Edinburgh History

[Stuart Lyon]

2 hours ago, joondalupjambo said:

 

Yep you are bang on.  I was going to mention Moir & Baxter so good shout.  I still seem to remember playing behind the workshop and in that area there were a bunch of old stone, derelict buildings and high walls.  It was pretty dangerous of course but in those days you just got on with it.  I was sure, but of course it is over 50 years later that those buildings and walls were part of the market garden, I might be wrong of course.  I remember the site being cleared, the garage and the old buildings but what was on it before Waitrose was built, can you recall?

 

I was at Flora's from 1962 and walked round from Learmonth Crescent past the shops on the corners, opposite the Waitrose building as it is now.  There was a sweetie shop, a butchers I think, David Mackenzie's grocer shop (now a coffee shop and gift shop), a hairdressers and a chemists.  The sweetie shop has a penny and tuppenny tray.  I always remember taking great care crossing at the Moir & Baxter petrol station as it had the double entrance with an in and out. Could it have been Esso in my time? 

 

Just past David's was a flat where the Scottish DJ Stuart Henry's mother lived, he was pretty famous and visited now and again so the story went.

 

The bit if scrap ground in Learmonth, where the Cala flats are now was called The Mixy.

 

A few years ago I took my son into see Flora's, just asked the Janny and he let me in and you know what it is exactly the same but of course mush smaller than I remembered.  Ah happy days.

 

Do you remember the Beddies? 

Sorryt know what was on the site before Waitrose. Don't know the Beddies. Dave Mackenzie who owned the grocers shop played keyboard in a band with my brother. The band were called the Beau Brummell. Flora Stevenson's has benefited from the redevelopment of the area behind the main building which in my time had about 6 classroom huts.

[Stuart Lyon]

17 minutes ago, Stuart Lyon said:

Sorryt know what was on the site before Waitrose. Don't know the Beddies. Dave Mackenzie who owned the grocers shop played keyboard in a band with my brother. The band were called the Beau Brummell. Flora Stevenson's has benefited from the redevelopment of the area behind the main building which in my time had about 6 classroom huts.

Here is a an OS map from 1935 which depicts various buildings on the Waitrose site with the market garden behind on what is now Fettes police HQ.

[¼½¾]

2 hours ago, joondalupjambo said:

 

Yep you are bang on.  I was going to mention Moir & Baxter so good shout.  I still seem to remember playing behind the workshop and in that area there were a bunch of old stone, derelict buildings and high walls.  It was pretty dangerous of course but in those days you just got on with it.  I was sure, but of course it is over 50 years later that those buildings and walls were part of the market garden, I might be wrong of course.  I remember the site being cleared, the garage and the old buildings but what was on it before Waitrose was built, can you recall?

 

I was at Flora's from 1962 and walked round from Learmonth Crescent past the shops on the corners, opposite the Waitrose building as it is now.  There was a sweetie shop, a butchers I think, David Mackenzie's grocer shop (now a coffee shop and gift shop), a hairdressers and a chemists.  The sweetie shop has a penny and tuppenny tray.  I always remember taking great care crossing at the Moir & Baxter petrol station as it had the double entrance with an in and out. Could it have been Esso in my time? 

 

Just past David's was a flat where the Scottish DJ Stuart Henry's mother lived, he was pretty famous and visited now and again so the story went.

 

The bit if scrap ground in Learmonth, where the Cala flats are now was called The Mixy.

 

A few years ago I took my son into see Flora's, just asked the Janny and he let me in and you know what it is exactly the same but of course mush smaller than I remembered.  Ah happy days.

 

Do you remember the Beddies? 

I love stuff like this. Your story about the folk in the posh flats.

 

This is from 1946, so you might make out some of the areas you talked about.

 

[The Real Maroonblood]

18 hours ago, Sharpie said:

 

 They stopped in the early fifties when they abandoned the high collared jackets and went into the new open neck with shirt and tie. Helmets I am told were a nuisance to the  wearers and the new peaked caps were comfortable easy to carry if not in wear,  and believe it or not more modernly fashionable. I was never serving when helmets were issued, and was always surprised that they did not maintain them for ceremonial occasions.  I had just completed a service term where I wore a bearskin head gear which could especially in warm weather become very uncomfortable that was constructed inside  I believe like a helmet and was glad I never had to wear a helmet..

I’m sure the Transport Police wore them for longer.

