Street

Arthur Seat

Museum and Play Park

32.

from

Bob Henderson
Burdiehouse, Edinburgh

Arthur Street

Play Park

Dumbiedykes  -  People & Play

Maureen Mitchell
nee GRAHAM

       ©

Aileen (Alison) McIntosh
nee DUFF

1a.

Recollections by George C R Stevenson

'The Scotchie'

   ©

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

The Queen's Park

The Queen's Park was a tremendous back garden to have.   Beside the Nursery, there was a wall we called the Planny, which you climbed to get down into the park, and came out next to the gas works.

I think there were more Cowboys and Indians playing in the Queen's Park than there ever were in the USA.

When one of yous was tied up front, to be a horse, they sometimes started getting a bit angry 'cause they didn't want to be a horse any more.

I remember four of us climbing to the Cat's Neck on Salisbury Crags, one wearing an Ark Royal Sailor's hat and one called Ronnie with a 2nd World War Infantry Helmet.  We had a photo of the attire which I might find one day.

Clothes

"My brother and I must have looked a picture back then as we both had to wear German lederhosen, our Mum being German.  Our Granny and Grandad brought them over from Germany.

We were taunted for a while - then it stopped as everybody saw they were good for sliding down the Scotchie and down from the Radical Road Crags to the bottom in Queen's Park.

My uncle John, I think it was, gave me and my brother an old leopard skin.  I jumped out a few times with it tied on to me, to give people a fright in the stair.  That was soon stopped.  Our leopard skin died a sudden death.  Our cat, Smokey, peed on it, and it was put in the bin.

Neighbours

"There were a lot of foreign people living in our area at that time.  I remember there were quite a few Ukrainian families -  Mycko, Kurluch,  ..."

I was pleased to receive an e-mail in June 2005 from Ian Mycko, Gilmerton, Edinburgh, formerly of Dumbiedykes, asking for help in contacting George Stevenson who wrote the recollections above.  I hope that contact has now been established. 

Over the past couple of years, I have received several e-mails from around the world with fond memories of Dumbiedykes in the mid-1900s.

Bonfires

"Bonfire time was quite a caper, collecting, and borrowing from other street gangs, what would now be classed as vintage furniture, worth a fortune"

Street Gangs

"The street gangs were not gangs that beat up little old ladies or did any harm.  There were

-  The 'Squaries' from Holyrood Square.

-  The 'Drummond Street Gang'.

-  The 'Easties' and 'Westies' from Arthur Street.

Church Cubs

"My brother and I joined the 40th St Margaret's Church Cubs.  The Church was next to Salteri's dairy.  The Minister was Revd. Duncan Shaw, who became the Moderator of the Church of Scotland.

The man who ran the Cubs was Mr Bird.  We enjoyed going to the Cubs.  There was always plenty to do.

My brother and I were kindly doing 'bob a job' for the cubs charity.  We went into the undertakers at the bottom of St Mary's Street and asked  for a 'bob a job'.  The  undertaker replied:  "Aye you can go down the stairs and polish the coffins." We broke Roger Bannister's Mile Record running back down to Lower Viewcraig Row.

It all came to an end when we got shifted into a palace - a house with a bath, three rooms and a garden in the Inch.

Cinemas

"Does anyone remember the fleahoose - the New Palace cinema?   A fishwife used to sell  mussels and pokes of buckies at the corner of St Mary's Street.

We all used to buy them.  After you ate them with a pin to get them out, they were good 'amo' for throwing at each other in the cinema, which became a market and McGoo's Night Club.

The cleaners must have had an awful job sweeping them up.  Sorry, I'm one of the guilty ones.

Also, there was a scabbylala La Scala, where a  toothless ice cream lady often cried out: "If you don't shut up, you will get a skelping."

One Man Band

"Does anyone remember the busker 'one man band'?  He used to have a clown's face painted on, and on the back of his jacket was just a square."

George C R H Stevenson

1b.

More Recollections by George C R Stevenson

Pleasance

   ©

"My brother thinks that my sister and I might be in the Pleasance waste ground photo, which was at the back end of Scotchie Hill.

Holyrood Square

  ©

I remember when they were digging the foundations for the new skyscrapers that they built in Holyrood Square, we played at "Germans and British, Japs and Americans".

There was a boy called Ronnie who stayed down from Yardley's.  He always wanted to be the big chief.  Maybe he became a brigadier in the Army.

Friendship

"There was something about everyone who lived in the Dumbiedykes area.

We were neighbours of the Queen and family - Holyrood Palace !!!

George C R H Stevenson

2.

Recollections by Robert B McNeill

Thank you to Robert B McNeill, Edinburgh, for the following details.

Robert writes:

Dumbiedykes Road

   ©

"One of the local 'worthies' former residents might remember was a lady called Jenny Ellison (or Allison, I'm not sure how her surname was spelt).

Jenny had a son called Dod (who I think worked in the Cleansing Dept) and both stayed at the ground floor flat at 144 Dumbiedykes Road.

 Jenny spoke with a bit of a lisp and could always be seen at her window having wee blether. Kids would occasionally try to 'knock a rise' out of Jenny by mimicking the way she spoke (only to be sent on their way with an an 'earful').

Like most Dumbiedykes residents, Jenny and Dod were genuinely nice folk (and also incredibly tolerant!).

