Transcript of Interview with Susan Dewhurst and one of her neighbours, with Liz Beevers, Helen Ogg, Julie Watt, Barbara Badger, Muriel Adam
We learned about some of the history and of the modern (1970s) refurbishment of the farmhouse and its buildings.
Restoration in 1973
It was explained that the complex of Baberton Mains, its farmhouse and outbuildings had been bought in 1973 by Sir Peter and Lady Fawcus. He was the Queen’s Commissioner of Botswana. It (the complex of buildings) was then derelict and had been for many years, what was standing was this house (Susan Dewhurst’s), the white house in the courtyard having been the original farmhouse and was pretty derelict. In the middle of the courtyard had been the piggery, the ground by the layby had been the duckpond (see Mr Mercer’s account). We were shown a siteplan and layout( scanned and in dropbox).
Sir Peter had "done up" the buildings because his daughter was going to come and live here and it would be somewhere safe for her. Susan produced a photo of how Baberton Mains had been before its complete restoration (and kindly gave us a copy).
Before the restoration
Susan’s neighbour also remembered that a visitor from Canada had visited, saying her grandfather/great grandfather had been the farmer here - her name was Eaglesham, but Sir Peter had bought the farm from a Forrest, who was not a farmer, it hadn’t been a working farm for years. Liz said we knew Eaglesham had farmed because Bill Blair had told her so and he remembered Bob Eaglesham living with his sister and farming here - the valuation rolls confirm that as being the 1950s. The plan that we were shown did not show the duckpond but she thought it may well have been filled in by then.
One of the people in the complex used to work with elderly people, one of whom was Margaret Begbie probably at that time in her 80s who told her she had lived at Baberton Mains when she first got married, her husband had been a farm labourer and they had lived in the bothy. She also remembers either the Begbies or someone else telling her that the white farmhouse didn’t look like that, it had no door in the middle, but it had doors at either side and the men would go in one door and the women in the other. They would come for the harvest supper or tattie howking.
We were given a copy of the Crudens Baberton House Leaflet to scan and which we promised to return. Liz asked if the Mallelieu children came to JG School - which they did. There was Jack, Sam and Charley who went to school with Sandy (Anderson). Charley still lives at Baberton. She is a granddaughter of Sir Peter. The Fawcus’ had brought 2 friends with them from Botswana and one of them had one of the cottages and the other stayed in the white house and acted as factor. The Andersons had bought their cottage from Sir Peter’s son ? but it didn’t have access to the courtyard, which Sir Peter wanted to keep for the family. The other cottages when sold also had their front doors facing outwards, so the courtyard was preserved for family.
[Some inaudible part of the tape]
Susan told us that the farm land was owned by PPG Properties (David Murray’s interest) and the land was rented out to farmers in the Lothians about 20 years ago, but latterly has been rented to farmers from Fife ? and apparently a woman from Hermiston had had it at one time.
There is a bit of land to the west of the farmhouse which the residents at Baberton hope will never be built on because it consists of infill from the bypass. It belongs to a man called Stoddart. Five of the residents to the west of the courtyard have bought a field to maintain a boundary in case of development later.
Georgian and Victorian buildings
Susan: The white house was built in 1791 (?) This farmhouse ( No1 – Susan’s) was built in 1893. The builder came round ( with a pattern book)and said if you are a prosperous farmer you need a farmhouse like this. So there were farmhouses like this built all around Edinburgh! But the Historic Scotland lady said this is one of the few remaining. Part of it was extended in the 1930s and the top bit put on in the 1950s. It is now B-listed as is the entire complex.
Susan used to play here when she played with Lorraine Gray in the seventies. The Grays worked for the Fawcuses looking after the maintenance of the houses. Later the house was sold and in due course the Thomsons bought it and then the Dewhursts came in July 1993. They like it !
The effect of Baberton on Juniper Green School
Susan went to JGPS when she was four in 1968. They moved into Baberton Crescent that year. In P7 she was sent to the ?tin hut? ( the school) in Longstone : all of P6 and P7 were bussed there because the school was full. There were old busses: just dreadful but the new busses were fine. We didn’t get to learn to swim that year as we should have done because we were being bussed up and down. My brother was one of the first into the new ( 1976) school and there was a hoo- hah because they were already beyond capacity when they moved in and they had to keep the old school too.
and
We have a brilliant view of the castle There used to be the high flats in the way, built in the Thomson’s time, but within months of us moving in (1993) they knocked them down and now we have a brilliant view from our top floor.
There is constant noise from the Bypass and you can hear the trains. They built a whole new road to go into Baberton. The allotments were empty in 1978. She said ? I don’t know when they got started. We had a row with them maybe in the 80s when they chopped down five beautiful trees there.