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Recollections Leith Drinking |
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Recollections 1. Eric Gold East London |
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Thank you to Eric Gold, known to many as Eric McKenzie, now living in the East End, London, who sent me some of his memories of Leith. |
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Eric wrote: Tolbooth Wynd "If I had a quid every time I have been to Tolbooth Wynd, I would be a millionaire. My old sea dog mate lived there and his brother was a docker in Leith Docks and he threw a few parties there. Leith, has always appealed to me and it is full of character too, maybe this is I have always been associated with Leith since I was a wee bairn - firstly St Anthony's, just of the Links then the Merchant Navy. Our Poole (seamen's dole office and appointment office) was in Leith." Tolbooth Wynd "Our Union Offices was in the Shore near the notorious Tower Bar (ha ha ha ha). I remember a girl there who was tattooed from hand to toe. Her name was Cathy. She was from Leith too. She used to come to my mates' parties and she was a real hard case (ha ha ha ha). I used to have a drink with her in my haunts in Leith. If you were with Cathy ,you would not get any bother from anyone. Once or twice she came to the Whitehoose in Craigmillar and give all the patrons their due. They treated her with respect, I wonder what is happened to her now. I will phone Joe McKenzie as he new her as well. Peter, I noticed the cobbles in the Tolbooth Wynd as it was all cobbled when I last set foot there away back in the 1970's." Eric Gold, East End, London: November 13, 2007 |
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2. Question Gillian Blackburn Leith, Edinburgh |
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Gillian Blackburn, an architect based at Leith, writes: |
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Lyons Tea House "I'm looking for any old photographs of the inside of the old tearooms on the corner of Academy Street and Duke Street. I know that Academy Street was formally known as Morton Street. I've been told that the tearoom was a Lyons Tea House, but I haven’t been able to find anything on the internet about it. Any memories or photographs would be very much appreciated as we would like to renovate the ornately corniced ceiling." Gillian Blackburn, Leith, Edinburgh: July 25, 2008 |
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Answer? If you have any information or photos for Gillian, please email me, then I'll pass it on to her. Thank you. - Peter Stubbs: July 31, 2008 |
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3. Reply Frank Ferri Newhaven, Edinburgh |
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Thank you to Frank Ferri for replying to Gillian Blackburn's comments above. Frank wrote: |
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Smiths the Bakers "The Tea Rooms corner of Academy St (formerly Morton St) and Duke Street were Smiths the Bakers. Above the tea rooms were the Lansbury Rooms, Leith Labour Party HQ in the 1940s. They used to hold old time dancing there on a Tuesday night." Frank Ferri, Newhaven, Edinburgh: October 21, 2008 |