Arthur's Seat

"I was interested to read a former Southsider's comments re 'The Scotchie'. I know the part of Arthur's Seat referred to. I think the crevice in the rock above was called either 'The Chimney' or 'The Cat's Nick'. Many's the time my pals and I risked life and limb climbing from the path (the Radical Road) to the top end at Hunter's Bog.

Despite the overcrowding, there was a great community spirit in the Southside. I very much appreciate the site and the photographs

If anyone who stayed in the area has old pictures, I do hope they'll consider submitting them.

3.

Recollections by George Smith

Arthur Street

    ©

"Recent material about Dumbiedykes brought back some family memories.

My cousin who lived in Arthur Street also managed to let go the hand brake of his father's (Co-Op/Store) lorry but managed to avert catastrophe at the last minute by applying his juvenile feet to the footbrake and come to a stop before hitting the fence at the bottom".

George Smith, Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Colombia, Canada.

4.

Recollections by Isa Paulin

Thank you to Isa Paulin for sending me the photograph of some of the children from Holyrood Square.  Isa wrote:

Children from Holyrood Square

  ©

"Here is a photo of some kids from Holyrood Square who may just recognise themselves.  I reckon this was taken round about 1940 and was in Holyrood Park."

Infirmary Street Baths

and

Simon's Bakery

I wonder if anyone remembers Simon's Bakery in St. Mary Street.

At Milton House Primary School our class went every week to Infirmary Street Baths for our swimming lesson and on the way back to school the highlight of the day was to pop into Simon's for our 'shivery bite' which was a mince pie topped with baked beans. 

5.

Recollections by Jeanette Boon

Thank you to Jeanette Boon, now living in Canada for sending me the following comments on this photograph.

St Margaret's Church

   ©

This photograph is of Prospect Street and St. Margaret's Church.  I used to attend this church.

I'm sure a lot of people will remember Miss Riley, the Sunday school teacher.  She always wore a grey skirt and jacket.  I used to think she was a nun.

  ©

This photograph is of  Prospect Terrace.  This was right next to Lower Viewcraig Row.  You can see the church on the left side of this photo.

This was the spot where the bride and groom came out of the church to a waiting car.  We were always there for the "poor-oot" 

It was good to receive an e-mail and the photograph below from Jeanette Boon (formerly Jeanette Keighren) who used to live at Dumbiedykes).

Jeanette left Edinburgh in 1957 and now lives in Welland, Ontario, Canada, about twenty minutes from Niagara Falls.

Jeanette wrote:

 Reunion in Canada

"I lived at 65 Lower Viewcraig Row with my parents, three sisters and a brother.  My name then was Jeanette Keighren."

©

"My husband and I are now retired teachers.  We have three children (teachers) and six grand children."

Dumbiedykes Reunion
 in Canada

  ©

"We had a reunion at my house in Canada, of five ladies from Dumbiedykes. 

They were:

-  the Campbell ladies
from  Prospect Place
both now living in Canada

-  the Paulin' ladies
from  Holyrood Square
one now living in England,
the other still in Edinburgh.

- Jeanette Boon (myself)
formerly Jeanette Keighren
from Lower Viewcraig Row."

"We got in touch with each other through 'Friends Reunited'.

We all went to Milton House School and then James Clarks.  Our ages now range from 60 to 70.

Reading some of the comments from George Stevenson, especially about the Scotchie and Yardley's shop took me back in time.

I would like to know what number he lived at and when."

Jeanette:

George lived in Dumbiedykes from 1953 to 1962.  His address was 65 Lower Viewcraig Row ,the same address as yours, but beginning about two years after you left!

Peter Stubbs

6.

Message from Kathleen Honan

Looking for people who grew up in Dumbiedykes

Kathleen Honan hopes to make contact again with some of the people she knew when she grew up in the Dumbiedykes area of Edinburgh.

If you would like to respond to the message below, please e-mail me and I will forward your message to Kathleen.

Homes

I lived with my granny in Lower Viewcraig Row, Dumbiedykes, in a top flat, No. 52.  My granny's name was Farrell.

My mother and father lived in Adam Street.  We had the ladies hairdressers, just off Adam Street, next to the nursery, but i spent all of my time at Lower View.

Friends

I've been trying for ages to make contact with someone from Dumbiedykes.

I am already in contact with Helen Whitehead  who lived in Prospect Terrace or Place.  We have been pals since we  were  twelve.

Kathleen Honan:  30 August 2005

Response 1

Thank you to Margaret Stevens, formerly Margaret Rutherford of Arthur Street for responding to the request above.  Margaret still lives in Edinburgh and will be aged  60 in 2006.

Margaret:  I've forwarded your message to Kathleen

Response 2

Thank you to Bill Cockburn for sending me a message for Kathleen Honan.   Bill, who, now lives in  Comely Bank, Edinburgh, tells me that it is nearly 40 years since he was last in touch with Kathleen.

Bill:  I've forwarded your message to Kathleen.

Response 3

Thank you to Danny Duff for letting me know where Rab Sneddon works now.

Danny:  I've forwarded your message to Kathleen.

Update  -  May 2007

I'm pleased to have now received another message from Bill Cockburn.

Meeting

"I've been busy blethering with Kathleen Honan, and we are arranging a meet up with Jimmy Logan and Helen Whitehead, after about 47 years.

All this is thanks to your website, for which I will be for ever grateful."

7.

Recollections by Eric Gold

Thank you to Eric Gold who lived at East Arthur Place from 1948 until 1961 for the following.  Eric wrote: