All About Edinburgh
Niddrie and Newcraighall
Edinburgh
Newcraighall Village was a miners village that grew when the Newcraighall 'Klondyke' Pit opened in 1897. Due to the influx of families a new school was built. When the pit was closed circa 1965 the miners were moved to the pit at Bilston Glen. Newcraighall village has no mining connections now and is situated close to the retail and leisure park known as 'The Fort'
Newcraighall Village Memorial
From the barren coal dust of centuries | of Poverty, Suffering and Sorrow | flowered a |Spirit of Community that sustained our miners and their families | in the Struggle to Preserve their mining Heritage
this monument and reborn village shall forever bear witness to this spirit
Dr Andrew Balfour
Memorial Fountain
Erected by the people of this District to show their esteem for the memory of Dr Andrew Balfour who for thirty years took a great interest in the welfare of this village. Died 28th December 1906. Erected June 1907
Bill Douglas
Newcraighall Blue Plaque
Bill Douglas was born in Newcraighall a small mining village on the outskirts of Edinburgh in 1934. He met his life long friend Peter Jewell when serving with the RAF in 1954. Bill and peter put together one of the largest collections of Cinema memorabilia in Europe. The collection is now housed in the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum
in the University of Exeter which opened in 1997 with the donation by Peter, of Bill and Peters collection as a memorial to his life long friend. Bill Douglas died in 1991.