Recollections Lochend and Easter Road |
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Recollections |
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1. |
Valerie Mills |
- Albion Place - 'Poor-Oot' - Football Matches - Move from Edinburgh - Churches |
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2. |
Question |
Leith History
Society |
- Dunbar Aerated Waters - Alexander Dunbar |
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Answer |
Bryden
(Dunbar) Ritchie |
- Two Dunbar Companies (A) Dunbar & Co (B) James Dunbar Ltd |
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Answer |
David
Dunbar |
- James Dunbar Ltd - Brothers - The Next Generation - Other Dunbars |
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Answer |
Bill Hall |
- Elgin House |
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Answer |
- James Dunbar & Co - bottles - Dunbar Ltd - Questions |
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Answer |
- Dunbar Ltd |
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Answer |
Alastair Berry |
- James Dunbar - James' Father - James' Brother - Music in the Factory - James' Family - Dunbar's: The Pleasance - Other Drinks Companies |
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3. |
Kenneth Williamson |
- Lochend Park |
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4. |
Sandy Gemmill |
- Dunbar: Gravestones |
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5. |
James A Rafferty |
- James Dunbar's Works |
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6. |
Laurie Thompson |
- Lochend Park - William Thyne - Football and Fishing |
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7. |
Laurie Thompson |
- William Thyne |
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8. |
Gordon Davie |
- Lochend Park - 'Down the Chute' - Changed Times |
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Recollections 1. Valerie Mills Luss, Argyll & Bute, Scotland |
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Thank you to Valerie Mills, now living at Luss beside Loch Lomond, who wrote: Albion Place "When I was 8yrs old, in 1966, my family moved from Lochend Road to No 15 Albion Place, Edinburgh Edin. (5 of us in a 1 bedroomed house, no bath). At one end of the Street there was the Hibs Football Ground and at the other end was a Church. Well, myself, my 2 younger brothers and all the other kids in the street lived for Saturdays, because that was when most of the weddings were held at this church." 'Poor-Oot', "We would be out there from the minute we were allowed out to play, swinging on the railings and jumping of the steps of the church waiting for the Wedding to 'Get Over and Done With', then we'd get the 'poor oot'."
Football Matches "But it broke our hearts if there was a football match on that day, as we were all brought indoors, because of the 'crowds'. The minute the football crowds had gone, and my Mum let us out again, it was a race to the church to see if they had thrown anything, and also to beat the other kids from getting there first. I learned to hate football from an early age! And to my shame, I don't know the name of that Church." Move from Edinburgh "I left Edinburgh 5 yrs ago. I now live 1 mile outside the village of Luss, on the Banks of Loch Lomond. But I do miss Edinburgh so much." Valerie Mills, Luss, Argyll & Bute, Scotland: October 14 2007 |
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Churches There were two churches in Albion Road, St Mungo's Church and Lockhart Memorial Church. Please click on the thumbnail image below to enlarge the photo to see both churches, and the framework for the new stand at Hibs Football Ground in the background. Peter Stubbs: November 22, 2007 |
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Recollections 2. Leith History Society Leith, Edinburgh |
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Question Dunbar Aerated Waters Albion Road Dunbar & Co, aerated water manufacturers were based at Albion Road, close to Hibs Football Stadium. Members of Leith History Society are looking at the history of this company. Do you know anything about the company? Did you perhaps work for the company? If you have any information about it, please e-mail me and I'll pass on any details you send me to the history society. Thank you. - Peter Stubbs: November 25, 2007 |
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Alexander Dunbar I've now added a profile of one of the company's Directors, Alexander Dunbar ***, to the web site. He became President of Edinburgh Photographic Society. - Peter Stubbs: November 26, 2007 |
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*** But see also Answers 1 and 2 below. |
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Recollections 2. Answer 1. Bryden (Dunbar) Ritchie Edinburgh |
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Thank you to Bryden Ritchie for providing the explanation below. Bryden wrote: |
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Two Dunbar Companies "You have fallen into a little trap here. There were TWO lemonade firms in Edinburgh called Dunbar; Dunbar & Co and James Dunbar." I have referred to these two companies as (A) and (B) below. |
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(A) Dunbar & Co "Dunbar & Co's works were in the Pleasance, down from what is now the University Sports Club. The owner of Dunbar & Co was an Alexander Dunbar. But, to the best of my knowledge, he was never a member of the Edinburgh Photograpic Society. In fact, I can't ever remember him having a camera - and that's not his photo! ** Dunbar & Co was wound up in the late 1960s, and the assets, such as they were, were sold to James Dunbar. Jimmy Dunbar, the last scion of that family, used to work at the Edradour distillery, Pitlochry, about ten years or so ago. One of the James Dunbar side was Lord Provost at one time, I think." ** Please see 'Answer 2' below for more info on Alex Dunbar in the photograph above. |
