Memories of Juniper Green
I remember... the shops
© National Museums of Scotland. Licensor www.scran.ac.uk
The dairy that sold milk to the inhabitants of Juniper Green
I remember too the shops in Juniper Green - we had everything we required. The 'Store' - St Cuthbert's - had baker, butcher, and grocer, shoe shop, hats, and all clothing. People came from Currie and Balerno and a horse-drawn van or pony delivered orders free, as far up as Threipmuir.
There was also Willie Forsyth, Greengrocer, (now the Chemist' shop) for fruit and vegetables and
if you asked Willie if he had any tomatoes yet, or maybe strawberries, he'd say,
Och aye, I have some but they are far too dear!
We never had a fish shop but Fish Jean came round regularly with her creel and cleaned and gutted the fish in the street.
There was Miss Goodlet's sweetie shop (now the Italian Restaurant).
The counter was at right angles to the door, so there was just the width of the door inside,
and one day when the cows were being walked down the road to the slaughter house at Slateford,
a cow ran off and into Miss Goodlet's shop. It was well and truly stuck and couldn't turn round to get out.
The men pulled and pulled at its tail and it was bleeding and I was just standing there saying,
Stop it, stop it, you're hurting it.
There was wee Mrs Todd's sweetie shop (now the electrician's) - she also sold needles and thread, etc. I spent my Saturday penny there - I got a strip of liquorice for a farthing. I wonder what the rate of pocket money is now!?
No Pentland Fry, no Chinese Takeaway but we did have Andrew Logan coming round with his chip van which was a horse drawn vehicle with some sort of deep fat fryer (with flames) and it made terrific chips, a penny a poke (a square of paper all screwed up).
There was also Miss Martin the grocer (now the coffee shop) and Cattanach, General Store, (now Scott's) where we bought paraffin.
The Bon Marche, Granny Hutton's shop, which kept everything and if she didn't have it, she would get it for you. Later Bert Porteous had this shop and served the villagers well until he retired. This shop is now a dwelling house.
There was Willie McLeod's Taxi and Motor Repairs (once motors came on the road) up the lane beside Byers' shop. Willie was mentioned in an exhibition at the Royal college of Surgeons about the life of Professor Henry Wade, an eminent surgeon at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. Willie had repaired a motorbike for one, Norman Dott, who later had an accident and fractured his leg rather badly, and it was Professor wade who operated on it. Norman Dott was so fascinated by the surgical work that he himself took up surgery and became a very eminent brain surgeon.