Dean Village

Hi reader,

Fifty today. Fifty days of living in my van and fifty posts on this blog. 

For my last day in Edinburgh I decided to take it easy. The temperature was mild and the sun came out, so after a quick return visit to Glenogle Swim Centre for a shower and shave, I headed to the Dean Village.

It's hard to believe that this place was once one of Edinburgh's slum areas.

Dean Village is a peaceful village on the Water of Leith, Edinburgh's largest river. It has a history that stretches back over 800 years. Founded during the twelfth century by the Canons Regular of Holyrood Abbey, it is also known as the Water of Leith Village. In the past, the area had eleven working mills on the strong currents of the city's river.

Amazingly, this part of Edinburgh which has seemingly been lost in the past is only a short walk from Edinburgh's city centre. My mum loves old buildings and I know she'd love to stroll around these cobbled streets.

The ochre yellow buildings along the river bank were built in 1675.

I had to step carefully on the wet cobblestones; they were quite slippery.

Here's the view looking back at the arched bridge at the entrance to the village. Back in the day, carts had to pay a toll to cross the bridge.

On the wall by that bridge are two carved stones. This 1643 datestone with crossed peels, and an inscribed lintel.

The writing on the lintel is so faded it's very difficult to read. It says 'Blessit Be God For Al His Giftis'

At one side of the bridge is the oldest house in the village. It dates from the 17th Century and was restored by Sir Basil Spence for the artist, Aleksander Zyw.

Here's another view from the side of the house. Someone still lives in there.

The most striking building in Dean Village is Well Court, which was commissioned in the 1880s by Sir John Ritchie Findlay, who was then the owner of The Scotsman newspaper. 

An older gentleman who gave me directions to Dean Village told me to look out for stone plaques with the initials JRF (John Ritchie Findlay) and SL (his wife, Susan Leslie). And sure enough, there were quite a few. Here's the one above the entrance to Well Court: JRF ... SL ... 1884.

This is John Ritchie Findlay.

Well Court has now been converted into modern flats. I imagine it must cost a bomb to own or rent one.

This is the village school, which opened in 1875 and closed in 1961.

This roundel shows Margaret (Malcolm III's Queen 1070-1093) teaching a child.

And just across the road from the school is this children's playground which was also the schoolyard back in 1875 when the school opened.

If you keep your eyes open as you walk around the Dean Village you might spot this Victorian era postbox. 

VR = Victoria Regina (Regina being the Latin word for queen). British post boxes were first built into existing walls like this in 1857. Although green was the standard colour at first, boxes began being painted red in July 1874, a process which took 10 years. I'm not sure how many of these VR post boxes are still to be found in the UK, but after some Googling I found 19 in Scotland.

As I headed back to my van, I passed the Baxter's Tollbooth, which was built in 1675.

It was headquarters to the Incorporation of Baxters (or bakers), and their granary. The carvings over the old door include crossed peels, loaves of bread  and the inscriptions 'God's Provedenc is our Inheritens' and 'God Bless the Baxters of Edinbrugh Uho Bult This Hous 1675'. 

I used Google maps to find a good vegan restaurant. There are loads to choose from in Edinburgh and I went for Holy Cow on Elder Street. This is the quarter pounder vegan burger with potato wedges and it was awesome. Delicious and filling. I got talking to some people on the next table who had also been to the Ray Harryhausen Exhibition yesterday.

Then it was back to Marine Drive for my final sleep in Edinburgh. This afternoon I'm in Glasgow and I'm taking it easy. It's quite cold and rainy outside, so I'm happy to be in the Milngavie Community Library. Weirdly, Milngavie isn't pronounced 'Miln-gah-vee'. My Glaswegian friend, Jimmy, tells me I should say 'Mil-gai'. Go figure. 

Thanks, as always, for reading. More soon.

Brian