[John Findlay]

10 hours ago, JWL said:

Served my time there (latterly Robb Caledon), it was some place.

My ex father in law worked there.

[obua]

10 hours ago, JWL said:

Served my time there (latterly Robb Caledon), it was some place.

I done my apprenticeship there as well. It went back to being Henry Robbs before it finally closed down.

[The Real Maroonblood]

25 minutes ago, obua said:

I done my apprenticeship there as well. It went back to being Henry Robbs before it finally closed down.

Sad these well known companies are gone forever. 

[Sharpie]

4 hours ago, The Real Maroonblood said:

I’m sure the Transport Police wore them for longer.

 

Yes I am pretty sure they did, not being a Transport policed station in the Division I really never had much to do with them. My only contact was with one officer I knew having served with him in the Scots Guards. He patrolled the railway lines that went through Niddrie and crossed the bridge at Hay Avenue. I used to meet him there on night shift. He didn't wear a helmet  at night. The Railway Police had an office and I forget where it was in our area probably around Market Street. We used to deliver our daily crime notices to them. The relationship was not good a lot of them thought we acted superior, and I guess we actually did.

[joondalupjambo]

4 hours ago, Stuart Lyon said:

Sorryt know what was on the site before Waitrose. Don't know the Beddies. Dave Mackenzie who owned the grocers shop played keyboard in a band with my brother. The band were called the Beau Brummell. Flora Stevenson's has benefited from the redevelopment of the area behind the main building which in my time had about 6 classroom huts.

 

Cheers for the map in your other post.  Looks like some of the buildings to the rear of the site of Waitrose could have been linked to the market garden, the photo in Lemongrabs post seems to confirm that possibility.

 

The Beddies were folk who lived in Stockbridge, in and around Bedford Street in Stockbridge.  A right hard lot and when we walked along to Glenogle Baths you ran the gauntlet, especially on the return journey at night.  They cleared that area in the late 60's I think because the housing was needing upgraded and The Beddies were moved to new housing in the mid west, Blackburn rings a bell.  The reason for this story is because if you think now about Stockbridge is is full of a yupees and is one of the most desirable places to live in Edinburgh by many.  I still visit bars in Stockbridge when I am over for the matches and when you bump into some real locals they all say nobody really understands how much of a working class area it was in some places.

 

Well, well David MacKenzie, I knew him well.  I worked in his shop after school and on Saturday mornings stacking shelves, helping him with home deliveries and then latterly serving.  It was probably circa 1971 to 1974.  I bumped into him just before he sold(?) the shop and we had a good chat, no idea when that would have been. Did he move to Peebles, that rings a bell?

 

Flora's was indeed upgraded to the rear but I also remember the huts.  The back of my house in Learmonth Cresecent looked over these huts.

[joondalupjambo]

4 hours ago, Lemongrab said:

I love stuff like this. Your story about the folk in the posh flats.

 

This is from 1946, so you might make out some of the areas you talked about.

 

 

Great to see this map, thanks for posting.  It looks like the market garden buildings were very close to the back of the Waitrose site.

 

Learmonth Crescent is middle left winding it's way through to the open ground we called the Mixy.  To the left of the track through the middle they built an office block on that bit of land, half way up Orchard Brae.  You entered their underground car park via Learmonth Crescent.

 

So those flats, here is a another one.   At the back of those posh flats there was a lane with garages that joined up the gardens of the block of flats at the top of Orchard Brae.  So what we did was walk up from our houses in Learmonth Crescent climb up a ledge at the garages, walk across their roofs, face the back of the flats and flick the vickies at the folk in their posh flat kitchens, hop up another ledge, lob over a fence into the gardens at the flats on Orchard Brae, walk through those, down Orchard Brae, through the hedge and back into Learmonth Crescent.  Obviously we did this after doing some hedge plunging at the steps at South Learmonth Gardens on the way up to the start of this little adventure.

