Memories of Juniper Green
by Charlotte Dea

I remember... Juniper Green in the 1920s

Lanark Road with the blacksmith's shop on the corner of Belmont Avenue and Lanark Road

I remember, I remember when there were no street numbers in the village and all the houses had names. There were streetlights but they were gas lamps and 'learie' (learie-licht-the-lamp) came round and lit each one separately!

The three local estates were Riccarton, Baberton and Woodhall, where we were free to walk at will.

Riccarton, owned by the Gibson Craigs, had beautiful grounds. I remember especially the Spring when first the snowdrops and then the daffodils appeared and the lovely croquet lawn surrounded by azaleas and rhododendrons. Interesting too was a little stone house built into the ground. This was the Ice House for preserving food and using the ice itself, long before fridges and freezers were thought of! This estate is now Heriot Watt University.

The Graham Watsons leased Baberton in my time. Miss Graham Watson was our Brownie and Guide leader and I have happy memories of our meetings especially in the Summer months. Then we met on one of the lawns surrounded by rhododendrons and azaleas with our red toadstool in the middle. Professor Sir Byrom Bramwell who was one of the first Professors of Pathology at one time also leased Baberton House. Sir Byrom was one of the first Professors of Pathology at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary in 1882.

Sir Stanley Davidson, who was President of the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh 1953-57, latterly owned Woodhall, across the bridge at Juniper Station, on the other side of the burn. Woodhall House became a training college for Jesuit Priests and the estate now has housing developments on it too.

At the top corner of the village was the 'Smiddy' (corner of Lanark Road and Juniper Avenue). This was a wonderful place for children in the cold days of winter. Mr Anderson didn't mind us being there, in fact, I think he quite enjoyed showing us how he shaped the red hot metal into shoes for the horses. The shoes were always an exact fit too. I winced when he hammered in the nails but the horses didn't seem to mind. Winter then was November, December and January and we would have at least 18 inches of snow. Everyone had a sledge of some sort even if it was just a tin tray! Mr Howitt, the local joiner, made wooden ones for us and Mr Anderson fitted on metal runners, in the same way as he shod the horses, and they worked a treat. The field on the slope up to Torphin was the best place to sledge. Winters were wonderful.

Charlotte Dea, this text first appeared in the Currie and Balerno News in February 2005