Memories of Juniper Green
Jean Craig remembers coming to Juniper Green in the 1960s...
Jean Craig enjoying the coffee morning at St Margaret's Court on January 4th 2007 in the company of John Ross and Cliff Beevers
We came to Juniper Green in 1961 and my husband, Hewan, and I still live at 6 Woodhall Terrace. I used to cycle from the Gillespie Cross Roads to the Hermiston Farm to collect eggs - long before the bypass. I shopped at the Coop and Scotts and used the grocery van that called on Woodhall Terrace. I went to a dressmaking class at JG school in the evenings. Our children all had holiday jobs in the village: paper-delivery, cutting the greens at the golf course and also working at the Co-op.
The goods trains were still running along the track when we first came but when they stopped my son Michael and his friend, who were great railway enthusiasts, collected three coupling links which we still have in our garden hanging on a clothes post.
We remember sheep coming into our garden from the field near the playground - we had a gate in our fence - and one day a plane crashed in that field - a small monoplane I think, which caused some excitement. No-one was hurt. The children sledged down that field in the winter when we had snow!
There has been a lot of building during our time: Wester Hailes with its orange workmen's' huts spread about, the bypass, which was a source of disagreement at first, but opened up spectacular views of the Pentlands when it was finished. And of course Currie - which looked so bare until all the pretty trees, and gardens, grew up. My grandchildren used to love walking across the field beyond Bloomiehall Park to Currie: using the "butterfield field" as they called it. I remember that same park used to have the swings padlocked on Sundays!
The children always saved their Saturday pocket money to spend at Mr. Porteous shop - he kept such a wonderful collection of small items for very little money -"That will keep you going for a wee while " he would say after we had got our regular supply of paraffin for our little stove.
Then there was Bryce's garage where we got our petrol for the car and said a word to the little Jack Russell who slept in a drawer near the pay-in hut.
The former site of Bryce's petrol station, where the Iceland store stands in 2007
I bought my fish from the friendly "fish wife" who sat at the corner by Montpelier House with her basket and board and knife for boning on the spot. She wore the traditional clothes of boots and long black or dark brown skirt. And we still had the Spanish onion sellers, coming on their bicycles - and very good onions they were too!