The Wednesday Profile #2 Moyra's Story 'Full Circle - Memory of Life in Oxgangs and Colinton Mains'

Hi Peter, I've "spoken" to you before, about Dr Motley. I bought your book The Stair from Amazon. I started it yesterday afternoon, fell asleep clutching it last night and resumed immediately I woke up this morning. Finished it a couple of hours ago. I loved it.

I knew quite a few of the people mentioned. I'm a few years older than you (69) and moved to Oxgangs when I was 13/14 - late 1961/62. We stayed in Oxgangs Farm Gardens then moved over to Oxgangs Rise in 1965. When we first moved out from the town centre - I thought I was going to the back of beyond! My mother didn't recognise the place until she bumped into Annie Burke in The Store.

Tommy Egan tackling Jimmy McGrory

Tommy Egan, playing for Birmingham City

She had been my mother's first neighbour when she married my father in 1937. At that time my father played for Hibs (Tommy Egan 1933-1938) and their wedding gift from the club was 6 months rent on a brand new house in Colinton Mains.

Colinton Mains shops development, photograph J. Dickson

Of course Oxgangs/Firrhill didn't exist then. The trams stopped up at Firrhill roundabout and you had to walk the rest of the way. Annie Burke was also Eric Smith's mother in law - he's still fine - saw him at the bowling club on Friday.

I went to St Thomas', then all girls, so didn't really get to know many people before leaving school and starting work. After a year with St Cuthberts I got a job in the chemist at Colinton Mains, so knew the Neil's, McNish, Andreetti's etc. Dr Motley was our doctor.

Photograph courtesy David McLean, Lost Edinburgh

Photograph, Mr Davies, courtesy Phil Green

When we moved over to the Rise( no.5) I met the Flynn family (no.13),who lived next door to the Hunters Tryst janitor, Mr Philips. I can remember the kids making slides in the winter and also throwing snowballs at our windows. Bessie Flynn's first introduction to my father came when she was walking up the hill and he came running out of our house using very colourful language and questioning the parentage of the boys throwing the snowballs - it could have been you and your pals!

Colinton Mains Jumble Sale, Scotsman Publications

Bessie became my good friend and also my mother in law! when I married her son Dennis. Our first date was at The Plaza in Morningside. I also worked part time in The Dominion for about 3/4 yrs part time, then 2/3 yrs full time, managing the coffee lounge/restaurant. I also babysat the Cameron children.

Derek Cameron, photograph by Yerbury

Dennis and I live in Firrhill and (life going full circle) - our daughters live in Colinton Mains, one a couple of blocks from where my parents lived in 1937 and the other a couple of blocks from the Colinton Mains shops with one of them now working in the chemist I worked in more than 50 years ago.

Goodess but your stories have stirred up memories!

Thank you.

Moyra (Egan) Flynn

Anonymous Comment-'Today's Topic-The Broadway Shops'

Anonymous: Mr McNish had the post office and his wife run the wool shop during the eighties. The wool shop was the third shop in, Ewarts being one and two. Opposite was the butchers Armstrongs. The fruit shop became a video rental shop. If I remember correctly, the wool shop eventually moved to the opposite corner before closing down, and it's original spot was taken by a beauticians, a theme which has stayed ever since. The store became Dennis's, he still runs it today. Hairdressers up top is still there. The chip shop was owned by Carmen, and was family run until he passed away and his youngest son kinda made a mess of the business. Not seen a mention of The Vintry, the off licence that was part of the Good Companions, that finally closed in the late eighties(I think Dennis was taking too much business). Just some of the stuff I remember that may help, although more recent.

Response: Thanks for the comments on The Broadway shops-as you say slightly more recent. You're right about the location of McNish's wool shop-I had forgotten it was three shops in. 

Agree, 'The Vintry' has slipped through thus far on the blog-looking back the concept was a bit of an oddity-a place for people to buy alchohl without having to enter the bar-it always had a timeless, very early 1960s feel to it-a place to buy some 'Babycham'; 'Schweppes' Bitter Lemon'; and I think they were the only retailer to stock the no longer produced 'Tudor Crisps'. 

I assume back then there were no age restrictions either, because I'm sure I must have been sent there to buy a small bottle of spirits as a child. The counter wasn't manned-there must have been a bell on the counter to summon a member of bar staff to come through to the shop.

Further Shops At The Broadway And The Crescent And Colinton Mains

'Every day, I walk up the high street to work, and as I pass those little shops, a nice, friendly, warm atmosphere seems to come wafting out...' Sergeant Wilson, Dad's Army

The shops not thus far covered in the blog which were important parts of the lives of those who lived at The Stair included three butchers shops; a fruit and vegetable shop; Allans Grocery; Campbells Newsagents; and Cruickshanks Grocery.

The butcher's shop at The Broadway was a well run clean shop which was above the average. It was owned by Crombie Smith. 

My memory may be playing tricks but I think it was here that Iain Hoffmann and Boo-Boo Hanlon began work as apprentice butchers.  