 

So one night, it was dark and so we went out to do this but for some reason instead of the vickies I mooned.  No idea why just did it, must have been about 10 or 11 I think.  Anyway did that and before hopping over the ledges and fences as usual we started mucking around so we were there for a while.  Then all of a sudden we saw a police car, somebody must have phoned them.  We split up and ran in all directions but of course yours truly got caught and was driven back to my house in the back of a police car.  Apparently the posh folk, because it was dark thought we were a couple of burglars, I thought we were being picked up for mooning!!  So I am in one car and the next minute another one pulls up alongside with one of my mates in the back of that one.  All of a sudden I see him slowly raise his finger and point straight at me.  The bugger had shopped me, some mate   I do not blame him, I blame posh folk and still do to this day for all the worlds ill's 

 

 

[Stuart Lyon]

1 hour ago, joondalupjambo said:

 

Cheers for the map in your other post.  Looks like some of the buildings to the rear of the site of Waitrose could have been linked to the market garden, the photo in Lemongrabs post seems to confirm that possibility.

 

The Beddies were folk who lived in Stockbridge, in and around Bedford Street in Stockbridge.  A right hard lot and when we walked along to Glenogle Baths you ran the gauntlet, especially on the return journey at night.  They cleared that area in the late 60's I think because the housing was needing upgraded and The Beddies were moved to new housing in the mid west, Blackburn rings a bell.  The reason for this story is because if you think now about Stockbridge is is full of a yupees and is one of the most desirable places to live in Edinburgh by many.  I still visit bars in Stockbridge when I am over for the matches and when you bump into some real locals they all say nobody really understands how much of a working class area it was in some places.

 

Well, well David MacKenzie, I knew him well.  I worked in his shop after school and on Saturday mornings stacking shelves, helping him with home deliveries and then latterly serving.  It was probably circa 1971 to 1974.  I bumped into him just before he sold(?) the shop and we had a good chat, no idea when that would have been. Did he move to Peebles, that rings a bell?

 

Flora's was indeed upgraded to the rear but I also remember the huts.  The back of my house in Learmonth Cresecent looked over these huts.

My maternal Grannnie lived in Bedford Street and my mother and her sisters and brothers lived there too until all but one of them got married. The unmarried one had left to join the navy and he transferred to the Royal Australian navy at the end of the war when he married and settled down there. I used to visit my Grannie often in my early years and was really friendly with my uncle Doug who was as Stockbridge as they come. I have never hears any member of the family raised in Stockbridge refer to the Beddies but that may be because it was a name given to a later generation. My uncle Dougie used to sing a song "We are the Stockbridge boys" part of which was "we know our managers and how to spend our tanners!"

 

I'll ask my brother if he knows where Davy Mackenzie retired to.

 

Edited December 11, 2020 by Stuart Lyon

[wentworth jambo]

9 hours ago, joondalupjambo said:

You must be more or less the same age as me by the sounds of it.  The guy who owned the Learmonth at the time believe it or not now lives in the same Fife village as me, he is n his 80's.  His son, a Jambo is a regular golf partner of mine.  Small, small world.  

 

I seem to remember getting asked my age in their at one point, got flustered and before I could reply got told to go out and come back in, start again but with a correct answer this time!!  Mental but as you say happy days.

Worked for BoS at Orchard Brae House in the late 80's - Learmonth was local of choice and even then had issues with under age drinkers !! BoS still supplied free uniforms back then - shits and ties for men, blouse and neckerchiefs for women - couple of occasions sold BoS ties to the young lads who promptly disappeared and returned 10 mins later suited and booted with their newly purchased ties on !!

[Stuart Lyon]

25 minutes ago, wentworth jambo said:

Worked for BoS at Orchard Brae House in the late 80's - Learmonth was local of choice and even then had issues with under age drinkers !! BoS still supplied free uniforms back then - shits and ties for men, blouse and neckerchiefs for women - couple of occasions sold BoS ties to the young lads who promptly disappeared and returned 10 mins later suited and booted with their newly purchased ties on !!

So was it BoS before it was Lloyds?

[Radio Ga Ga]

1977

[JWL]

7 hours ago, John Findlay said:

My ex father in law worked there.

 

Think every man and their dug worked there at some point, especially if you were from Leith.

[NANOJAMBO]

3 hours ago, joondalupjambo said:

 

Cheers for the map in your other post.  Looks like some of the buildings to the rear of the site of Waitrose could have been linked to the market garden, the photo in Lemongrabs post seems to confirm that possibility.

 

The Beddies were folk who lived in Stockbridge, in and around Bedford Street in Stockbridge.  A right hard lot and when we walked along to Glenogle Baths you ran the gauntlet, especially on the return journey at night.  They cleared that area in the late 60's I think because the housing was needing upgraded and The Beddies were moved to new housing in the mid west, Blackburn rings a bell.  The reason for this story is because if you think now about Stockbridge is is full of a yupees and is one of the most desirable places to live in Edinburgh by many.  I still visit bars in Stockbridge when I am over for the matches and when you bump into some real locals they all say nobody really understands how much of a working class area it was in some places.

