Edinburgh History - Recollectons

1.	Stephen McMahon Munich, Germany	Stenhouse Primary School - Brook Bond Certificate, Junior Art - Classes - Certificate of Merit, 1967-68
2.	Jean Edinburgh	Looking for Old Photos
3.	Helen Litalien (nee Kelly) San Antonio, Texas, USA	Jim Kelly
4.	Lesley Morrison (nee Clark) Young, New South Wales, Australia	St Aidan's Church - 1952
5.	John Gray Stenhouse, Edinburgh	St Aidan's Church - Chesser Avenue
6.	John Gray Stenhouse, Edinburgh	St Aidan's Church - Location of Earlier Church?
7.	John Gray Stenhouse, Edinburgh	St Aidan's Church - Bread Street
8.	Lesley Morrison (nee Clark) Young, New South Wales, Australia	St Aidan's Church - Chesser Avenue - Stenhouse Drive
9.	Stephen McMahon Munich, Germany	St Aidan's Church - Locations
10.	John Gray Stenhouse, Edinburgh	St Aidan's Church - Locations

Recollections

Stephen McMahon

Munich, Germany

Thank you to Stephen McMahon, now living in Germany, who wrote telling me about certificates he had found, awarded to him at Prizegiving Ceremonies in the 1960s, in the 'Wee Hall' at Stenhouse Primary School

Stephen wrote:

Stenhouse Primary School

Brooke Bond Certificate

Junior Art - 1968

"Here is my Brooke Bond National School Awards Certificate, 1968. I vaguely remember having to do 'something fancy' with a really ancient pen and ink to win this prize. The pen was either my first fountain pen (which cost about £1. I saved for months to get it) or it was a nibbed affair that I had to dip into an inkwell.

I think I copied and illustrated a poem - fancy handwriting and picture. Junior Art. This might explain why I do what I do now."

Classes

"When I was in Primary 5b1, I was awarded a Certificate of Merit (not illustrated, but similar to the one below awarded two years later.)

I think the '1' part of '5b1' stood for the Easter intake of 5-year-olds (my birthday is in January so I was allowed to start school in spring. My special Easter gift was my schoolbag!

The other kids, who started school in September were the '2' group.

The 'b' part of 5b1 probably referred to which part of the group you were in. In the 1960s, there were a lot of kids around so classes were often split."

Certificate of Merit

1967-68

"When I was awarded this Certificate of Merit, I was in Primary ex 7a1. The'1' part of the class left primary school at the end of the Winter/Easter term to attend secondary school. That's why I'm '1' and 'ex'.

I had to come back to primary school to collect this certificate AND my Junior Art certificate - chuffed! I was a pupil at Trinity Academy Prep School, at the time housed in the (since demolished) buildings at Bangholm - which, I think, had been the home of Trinity Academy Primary School before it moved to new buildings opposite the Senior School next to Victoria Park in Trinity).

I remember feeling like the, errm ... 'nether regions of a male canine creature' when my name was called and I rose to collect the certificates, wearing my new school uniform.

I won the prizes for being 2nd in Maths, 2nd or 3rd in English and 1st in Religious Knowledge, which I won 3 years in a row from P5 to P7. That explains why I had three Bibles!"

Stephen McMahon, Munich, Germany: December 15, 2008

Recollections

Jean

Edinburgh

Jean left this message in the EdinPhoto guest book.

Jean wrote:

Looking for Old Photos

"Has anyone got some old pics of Broomhouse around 1900 to 1958. I'd like to see what it looked like then."

Jean, Edinburgh: January 18, 2008

Recollections

Helen Litalien (nee Kelly)

San Antonio, Texas, USA

Thank you to Helen Litalien for adding a comment to the guest book.

Helen wrote:

Jim Kelly

"Our family moved from Dumbiedykes to Broomhouse around 1952.

My Dad, Jim Kelly, was a great singer and played the banjo. We belonged to the Broomhouse Concert Party who gave concerts for the scheme and held dances at the school in Broomhouse.

I hope to hear from all who remember our family."

Helen Litalien (nee Kelly), San Antonio, Texas, USA
Message added to EdinPhoto guest book: January 27, 2009

If you'd like to contact Helen, you'll find her email address in one of the entries that she posted in the EdinPhoto guest book today, January 27, 2009.

Recollections

Lesley Morrison (nee Clark)

Young, New South Wales, Australia

Thank you to Lesley Morrison who wrote:

Question

St Aidan's Church

1952

"I was born in Edinburgh in 1952, but emigrated to Australia with my family in 1964.

