Around Edinburgh - Cambusnethan Street, Abbeyhill

Recollections

Richard Keltie

Glasgow

Thank you to Richard Keltie, Glasgow, for allowing me to reproduce this postcard of Cambusnethan Street.

Cambusnethan Street is a short street leading to the north from London Road, two streets to the west of Meadowbank Sports Centre.

Richard wrote:

Cambusnethan Street

"In my mother's house, I recently came across this postcard of Cambusnethan Street, Abbeyhill, Edinburgh where my mother, her two sisters and their parents lived at one time.

The postcard was posted on 17 July 1961. The reverse has 'The Milton Post Card'."

Richard Keltie, Glasgow, Scotland: June 15, 2008.

Recollections

Richard Keltie

Glasgow

Richard added:

Cambusnethan Street

"My childhood memories of Cambusnethan Street are that:

- there was a St Cuthbert's Co-op shop at the London Road end of the street.

- at the Marionville Road end of the Street - or perhaps more correctly just round the corner on Marionville Road itself - was Yardley's dairy where I would be sent to buy 'half a dozen well-fired rolls.'

- opposite Yardley's, at the corner of Dalgety Avenue and Marionville Road, was the 'Speedway Arms' pub.

When the Commonwealth Games came to Edinburgh in 1970, the pub was re-named the 'Hop, Step and Jump'."

Richard Keltie, Glasgow, Scotland: June 20, 2008.

Recollections

Colin Campbell

Hampshire, England

Colin Campbell wrote:

Streets

"This postcard brought memories rushing back to me

This view, as Richard Keltie explained, was photographed from the end of Dalgety Avenue, where I was brought up. I stayed at No.12, left, ground flat."

Date of the Photo

"Richard mentioned that the postmark on the post card was dated 17^th July 1961, but didn't suggest that was when the photo was taken.

Note that there are no cars in the photo. I suggest that it would have been taken, probably 1939-40. I say this because there are railings on the small walls on the pavement. There are also no cars in the photo.

I know for a fact, that all those railings, and the railings in Dalgety Avenue, Street and Road were cut down to provide scrap iron for the War Aid, to build planes and ships or whatever was required."

Newsagent

"Looking to the left of the picture, there are three shops:

- The shop on the right is McCletchies, selling fruit and veg.

- The middle shop was Drummond’s, the newsagent for the district.

Later on, I'd collect copies of the Evening News from the paper's sub-office at Abbeyhill, opposite Berger’s, the fruit and veg shop, and bring them down to Drummonds the newsagent.

Another lad, Colin Wylie, did most of the journeys of this nature. Mr Drummond used to drive, something like an American Chevrolet and to save petrol, he would free wheel from Abbeyhill to the shop in Cambusnethan Street."

Fish & Chips

"After the war, Hibs Footballers Eddie Turnbull and Willie Ormond, stayed in digs across the road from the shops, in Cambusnethan Street.

Although not shown in the picture, there were two fish shops opposite Cambusnethan Street, at the end of Dalgety Avenue. The larger of the two was owned by an Italian. His name was possibly 'de Marco'.

The other one, next to the pub, was Saren’s. I always thought he was from Russia. Later on Saren’s bought out the other fish shop and continued to sell fish and chips for a long time. He was always a nice man."

Colin Campbell, Hampshire, England: January 25, 2012

Recollections

Colin Campbell

Hampshire, England

Thank you to Colin Campbell wrote again, adding:

Date of the Photo

"To the right of these three shops, the public telephone box has not yet been installed against the wall.

That's what led me to believe that the photo was probably taken around 1939-40, rather than close to 1961 when the postcard was posted.

Colin Campbell, Hampshire, England: January 28, 2012

Date of the Photo?

My first impression on seeing this postcard was that the photo may well have been taken early in the 20th century. The postcard is in the Milton Series, published by Woolstone Bros, London.

I have three other postcards of Edinburgh in the same series that have been sent through the post. The dates that these three cards were posted are 1910, 1920 and 1930.

Peter Stubbs: Edinburgh: February 4, 2012

Recollections

Andy Arthur

Abbeyhill, Edinburgh

Thank you to Andy Arthur who wrote:

Date of the Photo

Pre-1929

"You were wondering about the age of the photo. It's certainly pre-1929.

At the end of the road is London Road and beyond that is Lower London Road. There's a house which is the old Sunnybank Farm.

This was replaced by nos. 1-3 Sunnybank, typical Corporation 3-storey public housing blocks, dated 1929.

As an aside, No. 1 is now missing. It had to be demolished in the mid-1960s due to subsidence. There's an old riverway underground here and the area is prone to subsidence. Most of the old colony-style houses off Lower London Road were in a terrible state when pulled down."

The background

"The background of this postcard has been heavily doctored:

- You should be able to see the back of the Royal Terrace tenements through the gap at the end.

- The ridge of Arthur's Seat should be about roof-height with the end of Cambusnethan Street.

- What looks like a row of poplars on the skyline is
rather fanciful too!"

Conclusion

"Anyway, because the Sunnybank tenements are not in the photo, it has to be pre-1929."

Andy Arthur, Abbeyhill, Edinburgh: 29 January 2017 (2 emails)

Recollections

John Hutchison

Lochaber, Highlands, Scotland

Thank you to John Hutchison who wrote:

Cambusnethan Street

"I stayed round the corner from Cambusnethan Street, in 28 Marionville Road from 1947 to 1964. I agree that the likely dating of this photograph is pre-1929.

The references to McLetchie’s greengrocer by Colin Campbell are of political interest, the shop being run by the grandfather of the late David McLetchie MSP. David lived in Dalgety Avenue.

I delivered milk for Yardley’s Dairy for 6 years and my mother worked in William Purves’ fishmonger, around 44 Marionville Road."

John Hutchison, Lochaber, Highlands, Scotland:25 September 2017