 

Well, well David MacKenzie, I knew him well.  I worked in his shop after school and on Saturday mornings stacking shelves, helping him with home deliveries and then latterly serving.  It was probably circa 1971 to 1974.  I bumped into him just before he sold(?) the shop and we had a good chat, no idea when that would have been. Did he move to Peebles, that rings a bell?

 

Flora's was indeed upgraded to the rear but I also remember the huts.  The back of my house in Learmonth Cresecent looked over these huts.

I went to Stockbridge Primary for 3 years on thr 60s. It was rough and I was regularly in trouble - there was a big family/gang culture as I recall.  I got to settle a few scores in secondary as quite a few of them had disappeared by the 70s - maybe for the reason you set out. That area was an  absolute dump when I was a kid.

[Stuart Lyon]

2 hours ago, Stuart Lyon said:

My maternal Grannnie lived in Bedford Street and my mother and her sisters and brothers lived there too until all but one of them got married. The unmarried one had left to join the navy and he transferred to the Royal Australian navy at the end of the war when he married and settled down there. I used to visit my Grannie often in my early years and was really friendly with my uncle Doug who was as Stockbridge as they come. I have never hears any member of the family raised in Stockbridge refer to the Beddies but that may be because it was a name given to a later generation. My uncle Dougie used to sing a song "We are the Stockbridge boys" part of which was "we know our managers and how to spend our tanners!"

 

I'll ask my brother if he knows where Davy Mackenzie retired to.

 

Been in touch with my brother and he thinks Davy and his wife Isobel moved to Jedburgh or Melrose and opened a cafe. My brother recalls selling a guitar to someone who worked for Davy; was it you by any chance?

[joondalupjambo]

2 hours ago, Stuart Lyon said:

So was it BoS before it was Lloyds?

Hope you do not mind me jumping in.

 

OBH is the building on the corner of Orchard Brae and Queensferry Road.  https://www.orchardbraehouse.com/location.html

 

Lloyds was the first company to move  into the building half way up Orchard Brae.  It was built for them in 1968 and 

 

https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/environment/former-edinburgh-lloyds-banking-call-centre-be-converted-170-flats-1393359

 

 

 

 

[joondalupjambo]

1 hour ago, Stuart Lyon said:

Been in touch with my brother and he thinks Davy and his wife Isobel moved to Jedburgh or Melrose and opened a cafe. My brother recalls selling a guitar to someone who worked for Davy; was it you by any chance?

 

I defo think it was the Borders and no idea why I thought it was Peebles, it could easily have been Jedburgh or Melrose.  Thanks for trying to find out.

 

Nope not me, my musical ability at Flora's ended up when I failed to play the triangle properly at a Christmas carol event 

[joondalupjambo]

2 hours ago, NANOJAMBO said:

I went to Stockbridge Primary for 3 years on thr 60s. It was rough and I was regularly in trouble - there was a big family/gang culture as I recall.  I got to settle a few scores in secondary as quite a few of them had disappeared by the 70s - maybe for the reason you set out. That area was an  absolute dump when I was a kid.

This thread is getting weird.

 

My wife, she was born in Australia to Edinburgh parents and they returned to life in Edinburgh in 1966.  They first lived in Cumberland Street and my wife was sent to Stockbridge Primary in the autumn of that year.  She lasted three weeks before leaving because it was as rough as chips and she got picked on terribly, even slapped.  It was all because of her Aussie accent and because she was new and of course different.  So from the shores of the Indian Ocean, sun and the best of weather all year round to a basement flat in Cumberland Street and a doing in her first Scottish school 

[The Real Maroonblood]

6 hours ago, Sharpie said:

 

Yes I am pretty sure they did, not being a Transport policed station in the Division I really never had much to do with them. My only contact was with one officer I knew having served with him in the Scots Guards. He patrolled the railway lines that went through Niddrie and crossed the bridge at Hay Avenue. I used to meet him there on night shift. He didn't wear a helmet  at night. The Railway Police had an office and I forget where it was in our area probably around Market Street. We used to deliver our daily crime notices to them. The relationship was not good a lot of them thought we acted superior, and I guess we actually did.