I'm now looking for a photo of St Aidan's Church, Stenhouse, where my parents were married in 1952. I have been told that the original church has been demolished and re-built some distance away from where it was.

We have photos of my parents' wedding taken outside the church entry and one of the ceremony at the altar, but none of the actual church building."

Lesley Morrison, Young, New South Wales, Australia: February 9, 2012

Photos of the Church?

If you know of any photos of St Aidan's Church that might be of interest to Lesley, please email me, then I'll pass on your message to Lesley.

Thank you.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: February 9, 2012

Recollections

John Gray

Stenhouse, Edinburgh

Thank you to John Gray who wrote:

St Aidan's Church

Chesser Avenue

"Here are a couple of photos that I took of St Aidan's Church, Stenhouse, for the recent enquiry by Lesley Morrison from Australia.

Photo 1

Photo 2

From what I have Googled, this would have been the church where her parents were married in 1952:

John Gray, Stenhouse, Edinburgh: February 10+12, 2012

** BUT, please also see 'Recollections 7 and 8' below.

St Aidan's Church

Chesser Avenue

These photos are St Aidan's Church at the northern end of Chesser Avenue, Stenhouse.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: February 9, 2012

Recollections

John Gray

Stenhouse, Edinburgh

Thank you to John Gray for following Lesley Morrison's comment.

Lesley wrote:

"I have been told that the original church has been demolished and re-built some distance away from where it was."

John wrote:

St Aidan's Church

Location of Earlier Church?

"I cannot find any other location for St Aidan's Church, apart from it being initially held in a mill building - possibly Stenhouse Mill? **

John Gray, Stenhouse, Edinburgh: February 10+12, 2012

** BUT, please also see 'Recollections 7 and 8' below.

Recollections

John Gray

Stenhouse, Edinburgh

John Gray added

St Aidan's Church

Bread Street

"I have just been looking at Malcolm Cant's book, 'Edinburgh Shops' and, lo and behold, there on page 80 is a line drawing of the original St Aidan's Church.

It was next door to the St Cuthbert's store on Bread Street - now the Point Hotel.

St Cuthbert's acquired the church in 1934 and demolished it in 1937 to make the store larger. St Aidan's church then moved to Stenhouse.

John Gray, Stenhouse, Edinburgh: February 13, 2012

Recollections

Lesley Morrison (nee Clark)

Young, New South Wales, Australia

Lesley Morrison replied:

St Aidan's Church

Chesser Avenue

"Thank you so much for the pictures sent in by John Gray of the present St Aidan's Parish Church in Chesser."

Lesley Morrison, Young, New South Wales, Australia: February 16, 2012

However, Lesley has been investigating further and has discovered the location of the earlier St Aidan's Church at Stenhouse. It was in Stenhouse Drive.

Thank you to Lesley for providing this photo of the Stenhouse Drive church, sent to her by current minister of St Aidan's Church. Please click on the thumbnail image to enlarge it.

St Aidan's Church

Stenhouse Drive

Recollections

Stephen McMahon

Munich, Germany

Thank you to Stephen McMahon who replied. Stephen's answer is consistent with the message from Lesley Morrison in 8 above (which had not been added to the EdinPhoto web site when Stephen's message arrived.

Stephen wrote:

St Aidan's Church

Locations

"I've been following the St. Aidan's trail. A bit of confusion has crept in to the location and photos of the church. I can't help with a photo of the church as it would have been in 1952, but I do know that the current St Aidan's church - the one in these photos - is not the church in question."

"I grew up a stone's throw from St Aidan's in the late-1950s and 1960s. It was located on the southern side of Stenhouse Drive between Stenhouse Grove and Stenhouse Place. It was a large, dark-red brick building.

I've indicated the locations of the old and curent St Aidan's church buildings on this extract from a 1955 map.

The current St. Aidan's church had a different name when I was a child.

Stephen McMahon, Munich, Germany: February 16, 2012

Recollections

10.

John Gray

Stenhouse, Edinburgh

Thank you to John Gray who wrote:

St Aidan's Church

The Move

"The church moved from Stenhouse Drive because the congregation was diminishing and they amalgamated with the church in the current location at Chesser.

The church building at Stenhouse Drive was then demolished to deter vandalism."

John Gray, Stenhouse, Edinburgh: March 3, 2012