Les and Iain went on to work and have adventures at Leslies Butcher's shop at Comiston Road just around the corner from Bairds newsagents shop. The shop remained there for many decades. They had many adventures there which I'm sure they'd happily tell you about. I think what eventually drove Les from the shop was that he used to panic when serving customers because he found it difficult to work out the change when he was serving customers! Only Boo-Boo stayed with this trade as a career.

Neil's Butcher's shop at Colinton Mains was there for many decades too - again it was a relatively high class shop for the area. It was his brother, Dr Neil who opened the lovely garden at Duddingston Village to the public. 

Both brothers died in fairly recent years. However, if we ever had to visit a butcher then it was at The Store - this would be for Ayrshire Middle bacon - also for a quarter pound of chopped pork which made my stomach turn! Meanwhile, the butcher's shop at The Crescent was Warner's. I was never in this shop.

There was an old fashioned fruit and vegetable shop - Holmes - at The Broadway. It remained there for decades and must have been one of the original shops - it always had that particular smell unique to such shops. These shops have mostly disappeared although there is still one in Dingwall. When we lived at Colinton for seven very happy years between 1989 and 1996 there was a similar fruiterer's shop in Colinton Village. I visited it because it took me back to The Broadway. 

Even then I thought it must close down, but it's kept soldiering away with the same lady owner, Patsy Downes, who never seemed to change in appearance - she had the look of a gypsy with dyed black hair. A few years ago we took a family walk from the flat at Gillsland Park up though Colinton Dell and stopped off in the village for coffee and cakes - well blow me down it was still on the go - it was like walking through a time-warp - it's surely gone to the great shop cemetery in the sky? (It's not as of 2018!)

A Mr McNish ran a little wool shop both at Oxgangs Broadway and Colinton Mains and at a later date  also took on the post office in both locations too.

He must have realised that in the years ahead it would be difficult to earn a living for his family from selling wool, cotton reels and items of school uniform - does anyone remember the snake Hunters Tryst school belts as well as the school tie and badge? When the opportunities arose for both Post Office franchises he must have seized the moment.

He wasn't a very popular chap - serious and pinched, he didn't have the easy personal skills that made for a good shopkeeper. Even I would notice this as a wee boy when I was collecting the Family Allowance - the magical money that my mother received every fortnight. I believe the McNish family stayed at Greenbank. His would have been another of these tales of entrepreneurship at The Broadway now probably sadly vanished and untold - we need a social historian going avisiting with a tape recorder!

Allans the grocers I've alluded to when remembering Helen Blades. Was it two sisters and a brother who ran the shop? A friend of Liz Blades married the son of one of the Allans - also Douglas Blades worked there as a bicycle delivery boy. The Hoffmanns didn't give any trade to this shop; instead we got the vast amount of our provisions at The Store. Also, it was quite expensive at Allans - being able to sell wines and spirits must have helped the business survive over the period 1958 to 1972. The Blades seemed to be the only family from the The Stair who regularly shopped there.

The two shops which I visited regularly at The Crescent were Campbells Newsagents and Cruickshanks Store. The Campbell family must have led a similarly good life to the Ewart's at The Broadway. They had a monopoly in that part of Oxgangs and Firhill. The shop always seemed to me scruffier compared to Ewart's and although it too sold confectionery wasn't so well organised; unlike Ewart's it didn't have the jars of penny sweets lined up in military precision. Like Ewart's it sold rolls on a Sunday - buying in the dozen rolls and the Sunday Post sometimes took me in this direction. As I said I found old man Campbell a wee bit gruff, but humorous.

My main visits to The Crescent were to Cruikshank's which in essence was a baker's, but really a small grocer's and sweet shop. 

For such a small shop unit they seemed to have found the magic formula. 

At lunchtimes the schoolchildren swarmed over the shop like wasps to jam. I suppose it was less a baker's than a grocer's but less of a grocer's and more a baker cum sweet-shop - if you know what I mean! 

A bakery of  sorts and also a grocer's of sorts, but selling a limited amount of products, but what it had hit upon were the sweets, chocolate and juice that kids liked. 

We were able to buy Koolapop here - a brand of fizzy juice that I've never been able to come across since. It's a brand that has vanished off the planet. I don't know who manufactured it. It came in a bottle larger than a Coca Cola bottle, but only the top part of the glass had that novel twist. It had a screw top, but not metal - instead it was akin to a rubber cork that screwed into the bottle. The taste wasn't as strong as Coke. The bottle was the perfect size to wash down our Paris buns or pies from the shop and also slaked your thirst. 

Returning the bottle meant one got threepence old money back, thus it really cost one shilling and threepence. Everything was piled high in Cruikshank's making the most of very limited space - even the jars of sweets at the front counter meant it was difficult to see over. 

They also sold the popular ABC cards and gum - many footballers series which the boys enjoyed swapping; they also sold The Beatles and The Monkees cards as well as the American Civil War. They were clearly a good example of a business which worked back from the market and provided and satisfied a need with a rapid turnover.

