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Comiston About a mile to the south of Morningside, South Edinburgh and Fairmilehead About 1.5 miles to the south of Morningside, South Edinburgh |
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Recollections |
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1. |
Edmund Raphael |
Comiston House |
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2. |
Rachel Canham |
Nursery |
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3. |
Bill Paterson |
Home - My Mother's Family Schools - The Cuddy School - South Morningside School |
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4. |
Alan
Dunnett |
Comiston House |
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5. |
Kate Tubb |
Leith Walk: Crighton Place Comiston House: Pentland Hills Hotel |
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Recollections 1. Edmund Raphael Minehead, Somerset, England |
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Thank you to Edmund Raphael who wrote: |
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Comiston House The Pentland Hills Hotel "Comiston House was, for a good number of years, the Pentland Hills Hotel, which was found at the end of Camus Avenue, Fairmilehead. House We used to holiday there from about 1950 and, indeed, I spent my college days there, 1959-1960. I was one of the few male students who attended an hotel course at 17, Atholl Crescent, part of the Edinburgh College of Domestic Science." The Garden "Here are two photos that I took with the 'Box Brownie' which I borrowed from an aunt, when my mother and I began to holiday at the Pentland Hills Hotel. The photographs probably date from 1951, I'd guess with confidence." Garden "The garden view was what one saw from the house, over the natural surface of the driveway. There was a large lawn, then the rose garden beyond, which was carefully tended by one of the hotel residents, Mrs. Dobbin, who had been a professional botanist." The Residents "The hotel was mainly for residents, spinsters and widows, although there was one very smart old chap, Bill Cadman, who was from Manchester and had begun life as a cleaner in theatres. He took an interest in dancing and eventually owned a number of Locarno ballrooms. His daughter married and moved to Edinburgh, so it was natural for him to follow, when his wife died. Mr. and Mrs Lyon were resident for a number of years, he being Principal of Edinburgh College of Art for some considerable time. Another resident was a hugely eccentric Lady Moir. She had a suite where her meals were served. She only left her room when residents were in the dining room. She must have been rather conscious of her entire look; a face caked with white powder, bright red lips and dyed red hair with red turban surmount. She had a most peculiar walk, which I'd have difficulty to describe. The hotel had one room for non-residents (Room 6) which was oftentimes occupied by Dame Flora McLeod of Dunvegan Castle" "The beauty of the house was, that old Mrs. Gray had bought it fully furnished and had not considered it necessary to redecorate. Granny Gray, her daughter, Mrs. Leask and her son, Sinclair, lived at garden level, whilst Mr. Leask had an attic room, alongside the three maids (nasty Rose, lovely, fat Janet and hugely timid Elspeth) who were from an orphanage. Granny Gray must have done rather well, as she bought Cissy Leask an Armstrong Sidley Sapphire, with LFS 1 as the number. Cissy was disabled, so the car had been especially adapted. Sinclair was an only child, a couple of years my senior and rather something of a snob, as he was at George Watson's. I was quite friendly with him. The toothless Head of Staff was Mrs. Brown, who lived at the coach house, with her son and daughter, and Mrs. Gray's son."" Edmund Raphael, Minehead, Somerset, England: March 4+5. 2012 |
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Recollections 2. Rachel Canham Colchester, Essex |
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Rachel Canham tells me that she is trying to piece together some of her family history and wonders if anybody can help. Rachel wrote: |
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My Grandfather "My Grandfather lived in Polwarth crescent from about 1935-1939 and worked for what was the equivalent of the Country Landowners' Association - possibly Scottish Landowners Federation. But I've not been able to find much on the internet about either CLA or SLA. Nursery "I believe my Grandfather had a small nursery at Fairmilehead, which I was told, stood opposite Princes Margaret Rose Hospital. Perhaps it was near Morton House on the Frogston Road? I wonder if any of your readers could recall a nursery anywhere near the hospital or nearby?" Princes Margaret Rose Hospital "I'd also like to learn more about the hospital. I know that there was a programme, years back, showing pictures of the hospital but I didn't think anything about it then." Rachel Canham, Colchester, Essex: May 10, 2012 |
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Reply to Rachel If you have any information about: - the Country Landowners' Association - a nursery near Princes Margaret Rose Hospital or - Princes Margaret Rose Hospital that you think might be of interest to Rachel, please email me, then I'll pass on your message to Rachel. Thank you. Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: May 10, 2012 |
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Recollections 3. Bill Paterson Kingsknowe, Edinburgh |
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Thank you to Bill Paterson who wrote: |