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(B) James Dunbar Ltd "James Dunbar had the factory in Albion Road." |
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Bryden (Dunbar) Ritchie, Edinburgh: August 29, 2010 |
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Recollections 2. Answer 2. David Dunbar London |
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Thank you to David Dunbar who replied: |
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James Dunbar Ltd "I stumbled on your website and was delighted to see references to my family’s former business, the James Dunbar Ltd lemonade factory at 68 Albion Road. I am the grand-son of the late Sir John Greig Dunbar who was indeed Lord Provost in the early 1960s. He was councilor for the Calton ward and was Managing Director of James Dunbar Ltd." |
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Brothers "Sir John's brother, Alex Dunbar, was a Director of James Dunbar Ltd, not Dunbar & Co, and he was President of the Edinburgh Photographic Society. Alex Dunbar There was another brother, James, who too was a Director." |
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The Next Generation "Latterly, my father Greig, and his cousin Jimmy ran the factory. The business was sold to Dunn & Co in the late-1960s or early- 1970s. Sadly, Greig passed away in 2007. Jimmy too passed away, a little earlier. If only they were alive, they could tell you exactly the history of the place. Yes, Jimmy did indeed work at a distillery but I cannot confirm which one. Are you familiar with Elgin House ** at the top of Easter Road? That was the house that belonged to James Dunbar himself from the 1860’s, and his first factory was at 14 Maryfield (the street behind Easter Road)." ** I was not aware of Elgin House, but I'll look out for it next time I'm in the area. |
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Other Dunbars "Finally, the ‘other’ Dunbars were certainly, at one time, at 3 Greenside Row. They were not part of the James Dunbar ‘clan’ as far as I know - but I can try and find out for sure. I have an old marketing poster for Dunbar’s Aerated Tonic." |
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David Dunbar, London: May 2, 2011 |
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Recollections 2. Answer 3. Bill Hall Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland |
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Thank you to Bill Hall for suggesting where I might be able to find James Dunbar's home, Elgin House. |
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Elgin House "Elgin House could be the one behind the tenements in Easter Road, between Easter Road and Maryfield. Not many people know it. You have to go through a stair just up from Rossie Place near A & A Stores and the house is at the back. It is quite a large villa. You can see it on Google Earth nestling in the angle between Maryfield/Rossie Place and Easter Road, I used to deliver papers from Blackhall's Newsagent in Easter Road to this house in the late-1950's and early-1960s." Bill Hall, Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland: May 16, 2011 |
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Recollections 2. Answer 4. Keith |
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Thank you to Keith for sending me this photograph of two bottles from his collection. These date from the late-1950s and come from the lemonade works of James Dunbar Ltd., 68 Albion Road, Edinburgh. James Dunbar Ltd. was established in 1868. James Dunbar Ltd Kola and Appleade Bottles
© Keith (full name to follow later, I hope) |
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Keith wrote: Dunbar Ltd "I would appreciate any info you had on James Dunbar & Co. eg. - When did it close? - Was it sold to one of the major brands, eg Barrs etc.?" Keith: July 20, 2011 |
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Reply to Keith? If you'd like to send a reply to Keith, please email me, then I'll pass your message on to him. Thank you. Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh, July 23, 2011 |
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Recollections 2. Answer 5. Update April 2012 |
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Thank you to Lucy Stock who wrote: Lemonade Bottles "I have been particularly interested in getting a lemonade bottle. It looks like your Keith has decided to sell his two bottles on eBay. Note the price!!! A bit beyond my budget, alas." Lucy Stock: April 8, 2012 |
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eBay Well done, Lucy, for recognising these two bottles! The link above should take you to the web site offering these bottles for sale, though the link may not work after the sale has ended in mid-April, 2012. The eBay page uses the same photo as in Keith's Recollection 2, Answer 4 above. It describes the bottles as VINTAGE James Dunbar 1950s Scottish Coca Cola bottles. The starting bid figure is set at £159.99, but there have been no bids yet. Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: April 12, 2012 |
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Recollections 2. Answer 6. Keith |
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Dunbar Ltd Thank you to Keith for sending me another email, answering one of his own questions above. i.e. The Dunbar soft drinks business was sold to Barrs. Keith discovered this from recollections about the Dunbar drinks company, written by a grand-daughter of one of the directors. Her message can be found on this web site. Acknowledgement: Keith: July 28, 2011 |
