Edinburgh History - Old Town - Castlehill Primary School

Edinburgh Old Town

Castle Hill School

Opposite the Camera Obscura

Castle Hill School is situated on the south side of Castle Hill, close to Edinburgh Castle Esplanade, and across the road from the Camera Obscura.

The school opened in 1889. It is the building set back from the road in the photograph above, taken from the Camera Obscura.

Castle Hill School Recollections
1.	Jim Currie Sarnia, Ontario, Canada	- School Dux
2.	Jim Robertson Berlin, Germany	- School Photo
3.	Jim Currie Sarnia Ontario, Canada	- School Photo
4.	Anita Razzell (nee Canale) Qualicum Beach, British Columbia, Canada	- School Photo 1950-51
5.	Kathleen Crawford (nee Matheson)	- Grannie's Green - Dux
6.	Jim Currie Sarnia, Ontario, Canada	- Basher Thomson - School Pupils
7.	Florence Broderic (nee McGhee) Muriston, West Lothian, Scotland	- Milnes Court - Family and Schools - Friends - Return Visit - Tattoo
8.	Jim Cairns Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland	- School Photo - First Year

Recollections

Jim Currie

Sarnia, Ontario, Canada

Thank you to Jim Currie, now living in Canada, who sent me the following message:

School Dux

"My name is Jim Currie. I attended Castle Hill Primary School when I lived in the Lawnmarket at # 1 Upper Bow. Around 1949/1950.

I was lucky enough to be the 'Dux' boy that year and received £3 and a Book at a School Ceremony for my efforts.

Unfortunately the £3 are long gone as you can imagine and the book which I had left with my Ma and Dad also disappeared after I emigrated to Canada.

Any chance there might be a record of this achievement to be found, or a picture of the graduating class?

I do have a small cutting out of the Edinburgh Evening news from that time, but no other documents.

I would be very surprised but happy if you came up with anything. Thx."

Jim Currie, Sarnia, Ontario, Canada: 3 January 2006

If you have any comments for Jim, please e-mail me so that I can pass them on to him.

Thank you. - Peter Stubbs: January 2006

Recollections

Jim Robertson

Berlin, Germany

Thank you to Jim Robertson who replied:

School Photo

"I thought the photo below might interest Jim Currie who was at Castle Hill Primary School. The photo comes from a friend of mine who came from the Upper Bow.

His Name is Ian Kerr. He now lives in Berlin, a few doors away from me. The photo was taken also around 1948-50.

Jim Robertson, Berlin: March 16, 2008

Castle Hill Primary School

Around 1948-50

A note on this photo says that it includes the Kerr twins, Inez and Ian.

Recollections

Jim Currie

Sarnia Ontario, Canada

After reading Jim Robertson's comments and seeing the photo above, Jim Currie wrote:

"Jim:

School Photo

I really appreciate seeing the picture you sent of a class at Castle Hill Primary School. Alas it's not the year i was looking for. I'm still looking for 1949 or 1950.

Please tell your friend that we lived in No.1 Upper Bow for several years before moving to a housing development at Broomhouse in the West of Edinburgh - not a great experience - then to Stevenson Drive where I lived until emigrating to Canada in April 1960.

Here are some names that you may recall from the Upper Bow area:

- Alec Lauder

- ,Donald Reid

- Bobby Gibson

- Sandy Cornelius

- John Middlemas

- James Lindsay

- Donald Urquhart.

We played a lot in Princes Street Gardens, Riddles Court, and Milnes Court, just across the 'Lawnie'.

My claim to fame if you want to call it that, was that I spent a lot of time in a wheel chair in my early years attached to the railing at the top of the Bow, as I had been born with a club foot."

Jim Currie, Sarnia, Ontario, Canada: March 21, 2008

Recollections

Anita Razzell (nee Canale)

Qualicum Beach, British Columbia, Canada

School Photo

1950-51

Thank you to Anita Razzell (nee Canale) now living at Qualicum Beach, British Columbia, Canada for sending me this photograph of the 1950-51 final year class at Castle Hill Primary School.

This may be one year later than the class that Jim Currie is looking for.

Recollections

Kathleen Crawford (nee Matheson)

Thank you to Kathleen Crawford for sending this message to Jim Currie in reply to 1 above.

