Nos 9 + 10 East Thomas Street

Recollections

Ian Campbell

Shoreham by Sea, West Sussex

Thank you to Ian Campbell who wrote in the 'East Thomas Street - Neighbours' recollections page:

Home and Family

No.10

"I also have recollections of East Thomas Street, Edinburgh. I lived at No. 10 ground floor, first door on right, from birth in 1958 until 1970, and then we moved to a 4 bedroom house Murrayburn Gardens, Wester Hailes. None of us live there now.

Also at 10, East Thomas Street was my father Rendall Johnston Campbell, known as Ron. He used to work down at the goods yard at bottom of East Thomas Street and Brunswick Road, driving for NDL or NCL. My father then started to drive HGVs for Freightliners in Portobello. I'm not sure if these two companies were taken over or amalgamated.

My mum, Joy Campbell, my older brother Peter and my five younger sisters Pauline, Patricia, Virginia, Caroline and Vivianne lived at No.10 as well, until we moved to Wester Hailes.

Ours was a tiny house, 2 rooms, a toilet and coal bunker. There was a coal fire in each of the two main rooms. You would walk in through the heavy front door. (The doors were made of real wood and were heavy in those days.) In the lobby to the left was the coal bunker, then further up the lobby was the toilet. (There was no bath and no shower in those days.)

Across from the toilet, on right, was the bedroom for my sisters my brother and myself. The far room had the kitchen sink under the window. It was used as our dining room and sitting room, and dad and mum's bedroom.

Photo

Nos. 9 + 10

"I was even more amazed to actually find this picture of 9+10 East Thomas Street on the EdinPhoto site. Thank you to Stanley Middleton, Perthshire, formerly of the Calton Youth Ministry, for providing this photo.

"That's our ground floor windows at the back of the little van with the reg no. RSF 979. The van was not ours.

This photo clearly shows our old windows with full wire mesh on both windows. That was because we'd had windows broken on more than one occasion by footballs. The mesh was put up before I was born. I don't recall any windows being broken.

A couple of people at school used to refer to our house as 'The Prison' because of the meshing on both windows!

We used to play in our street with some of the neighbours. I think there used to be some vehicle restriction from 3pm or 4pm till dusk. The sign, I'm sure, used to be outside Nos. 12/12a."

Ian Campbell, Shoreham by Sea, West Sussex: July 18+19, Aug 3+5, 2012

More Recollections

To read more of Ian Campbell's recollections of living at East Thomas Street, please click on the link below:

East Thomas Street Neighbours - Recollections 45 - Primary School