The Hidden Glasgow Forums

The bairns fae Dunblane?

Here's a couple of what they found under the Cowgate gap site where the Gilded Balloon etc used to be, now finally (after almost ten years) being worked on. I'll look forward to the site report in a while, but the remains here apparently include wall sections from the sixteenth century:





Down the road at Council HQ on East Market Street, some cause for celebration as they discover a much-needed new revenue stream:

It's that time of year again - Edinburgh Doors Open Day 2012, Saturday 22 & Sunday 23 September:
http://www.cockburnassociation.org.uk/d ... sp?page=33

A rather fascinating (well, I think so) set of photos of the Dumbiedykes, pre- and post-demolition. Quite the locally famous area of town, the Dumbiedykes (silent 'b' by the way), not to say notorious. It's nice that it's still there after a fashion, in a 60s reincarnation, putting the wind up the local stuffed shirts and buyers of more recent and stunningly expensive speculative developments across the road:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sixtiesedi ... 194726402/

Much of it is very atmospheric, though the houses were apparently very poorly constructed, and quite well fitted the description of slums. Online comments on various sites talk either of the strong sense of community, or how outsiders were scared to enter.

The other sets are worth a nosey too.

Bye-bye, Festival!

The other weekend, the doors did indeed open. One of which was at the National Museums of Scotland's Granton facilities. Among other things, a ton of vintage motorbikes:


And a bloody big freeze-drying contraption:


Boo to St Andrew's House for not allowing photography, which was one reason I didn't bother going in the end. Hooray, on the other hand, for the National Archives of Scotland, which did. This being the book-lined dome in New Register House:




(Yet more books than are visible here, I might add - they run around three concentric rings of shelves behind those in the photos. It'd keep you busy for a while...)

And completely unrelated, the latest in an interminable series of black and white shots with sunlight shining under some bridge or other:

More gloom and cobbles*:


My new favourite sign:


And almost a favourite. Something of an institution, this place:


*Aye, I know they're not cobbles, but setts. Cobbles sounds better though, so there.

Lucky Poet wrote:
And almost a favourite. Something of an institution, this place:

These two are so good, as good as anything I have seen on here. The first one, where is she going to, running from?
The second, no words required.

Lucky Poet wrote: ...............

And completely unrelated, the latest in an interminable series of black and white shots with sunlight shining under some bridge or other:

That looks like the Cowgate nr Bannerman's Bar.

Way too kind, HH. Cheers!

And that's exactly where that is, TEM, right by the door to the pub. It's not going to look like that for much longer; the gap site now has some structural concrete up to first floor level.

The said gap site rapidly becoming not a gap site:

Ploughing on with recent photographic doings, is it bad to have a favourite metal gutter? Probably:


Head shop:


The West Bow being all pretty and so on:


One of Edinburgh's four original fire stations*, this one being just off the top end of Causewayside, on Sciennes House Place (pronounced 'Sheens' if ye wonder). Now an office of some sort or other:


A trio of shots, each of couples being all coupley on top of the Crags:






Finally, the Canongate Bus Station, somehow reminding me a bit of the Jawa transport thing from Star Wars:


*Evidence needed. I've a notion that's about correct though; photos to follow at some point.

Another superb set. Why a metal gutter?

Pee Ess.......I climbed the crags with (Elton John style) platform heels back in the 70's, easy peasy.

I have photos, but no scanner (Happily)

Cheers! I'd happily pay money to see such 70s photos, you know.

Why a metal gutter? I haven't the faintest idea, I'm afraid. It's not like it's one of those arrangements you see for cart wheels to have run along. The only thing I can think of is that it's on a very steep bit of road running down from Calton Hill, and it must get some huge amounts of water flowing in heavy rain; metal guttering like that might be able to contain it a bit better?

Lucky Poet wrote:
One of Edinburgh's four original fire stations*, this one being just off the top end of Causewayside, on Sciennes House Place (pronounced 'Sheens' if ye wonder). Now an office of some sort or other:

IT Foundations Ltd.