Kathleen wrote:

"Jim:

Grannie's Green

I believe I was in your sister Margaret's class at Castle Hill School. My teacher was Miss Mowat. My brother, John, and I lived in the army barracks at Johnstone Terrace. We used to play in Grannie’s Green, and used to be scared of the local policeman — Basher Thomson."

Dux

"We had Australian accents then. Did you find out information regarding your Dux medal? I was Dux as well and have nothing to show for it, so I sometimes think it is all in the mind as I have no proof of It.

If I remember correctly a boy named Eric McKean was Dux boy. It was either him or Alfred Douglas."

Kathleen Crawford (nee Matheson): July 30, 2008

Recollections

Jim Currie

Sarnia, Ontario, Canada

Thank you to Jim Currie, now living in Canada, who sent me the following message:

Basher Thomson

"The most recent message from Kathleen Crawford (4 above) took me back a few years with comments about the Barracks down Johnstone Terrace, Grannie's Green and 'Basher Thompson" the Bobby who kept us all on our toes. I have him as a character in a wee book I'm writing about my early days in Auld Reekie."

"To Kathleen:

School Pupils

I remember Alfie Douglas, but my sisters name was Betty, not Margaret. She did have a close friend called Margaret Aitken who lived on the top flat in No.4 Upper Bow, where my Granny Fell and Auntie Jean also lived in those days.

I also had two cousins that went to our school, Ann Currie and Elisabeth Gibb. they were about our age.

Thanks for the memories

PS. I'm a diehard 'Hibee' fan, ever since the 'Famous Five' days."

Jim Currie, Sarnia, Ontario, Canada: 3 January 2006

Recollections

Florence Broderick (nee McGhee)

Muriston, West Lothian, Scotland

Thank you to Florence Broderick who wrote:

Milnes Court

"I lived at 1 Milnes Court, Lawnmarket from 1943 untill 1968. Then the court was taken over by the University and we were all re-housed."

Family and Schools

"I had 4 sisters, Norma, Violet, Mina and Dorothy, and two brothers, Robert who was killed in the war in 1942, and Alistair.

Alistair, went to Castle Hill School from 1947 until the school closed, then he went to James Clark School. I went to South Bridge School, then to Darnoch, up Gilmore Place."

Friends

"I remember Alfie Douglas, Alex Anderson, Donald Reid, Bobby and May Gibson, John Middlemass; also Grace Mowat, who died aged only 5. Her dad was a bookie. Her uncle had the Eagle Bar with back windows facing onto Milnes Court."

Return Visit

"I took my grandchildren around the area on Monday. It has all been done up with big wooden doors and windows in the stair.

Castle Hill School is now a Whisky Heritage Centre.

Being Festival time, the Royal Mile was very busy, with stalls and slide shows."

Tattoo

"My family are taken us to the Tattoo this Saturday. The tickets sell out quickly and are hard to get.

We always used to go when we were kids. My dad worked in the castle and was a piper with the Royal Scotts."

Florence Broderick Muriston, West Lothian, Scotland: August 14, 2008.

Recollections

Jim Cairns

Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland

Thank you to Jim Cairns for providing a photograph of his Primary 1 class at Castle Hill school, taken in 1949.

Jim wrote:

School Photo

"Here is a photograph of my Primary 1 class at Castle Hill school in 1949.

I think my teacher was Miss Mowat. I was only there a year when the school closed, and I then went to South Bridge school.

Please click on the thumbnail image above to enlarge the photo and read some of the names of the pupils.

First Year

"I don't remember much about that first year. I was dunted in the back going downstairs and was only saved by rugby-tackling one of the female teachers. Very embarrassing!

We used slates to practice writing on, and brown plasticine for art lessons.

We used to get a free bottle of milk every morning. It was ok in the winter when it was cold, but not so nice in summer. We used the foil tops with marbles to make 'racing cars' which we
used on the sloping playground.

The classrooms were heated with coal fires, and when it rained the coats were piled on the fireguard to dry. If it was very wet, all of the pupils would march about in the rain at playtime chanting:

'We want a halfie, we want a halfie!'

It usually didn't work though."

Jim Cairns, Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland: September 21 + October 10, 2008