Dr MacKay's Wood
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Dr MacKay who donated the land on which the wood bearing his name stands in 2007
Opposite the junction of Foulis Crescent and Lanark Road is the ground known today as Dr MacKay's Wood. The land on which the woodland stands was donated to Edinburgh City Council by Dr Reggie MacKay in 1939.
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Muir House known today as Baberton Court
Dr MacKay graduated as a doctor from Edinburgh University and served in the First World War. In 1921 he and his family moved into what was then called Muir House on the Lanark Road and opposite the woodland which bears his name in 2007.
In 1927 he purchased the field across from his house, partly to keep a pony and partly to preserve the views.
In gifting the ground Dr MacKay stipulated that it was to be "kept as an open space and laid out as anornamental pleasure ground... and that no buildings other than a small shelter shall be erected".
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A view from Dr MacKay's Wood
© Nutsend Productions
Another view from Dr MacKay's Wood showing the information panel
In 2004 the Juniper Green Village Association took responsibility for the site and undertook to create a woodlandfor the community to enjoy. A new entrance was added at the bottom of the site to connect up with the Water of Leith Walkway, a railway line in Dr MacKay's time. The tree species planted are rowan, gean, bird cherry, field maple, birch and juniper. The site will help to conserve some of the native species in the locality, and as the trees grow they will increasingly remove pollution from the air. Maintenance of the woodland, mainly involving weeding, grass-cutting and tree thinning, will be carried out by volunteers. An attractive information board has been erected at the top of the site.
© Nutsend Productions
Muriel Adam enjoying the view from Dr MacKay's Wood
The project to preserve the site was assisted by The Edinburgh Green Belt Trust with grant funding by the City of Edinburgh Council, Scottish Executive and Greenspace Scotland. The Juniper Green Village Association put in place a new path and planted the woodland in such away as to ensure that the views to the Pentland Hills are maintained in accordance with Dr MacKay's original wishes.