One other shop which we visited at Colinton Mains and was similar to Cruikshanks was a grocer's shop called Andreetti's; it also sold rolls and we visited it for many years. Mrs Andretti was a lovely woman. For those who remember the shop, they will also remember that it closed down for tragic reasons. The son of the owners was disturbed and murdered a little girl in the neighbourhood and hid her small body in the flat above the shop. The Andrettis found it impossible to run the shop into the future, although I think they tried to.

As I've said on more than one occasion I believe that a social history of the original shopkeepers at The Broadway; The Crescent; and Colinton Mains who were pioneers in the first decade or so of the new housing schemes which arose at Oxgangs after the Second World War would have made a very interesting book. All parties benefited - the residents at Oxgangs were provided with a service; some local employment was created; and the owners made a living for their own families through their brave entrepreneurship.

Ewart's Newsagent

Newsagents, The Broadway - not much has changed, apart from the name (2012)

My favourite and most visited local shop was Ewart's, the local newsagents. 

The Ewart family ran the shop for decades. 

Compared to the more risky nature of some of the other shops it was a sure fire business with no chance of failure. 

From early in the morning until teatime, the shop was always busy. 

It was the shop at The Broadway which, depending upon the time of day attracted working men; housewives; teenagers; and children, both boys and girls, so it had an all-round appeal.

It had significant newspaper runs in the mornings and afternoons as well as Sunday newspaper runs too. 

I recall delivering Sunday newspapers for Ewart's, probably because it was my day off from Baird's Newsagents, Morningside Drive. 

The shop always had a different feel to it on Sundays because it was the one day of the week that Ian Ewart (who ran the shop) took off.

Ian Ewart 

I liked Ian - he was an absolutely lovely gem of a bloke - a legend in Oxgangs - he had a good heart and excellent customer care so his absence on a Sunday made a noticeable difference. 

Other relatives came in to open the shop in the morning until it closed at Sunday lunchtime; possibly it was Ian's father. Indeed it was probably his father and mother who initially started the business in the early 1950s?

His mother (whose name appeared as the addressee, Mrs E. Ewart) appeared at various times during the week, but not so much in a serving capacity. She was a serious looking, older woman, who appeared very efficient and business like. Indeed, whenever I saw her she seemed to be undertaking book-keeping and other such tasks. 

Perhaps because the shop proved to be so busy and lucrative and to allow them to expand at an early opportunity, Ewart's took on the let of the adjacent first shop on the precinct, 1 Oxgangs Broadway previously run by McNab's the Drycleaners. It thus became a double shop unit. 

Some people may be surprised at what a good mark-up there is on newspapers. 

When that is multiplied by hundreds of newspapers each day, seven days a week, fifty two weeks of the year, it really adds up. It was only after reading A Season In Dornoch by Lorne Rubenstein that I became aware of this. So the Ewart family made a very good living indeed; that said Ian Ewart in particular had to work hard and long hours. 

Because Ewart's sold comics the shop was a big attraction for me. 

When there were free gifts in The Hornet I would set off early on a Monday morning to buy my copy. 

I might arrive at the shop as early as seven o'clock. 

As I neared the shop my little heart would race to find out if the comic had arrived or not. 

Sometimes there was a delay. 

As well as being very disappointing this was a great worry too, in case by the time I returned after school at Hunters Tryst that all the copies of the comic had been sold out and I would miss out on the free gift; I think Ian Ewart was probably bemused, but entertained by my angst and keen enthusiasm!

The free gifts were a simple and clever piece of marketing by DC Thomson - usually it was a plastic wallet with some football team photographs.

The shop also sold some toys which were displayed in the window. 

We played a bagsy game. 

Like something out of Dickens, a few of us would line up along the shop window front with our little noses pressed against the glass. 

In turn we would bags the toy which we were going to get for our birthday or Christmas. 

I don’t ever recall actually buying or getting a toy from Ewarts' and many of the boxes remained unchanged in the shop window for years. I guess it was an easy way of filling the large space for little work and imagination.

Whilst newspapers, magazines and comics were the main-stay of the business, tobacco and cigarettes would have come next in the pecking order. 

In the 1960s a significant part of the adult population smoked and this figure would have been higher in Oxgangs which was predominately working class. Players No 6; Kensitas; Embassy Regal - all the common brands, but of course no Gauloises or Disque Bleu which my father smoked!

Most children and some adults bought sweets regularly and the shop sold hundreds of sweets and chocolates each and every day. 

For the shop assistants, this must have been a tiresome business. 

Within the shop one whole side was devoted to children’s confectionery. 

There was a long glass counter. 

The whole of the front cabinet was lined with jars of penny sweets which were what most of the children came in for. 

The shop assistants had to bend over and stretch forward in an awkward position. 

Many of the kids took an age to make up their mind to the tune of ‘Come on now!’