Duncan and Dorothy Curr - Residents of Baberton Crescent overlooking Baberton Mains estate since 1963

Memories of the Fernieflat fields and the building of the BM estate

Duncan and Dorothy remember the Fernieflat fields (now Baberton Mains estate) growing hay which was harvested into bales.  Their son and his friends used to go through the hedge at the bottom of their garden into the fields to play on these, making dens and building them up to jump off. The boys  were chased off by the farmer.

At other times of the year the fields were full of black and white dairy cows (probably Friesians) and Dorothy remembers hanging out her children’s nappies at 6 in the morning and watching the cows over the hedge go into the byre for milking. 

They remember hearing that the land had been sold  and then watching the high flats at Wester Hailes going up and hoping against hope that they weren’t going to get  the same in the Fernieflat fields  nor an extension of the Sighthill industrial estate………….So it was a relief when Wimpey began building houses down below them.  They went round the showhouses to see what they were going to be like.

They all enjoyed watching the big diggers moving around the site raising a huge amount of dust in the summertime.

As families moved into the estate Juniper Green Primary school struggled to cope.  Douglas and his class spent their Primary Seven year (1975-76) being bussed up and down to Longstone School because Juniper was just too full.  It was not a happy experience for him. 

From telephone discussion July 2013