Fettes Row

and Silvermills

Fettes Row is one of the streets that crosses Dundas Street about half a mile to the north of Princes Street.  It lies on the northern edge of Edinburgh New Town.

Silvermills is the once industrial district that lay to the NW of the western end of Fettes Row.

2010

Here is a view of the street, taken in 2010, looking to the east from the top of the tower of St Stephen's Church.  The curved street on the left of the photo is St Vincent Place, leading into:

-  the western part of Fettes Row (where the cars are parked) then

-  the eastern part of Fettes Row, beyond Dundas Street, where the trees and low Bank of Scotland building can be seen on the left-hand side of the street.

 ©

Please click on any of the thumbnail images on this page to enlarge them.

Recollections

1.

John Knight

New Town, Edinburgh

1970s

Thank you to John Knight for sending me six photos taken in the 1970s before conservation work really got underway in Fettes Row and before the  new developments were built to the north of Fettes Row.

John wrote:

Fettes Row

1970s Developments

"Here are some photos taken in  Fettes Row, before the north side  of the street was redeveloped:

-  on the east side of Dundas Street by the Royal Bank of Scotland and

-  on the west side of Dundas Street by the clamjamfry of ugly blocks of flats known as ‘The Garden of Architectural Delights’ though I prefer ‘the abject failure of the planners’! 

Photo

 1.

Looking SE from
Dundas Street

    ©

"This view looks to the SE towards houses on the south side of Fettes Row, to the east of Dundas Street.  Dundas Street is in the foreground.

It gives some idea of what the northern frontage of the New Town must have looked like before industry took over in Canonmills/Silvermills in the mid-1800s."

Photo

 2.

Looking west from
Dundas Street

    ©

"This view shows the west terrace prior to the construction of the present ill-assorted blocks of flats on the north side.

The building half way along with the pediment was Martin & Frost’s workshop.  The boxy building at the end constructed in the 1960’s was the office of Breck’s the plumbers.

The building behind with the curvy gable was the Grand Theatre/Cinema in St Stephen Street, latterly Tiffany’s then  Cinderella Rockerfella's dance hall before it burnt down."

Photo

 3.

Looking west towards
Dundas Street

   ©

"Here we look to the west along Fettes Row again.  But this  viewpoint is just to the east of the junction with Dundas Street.  The dreaded Midlothian Kitchens and Bathrooms warehouse is on the north side of the street. (Now, the Royal Bank of Scotland offices are there.

The street was continually blocked by these huge lorries delivering cut-price sanitary ware. The trees luckily still survive."

Photo

 4.

Looking east across Dundas Street

    ©

"This view looks to the east along Fettes Row and across Dundas Street where the lorry can be seen.  The lorries in this photo are parked.  The trees are as today.

I think the corner building had been a billiard hall."

Photo

 5.

Silvermills Forge

    ©

"Here is is another view of Silvermills.  This was, taken from the west end of Fettes Row and shows the industrial heritage of the former Silvermills Village based on the lade from the water of Leith.

The neat Georgian building was Silvermills Forge in West Silvermills Lane.  We tried to keep this when the area was redeveloped but got no support from the planners let alone from the developers,  Stewart Milne Homes"

Photo

 6.

East of Dundas Street

    ©

"This photo was taken by Alistair Hunter of Fettes Row West prior to comprehensive conservation work starting on the street.

The pavilion block nearest the camera was the first major project in the restoration of the New Town.  It was visited on completion by HM The Queen Mother in 1975

The repair work to the rest of the terrace followed but little major work has been done in Fettes Row East, which was and still is in a reasonable state of repair."

John Knight, Edinburgh:  January 2+5, 2012

Recollections

2.

Peter Stubbs

Edinburgh

From Mid-1960s

    ©

I remember being a regular visitor to Silvermills Forge, frequently over about ten years from the mid-1960s onwards.  I always found a welcome there when I called in,  to ask for small items to be made for my boat or car.

The little forge gave the place a good atmosphere.  It was like being transported to a different world - and so close to the centre of Edinburgh!

I believe there were about three men working there, one of whom*** lived in Fife where he uses to fish (for oysters?) off the Fife coast of the Firth of Forth.

He told me that he used to get up early to send his catch in a special wagon attached to the back of the early train to London, until British Rail discontinued this service for him.  I was surprised that it survived as long as it did.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: January 8, 2012

***  Thank you to John Knight who replied:

"That would probably have been Andy McErlain"

John Knight, New Town, Edinburgh:  January 9, 2012

Recollections

3.

Allan Dodds

Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England

Allan Dodds replied to the critical comments about the architecture in Fettes Row, expressed by John Knight in his Recollections 1 above.

Allan wrote:

Fettes Row

Well Considered Architectural Solutions

"The photos show Fettes Row as I remember it as a child.

However, I have to disagree with John Knight who described the new development as "ill-assorted blocks of flats". They are in fact well-considered architectural solutions to a planning problem that was never solved in the days of the New Town development and they are to my eye a success.

By extending and completing the New Town now, the degenerate commercial edifices such as Auto Sales et al have been consigned to the architectural flames where they rightfully belong."

Recent Photo?

"Perhaps, Peter, we could benefit from a photograph of Fettes Row as it now stands in order to make our minds up?"

Allan Dodds, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England:  December 11, 2013

Recollections

4.

Peter Stubbs

Edinburgh

Fettes Row Photo

In response to the request from Allan Dodds for a recent photograph of Fettes Row, here is a photo that I took, looking along Fettes Row from the top of the tower of St Stephen Street on a stormy afternoon in August 2010.

Fettes Row

The road leading up from the bottom of the photo, on the left

©  Please contact peter.stubbs@edinphoto.org.uk                        Photograph taken:  August 12, 2010

In this photo:

-  Fettes Row is the road on the left in this photo.  The nearest curved, pedestrianised part part of the road nearest the camera is the extension of Fettes Row to the east towards St Stephen's church.  It was constructed at the same time as the new housing.

-  Cumberland Street,  part of Edinburgh's Northern New Town, is the straight street running almost parallel to Fettes Row, but is further to the right.  i.e. further to the north.

-  There are narrow lanes, on either side of Cumberland Street. These run behind the houses and through the trees in this photo. They are Cumberland Street NW Lane and Cumberland Street SW Lane.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: December 21, 2013

Recollections

5.

Dougie Cormack

Ladybank, Fife, Scotland

Thank you to Dougie Cormack who wrote:

Fettes Row

Questions

"Can anybody answer any of my questions below?

1.  Was Fettes Row blanked off with a garage or some other building in the period from 1945 to 1949?

2.  If it was a garage that blocked of Fettes Row, was it connected with Alexanders of Semple Street the Ford franchise?

3.  Do you have any other information about Fettes Row"

Dougie Cormack, Ladybank Junction, Fife:  20 July + 6 November 2015

Reply to Dougie Cormack?

If you can answer any of Dougie's questions above and would like to send a message to him, please email me to let me know, then I'll pass on his email address to you.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh:  5 November, 2015

Photos:    Fettes Row

Recollections:    More Pages