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Homes My Mother's Family "My Mother's family is from Morningside/Comiston. My Great grandfather John Waldie was a dairy farmer at Comiston Farm. He also had Comiston farm dairy shop in Morningside Drive circa 1860. My mother and her 3 sisters were born in Comiston Road opposite Morningside Drive, where they worked in the dairy and delivered milk etc. on their way to and from South Morningside School My mother and father married in 1935 and moved into Woodburn House, Canaan Lane, Morningside, where my older brother and I were born. Mother died in the Astley Ainsley hospital in 1997, having spent 90 years in Morningside. So ended around 150 years of continuous connection to the area. Schools The Cuddy School "My grandfather, John Waldie jnr, and his two brothers and sister were born there, the last born around 1879. They all attended the 'cuddy school' in Morningside. They would ride a horse down in the morning and stable it in what is now Springvalley the ride it home after school." South Morningside School "They were among the first pupils to attend South Morningside school, and were introduced to Andrew Carnegie at the opening, (Carnegie paid for the building of the school and Morningside public library.) Grandfather was given the honour of ringing the bell for the first lesson, and as an epitaph to that, in the early 1950s Forbes Macgregor the then headmaster called me to his office on the last day of term before the summer recess. He told me to pull the rope to ring the bell for the final time as a new electric bell was being installed during the summer hols. He knew that grandfather rung the first bell and i was to ring the last." Bill Paterson, Kingsknowe, Edinburgh: 2 September 2013 |
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Schools After reading Bill's comments above, I looked on the Internet to see what I could discover about the schools that Bill referred to. Here's what I found: 1. The Cuddy School "The name, Cuddy Lane, was thought to have come from when horses were tethered here, either prior to a trip to the blacksmiths or to wait until school kids were ready to go home via horseback." "... the old school house ... was active,1823 to 1892. It was then referred to as 'Cuddy School' as many of the young scholars arrived and left on horseback." Source The Cape Society web site 2. The Wee School I believe that 'The Wee School, Morningside' was 'The Cuddy School'. It was at 140 Morningside Road, close to Cuddy Lane. The building has now become The Old Schoolhouse Christian Fellowship. A brief history of this building can be found on this web site: Old Schoolhouse Christian Fellowship web site 3. South Morningside School South Morningside Primary School is still open, at 116 Comiston Road, a short distance up the hill to the south of Morningside, leading to Fairmilehead. It has a school roll of about 600 pupils. More details can be found on this web site: South Morningside Primary School web site |
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Recollections 4. Allan Dunnett Berwick, Berwickshire, England |
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Thank you to Alan Dunnett for replying to Edmund Raphael's message about about Comiston House above, and for sending me two photos of Coat House Square at Comiston Castle. Alan wrote: |
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The Pentland Hills Hotel "I was interested in the entry by Edmund Raphael concerning the Pentland Hills Hotel in Recollections 1 above. In 1963, my mother was cook in the hotel, and we lived across the courtyard from the mentioned Mrs Brown. Staff and Residents "I too knew Sinclair Leask (mentioned by Edmund Raphael in his Recollections 1 above). Sinclair used to run around in sports cars which I used to repair on occasions. One of the resident guests in the hotel was a Mr Mcdowell. He was an American lawyer, one of the few who was allowed to practice both in the U.K. and the United States." The Hotel - Bricked-up "Here is a photo of the hotel, all bricked up in 1990. I've not been back there since then." Pentland Hills Hotel - bricked-up
© Alan Dunnett, Berwick, Berwickshire, England Comiston Castle "The buildings at Coach House Square had originally been part of Comiston Castle, a listed building with turret. The castle was some distance away from Pentland Hills Hotel. Ford Van at Coach House Square, Pentland Hills Hotel - around 1965
© Alan Dunnett, Berwick, Berwickshire, England Home Guard Club The door behind the van was the entry to a Home Guard Club, with a lounge bar and two full-sized billiard tables upstairs. Coach House Square - Buildings Bricked-up This is how the square looked, with the buildings around it bricked-up in 1990: Coach House Square, with surrounding buildings bricked up - 1990
© Alan Dunnett, Berwick, Berwickshire, England
Alan Dunnett, Berwick, Berwickshire, England: November 1+2, 2013 |
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Recollections 5. Kate Tubb near Newhaven / Bonnington, Edinburgh |
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Thank you to Kate Tubb who wrote about Pentland Hills Hotel. That was Comiston House, at the western end of Camus Avenue, SW of Fairmilehead Park, Comiston. Kate wrote: |
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Leith Walk Crighton Place "My Dad, Michael Deignan, lived as a lodger with Mrs Gray, at Crighton Place, Leith Walk." Comiston House The Pentland Hills Hotel "When she moved to the Pentland Hills Hotel, my Dad moved with her. She treated him like a son and he lived with her until July 1937, leaving the day he married my mum. I remember visiting Mrs Gray. She told me to pick some daffodils for my Mum. I picked about 6 and she told me to take plenty. A good few years ago I asked my husband to take me to the hotel to see what had become of it,. I felt very sad to see it blocked up." Kate Tubb, near Newhaven / Bonnington, Edinburgh: November 7, 2014 |
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Please see Recollections 4 above for more photos of Pentland Hills Hotel. |