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Recollections 2. Answer 7. Alastair Berry Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia |
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Thank you to Alastair Berry, who wrote: |
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James Dunbar "I was a kid, aged twelve and living at Liberton in 1942, when I took a College of Agriculture course on Beekeeping. It was through beekeeping that I met James Dunbar from out Murrayfield way. He kept bees too, in his back garden. He was the mainstay of Dunbar's lemonade factory in Albion Road. He knew the inner workings of every bit of machinery and on every Sunday night would light the boiler fire so that there would be steam up on the Monday morning." |
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James' Father "His father was elderly and lived down Hillside Crescent way. He would occasionally be in the factory office. Another brother looked after the formulae of the various colas and orange squashes - and ginger beer, some of which left the factory in 5 gallon pressurized stone crocks." |
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James' Brother "I think it was this brother who became Lord Provost later, but I cannot guarantee the information as I left Edinburgh ‘for abroad’ in 1952 ." |
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Music in the Factory "They played music throughout the day in the factory and speeded it up if increased production was required. The output of lemonade depended on the speed at which the workers fed the bottle washing machine" |
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James' Family "This Jimmy Dunbar had: - a wife, Lottie - a son. 'Junior'. He went to the Institution, i.e. Melville College. - a daughter, who married the son of a farmer out Dalmeny way and ended up in a farm on the Water of Ae, towards Dumfries" |
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Dunbar's: The Pleasance "The Dunbar lemonade company at The Pleasance was an entirely different company but might have been set up for the ’natural ‘ son of one of the older Dunbar Clan, many years before I was born. The Albion Road DUNBARS certainly kept their distance from the Pleasance ones." |
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Other Drinks Companies "Cola Cola made some overtures to Albion Road but were rejected as their product was deemed inferior. I believe that there were some connections to Barr's Iron Brew and their Kirkcaldy factory but, as I was only a boy, I was not privy to all the details." |
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Alastair Berry, Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada: January 26, 2012 |
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Recollections 2. Answer 8. Terry Cox Fairmilehead, Edinburgh |
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Thank you to Terry Cox for sending this reply to the message from Lucy Stock who wrote about James Dunbar's lemonade bottles in her Reply 5 to Question 2 above. Terry wrote: |
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James Dunbar Lemonade Bottles "I've just come across Lucy Stock's Reply 5 above from April 2012) Lucy Stock said she was looking for a Dunbar's lemonade bottle. She didn't say why she wanted it, or whether she was local. As you can see from these photos, I have a couple of Dunbar's screw top lemonade bottles, probably from the 1960s. Unfortunately they don't have labels on them. I used to use these bottles for my home brewing many moons ago. James Dunbar Ltd Bottles and Bottle Top
© Terry Cox, Fairmilehead, Edinburgh
© Terry Cox, Fairmilehead, Edinburgh Reply to Terry Cox If you still have a contact for Lucy Stock, and she's local, I'm quite happy to let her have one of them, free gratis. They're just sitting in my cupboard, along with various other lemonade bottles, including Hendry's and Leitch's, from Edinburgh. Terry Cox, Fairmilehead, Edinburgh: June 22, 2014 |
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I've passed on to Terry Cox the latest email address that I have for Lucy. I hope that she is still using the same email address now, and that Terry will be able to get in touch with her. Terry Cox, Fairmilehead, Edinburgh: June 22, 2014 |
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Recollections 3. Kenneth Williamson Silverknowes, Edinburgh |
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Thank you to Kenneth Williamson who wrote: |
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Lochend Park The Lake "I remember the pond at Lochend Park. We had to run around it as part of our training for 'Leith Accies' Rugby Team. Smith's Bakery was nearby. They used to give away old bread. It was used to feed he ducks in the park. Kenneth Williamson, Silverknowes, Edinburgh: May 23, 2013 |
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Recollections 4. Sandy Gemmill Warriston, Edinburgh |
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Thank you to Sandy Gemmill who wrote: |
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James Dunbar Aerated Waters Gravestones "I have found two grave stones in Warriston Cemetery which refer to Aerated Water manufacturers named Dunbar. Gravestone 1 (1) The most recent gravestone bears the following entry
John and Anne Dunbar (above) are forbearers of David Dunbar who sent Answer 2 to Recollections 2 above. Gravestone 2 (2) The older gravestone bears the following entry
Sandy Gemmill, Warriston, Edinburgh: September 9, 2013 |
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Recollections 5. James A Rafferty Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland |
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Thank you to James A Rafferty for providing a recent photo that he took of James Dunbar's former lemonade works in Albion Road. Albion Road runs round the north side of Hibernian FC's Easter Road Stadium. |
