Marshall Marshall Wane - Cabinet prints of Sporting Events around the 1880s and 1890s

© Reproduced with acknowledgement to Graham Hogg, \National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh

Reply

Patrick Hutton

New Town, Edinburgh

Thank you to Patrick Hutton who replied:

Photos 1 and 2

"Photos 1 and 2 are definitely Powderhall. The Destructor building is on the left on the skyline. The building is still there today.

In photo 1, the gasometer that stood where Blandfield is now (between Macdonald Road and the railway line) can also be seen."

Photos 3 to 7

"I'll have a think about photos 3 to 7. The show jumping photos look familiar."

Patrick Hutton, New Town, Edinburgh: April 25, 2012

Reply

Andy Arthur

Meadowbank, Edinburgh

Thank you to Andy Arthur who wrote:

Powderhall Stadium

"Photos 1 and 2 were definitely taken at Powderhall. The buildings in the background are the Powderhall 'Destructor' and the Blandfield Gasometer. The Destructor is now part of the council refuse site."

Marchmont

"Photos 6 and 7 were taken in Marchmont, before the streets of Arden, Spottiswoode and Lauderdale were built. You can see:

- Marchmont Road Board School in the background of Photo 7.

- the front of the Warrender Park Road and the back of the Marchmont Road tenements in Photo 6.

I have a book, somewhere, that says when these streets were built. I think they were all completed by 1913, so these photos must be early-1900s.

You can see from this 1892 map that there was a large field to the east of Bruntsfield House, part of the old Warrender Park estate. That's where these photos were taken. The stand must be parallel to Thirlestane Road."

Andy Arthur, Meadowbank, Edinburgh: April 10, 2014

Thank you

Thank you Andy. Your comments are very helpful. I've now sent an email to Graham Hogg (who sent these photos to me) to let him know about your comments

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: April 12, 2014

Reply

Andrew Coates

Edinburgh

Thank you to Andrew Coates for providing extensive comments about the Marshall Wane photos below.

Photo 1 - Racing

Photo 2 - High Jump

Photo 3 - Running

Photo 4 - Water

Photo 5 - Cycling

Photo 6 - Show Jumping

Photo 7 - Show Jumping

Please click on any thumbnail image above to scroll up the page and see a larger copy.

Andrew wrote:

Photos 6 and 7

"I have had a very good time researching the Marshall Wane Photographs 6 and 7, alas a year too late, confound you Andy Arthur Meadowbank, Edinburgh!

At least my sloothing corroborates that of Andy. I may bring his dates forward into the 1890s, however. Here are my findings which suggest that the event is one of the Edinburgh Agricultural Associations Horse Shows. This has perhaps already been established by Graham Hogg.

Below is the supporting research that Andrew sent to me. However, rather than copy the long link above his first photo below, please click on this link: British Newspaper Archive.

© All photos and maps above reproduced with acknowledgement to Andrew Coates, Edinburgh

Photos 3 and 4

"I'd like to suggest that photos 3 and 4 are both of a steeplechase on the Meadows, photo 3 being taken from somewhere near the junction of Coronation Walk and Jawbone Walk, looking NW towards Lonsdale Terrace (just a guess however)."

Photo 5

"At an even longer stretch, could photo 5 possibly be Myreside Road taken from about where the new footbridge crosses the road looking south to the wall where the Royal Edinburgh Community Garden borders George Watson's College sports fields?"

Photo 5

In the 1890/1900s, this would have been Merchiston Castle Cricket grounds. The wall in the distance looks higher than in the modern photo but road they are cycling looks cobbled and I imagine was just tarmacked over, which might explain the height difference.

The crowd also look as if they might be school kids and I can imagine them standing on the earth embankment that goes around the rest of the now rugby pitch, stand side excluded."

Andrew Coates, Edinburgh: July 22, 2015

Reply

Carol Jones

Meadowbank, Edinburgh

Thank you to Carol Jones who wrote:

Cycling at Hawkhill

"I have some information on the cycling photo number 5."

Photo 5 - Cycling

"My Father's cousin has the same photograph. My great grandfather John Alexander Mallas Jones is the cyclist on the left. He died in 1914 aged 45.

He was a cyclist with the Hawthorn Cycling Club Cramond Mill, he won the 20 mile champion 1 hour 6 minutes and he raced at Powderhall and Hawkhill.

He was also a golfer playing for the Thistle Golf Club in 1st Dispatch trophy on Braid Hills with his Grandfather Alexander Mallas.

I remember being told the photograph was taken at Hawkhill in Edinburgh but don't remember being told the year. "

Carol Jones: 21 June 2016