👍

[NANOJAMBO]

55 minutes ago, joondalupjambo said:

This thread is getting weird.

 

My wife, she was born in Australia to Edinburgh parents and they returned to life in Edinburgh in 1966.  They first lived in Cumberland Street and my wife was sent to Stockbridge Primary in the autumn of that year.  She lasted three weeks before leaving because it was as rough as chips and she got picked on terribly, even slapped.  It was all because of her Aussie accent and because she was new and of course different.  So from the shores of the Indian Ocean, sun and the best of weather all year round to a basement flat in Cumberland Street and a doing in her first Scottish school 

I did't live in Stockbridge but my dad had a business in Cumberland St from 1966 onward. 🙄 Weird , did yòu say ? 😀

[Carl Fredrickson]

5 hours ago, wentworth jambo said:

Worked for BoS at Orchard Brae House in the late 80's - Learmonth was local of choice and even then had issues with under age drinkers !! BoS still supplied free uniforms back then - shits and ties for men, blouse and neckerchiefs for women - couple of occasions sold BoS ties to the young lads who promptly disappeared and returned 10 mins later suited and booted with their newly purchased ties on !!

 

This thread is awesome but this makes me a bit glad I didnt go into banking.

[Maroon Sailor]

[MES]

Fountainbridge. Just after viewforrh? 

[¼½¾]

[Doctor FinnBarr]

On 09/12/2020 at 21:12, Sharpie said:

Nelsons Printing works. The area which is now the Pool was known as Nelsons Park, had two football fields. As kids we used to climb the wall the same as the one you can still see and play on the field with gol posts instead of jackets. Davie the park attendant used to chase us the wall was low on the park side but higher on the other side. We used to run to the wall get on the top and dreep to Park Road. I did it one time and hit my nose as I went down. Sair one. A few days later I was really ill my nose, swelling of my nose extreme pain and starting to lose conciousness. My mother whipped me on to a #2 bus and off to the hospital. At the RIE they said I should be at Sick Childrens, and wouldn't examine me.  My mother reverted into hielan; lassie with six brothers and got her fighting stance going, she made such a fuss a surgeon walking past stopped and ended up looking at me, I was immediately taken to surgery, the crack I had incurred in my wall collision had abscessed and if not drained when it was could have caused even fatal damage as it was encroaching on my brain. Of course it was later commented that it all probably had a problem finding my wee brain so I wasn't really in danger. So thats why Park Road was an easy spot for me to get today.

 

Not heard the word "dreep" in many a year now Bob, wonder if kids still dreep now?

[Sharpie]

1 hour ago, FinnBarr Saunders said:

 

Not heard the word "dreep" in many a year now Bob, wonder if kids still dreep now?

 Yes in the language we used dreep was used as stated in the post, but it often came up also when  stating he always has a dreep from his nose. Kleenex were an unknown and dreeps were common from the nasal organ as a result of no hankie. It wouldn't be the first time a teacher told a pupil take some paper from the basket and wipe that drip from your nose, a teacher wouldn't say dreep but we knew thats what they meant.

[Maroon Sailor]

5 hours ago, Lemongrab said:

 

Calton Jail

[Maroon Sailor]

[JFK-1]

Edinburgh was the source of the 'Scottish Enlightenment' which changed the world. Notable figures and ideas which came out of it are too numerous to cover but James Hutton who is regarded as the father of geology was just one of those.

And that's aside from Edinburgh being the source of what led to modern medicine. Burke and Hare we salute your contributions.
 

BBC Men of Rock 1 of 3 Deep Time - Iain Stewart tells the story of James Hutton, the founding father of geology.
 

 

[Maroon Sailor]

1920's

 

[Maroon Sailor]

1953

 

[Maroon Sailor]

[Sharpie]

9 minutes ago, Maroon Sailor said:

 

I remember when all the white roofs were painted over for the blackouts during WW2.  That corner of the post office and across the road at Duncan Flockhart chemists wee favorite central meeting points for dates, if the partner didnae turn up you could wander back and fore and then just meld into the crowd so it is hidden that you had been dummied. 

Its funny how life and things change. All these view were so much a part of my life and future, and now like the trams its all part of the past and become not the future but the history.

[ArcticJambo]

If I was king I'd bring back those wee trams in a jiffy; they look absolute class.