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James wrote: James Dunbar Lemonade Works at Albion Road "I notice that there has been recent mention on the EdinPhoto web site of James Dunbar, the lemonade manufacturers. I was in the area of the former lemonade works last week and took this photo of what's left of the works. I thought your contributors might like to see what remains of the works"
© James Rafferty, Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland Photo taken: September 2013 "Judging by the amount of housing going up in this area, I think it won't be long before another landmark is pulled down." James A Rafferty, Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland: |
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Recollections 6. Laurie Thompson Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire, England |
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Thank you to Laurie Thompson for responding to the comments by Kenneth Williamson in his Recollections 3 above. Laurie wrote: |
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Lochend Park "Continuing my wanders through the Edinphoto website, Kenneth Williamson's recollection about Lochend Park brought back a few memories. Lochend Park was the first park I regularly visited. My first vivid memories of it were the bright red cinder paths (presumably freshly laid or refreshed not long before my first visit) and a strong smell- strange and chemical, but not actually unpleasant. At my young age at the time of that visit (5 or 6 or thereabouts) I mentally put two and two together, and came to the 'five' conclusion that the red paths had a strange smell. Not true, of course; the smell came from the nearby William Thyne's Printing Works in Marionville Road (of which more below) and was presumably produced by the hot printing presses and printing inks that they used to produce their various products." William Thyne's "Thyne's seemed an odd organisation, as it was split into two halves, one each side of the Piershill/Abbeyhill railway loop line. Consequently, to move their product from the printing area in one building to the packing and dispatch area in the other, they used tiny tractors and trailers to shuttle between the two. Occasionally, a badly secured load on a trailer would result in some of the product being shed onto the road, and several times I picked up and took home flat-pack soap-powder packets (Tide and Omo, if I remember rightly) and folded them into their proper box shape to see how it was done. Sometimes even now when I look at a soap powder box, I visualize it opened out into its flat form. Football and Fishing "Lochend Park was a great place. My pals and myself used to go there regularly for a kick around with a plastic football, or we'd take a jam jar and our cane-handled fishing nets (bought from Woolworths in Portobello), and catch sticklebacks. These fish always impressed me. They were small, but had (to me) a fierce expression, and with their red bellies and erect dorsal spines, they looked ready to take on anything! Laurie Thompson, Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire, England: 20 June 2014 |
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Recollections 7. Laurie Thompson Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire, England |
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Thank you to Laurie Thompson for following up his comments about William Thyne in his Recollections 6 above. Laurie wrote: |
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William Thyne's "Out of idle curiosity, I've just Googled William Thyne Ltd, Edinburgh, and found a number of very high quality aerial photographs (albeit from the 1930s and 1940s) of William Thyne's split factory. These also show clearly its proximity to Lochend Park and Loch, as well as its location in relation to the Piershill/Abbeyhill railway loop line off the east coast mainline. The internet is a great resource, full of unexpected surprises, if used properly!" Laurie Thompson, Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire, England: June 22, 2014 |
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Recollections 8. Gordon Davie Abbeyhill, Edinburgh |
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Thank you to Gordon Davie for sending me what he describes as his "not all that happy" memories of Lochend Park. Gordon wrote: |
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Lochend Park "To establish the background: my dad was by no means a religious man but he still felt that Sunday was a day of peace and quiet and so I was never allowed to go out to play on that day. Instead, the two of us would go for walks if the weather was fine - I loved going to see the big ships in Leith Docks in those innocent days when the public was allowed to wander around freely." 'Down the Chute!' "One particular day, when I would be about six years old, we were walking through Lochend Park and our route took us past the swings. I wanted a go on the chute so my dad agreed. Now, I have no idea if somebody had put grease or something on the surface of the chute but I came down much faster than usual and shot right off the end. According to my dad, I bounced three times on the gravel, a bit like the bombs in 'The Dambusters'! Once he saw I wasn't hurt (apart from a couple of minor grazes - I wore short trousers in those days) he was doubled up with laughter and in later years would bring up the story at the slightest excuse!" Changed Times! "No doubt if such a thing was to happen these days the Council would receive a compensation claim first thing on the Monday morning,but back then if something happened we just shrugged and got on with our lives!" Gordon Davie, Abbeyhill, Edinburgh: June 26, 2014 |