[The Real Maroonblood]

51 minutes ago, Maroon Sailor said:

1953

 

Photos from that era just seems more real to me.

[ArcticJambo]

On 10/12/2020 at 20:34, Maroon Sailor said:

Genuiney struggling with this one.  The church looks familiar and I'm assuming the new build is part of EU; help?

[Maroon Sailor]

22 minutes ago, ArcticJambo said:

Genuiney struggling with this one.  The church looks familiar and I'm assuming the new build is part of EU; help?

 

It is part of EU being built

 

That's Marshall Street looking towards Nicolson Square

[ArcticJambo]

18 minutes ago, Maroon Sailor said:

 

It is part of EU being built

 

That's Marshall Street looking towards Nicolson Square

Ahh, okay with the help of a map from the 40s I see the street immediately at the bottom of the picture is Bristo Street with photo taken probably from the top of McEwan Hall.  I spent 4yrs in and around Bristo Square but  swear that building under construction was never there! Obviously it was.  Anyway, thanks.

[Sharpie]

1 hour ago, Maroon Sailor said:

 

It is part of EU being built

 

That's Marshall Street looking towards Nicolson Square

 I think that was the first new building built. There was a tragedy of a workman falling to his death.

[Sharpie]

Just now, Sharpie said:

 I think that was the first new building built. There was a tragedy of a workman falling to his death.

 I thought it was George Square if its not my post earlier is wrong.

[Maroon Sailor]

[Maroon Sailor]

3 hours ago, ArcticJambo said:

If I was king I'd bring back those wee trams in a jiffy; they look absolute class.

 

A lot classier than the current trams

 

 

[ArcticJambo]

18 minutes ago, Maroon Sailor said:

 

A lot classier than the current trams

 

 

Aye, current version is not even close, sadly. 

[ArcticJambo]

. deleted, nevermind daft question.

Edited December 12, 2020 by ArcticJambo

[ArcticJambo]

On 08/12/2020 at 15:33, Maroon Sailor said:

 

On 08/12/2020 at 18:40, Maroon Sailor said:

 

It's Bristo Street looking North

Again, at Marshall Street?

[Maroon Sailor]

21 minutes ago, ArcticJambo said:

 

Again, at Marshall Street?

 

Not sure where it was taken from.

 

Bob might remember the Newsagent on the corner

[Sharpie]

35 minutes ago, Maroon Sailor said:

 

Not sure where it was taken from.

 

Bob might remember the Newsagent on the corner

 The one on the corner of Marshal and Bristo Streets seem to recall one there, saw a recent picture that made it look like Dante Lannie had mebbe expanded his cafe to take it in. I quite see Marshal Street in this picture, but I am a bit confused where in Bristo Street the building was being done, and what is the street on the right of the picture, my normally fairly good memory has totally abandoned me on this one. My original thought was on the south east corner of George Square with I thought it was Buccleuch Terrace on the right. It sort of reminds me of giving directions as we did using landmarks, and on this occasion the recipient was a snooty actor named Donald Houston in a big convertible with another guy and two pretty cute girls, roof down He with a smirk told me he didn't want a guided tour of Edinburgh I am sure it was the Zoo so I gave him the most direct instructions with no tour, straight down from where he was to Leith Street, at the bottom of Leith Street make a left and follow the road as far as he could go then get further directions. Never heard from or of him again.

[¼½¾]

35 minutes ago, Sharpie said:

 The one on the corner of Marshal and Bristo Streets seem to recall one there, saw a recent picture that made it look like Dante Lannie had mebbe expanded his cafe to take it in. I quite see Marshal Street in this picture, but I am a bit confused where in Bristo Street the building was being done, and what is the street on the right of the picture, my normally fairly good memory has totally abandoned me on this one. My original thought was on the south east corner of George Square with I thought it was Buccleuch Terrace on the right. It sort of reminds me of giving directions as we did using landmarks, and on this occasion the recipient was a snooty actor named Donald Houston in a big convertible with another guy and two pretty cute girls, roof down He with a smirk told me he didn't want a guided tour of Edinburgh I am sure it was the Zoo so I gave him the most direct instructions with no tour, straight down from where he was to Leith Street, at the bottom of Leith Street make a left and follow the road as far as he could go then get further directions. Never heard from or of him again.

Here's the outline of the building superimposed on an older map, if that's any help Bob.