All About Edinburgh
Restalrig Craigentinny Edinburgh
Lochend | Restalrig Edinburgh
In 1128 the De Lestalric’s were owners of the lands we know from Leith to Portobello as Restalrig.
De Lestalric’s Built a castle above, and at the end of the Loch which gave security from all approaching invaders.
The De Lestalric family occupied the castle for circa 200 years and on the death of Sir John circa 1380, Sir Robert Logan married Katherine De Lestalric. Robert died in 1439 and was buried at Restalrig church.
The Loch that gives its name to the area Lochend. The Loch from 1754 was the main source of water for the residents of Leith which was put through the pump house before going through pipes.
This is where the water that was drained from the Nor Loch went.
The Do’cot was a larder for the castle that gave fresh meat (pigeon). Do’cot could be seen near many large houses and castles of the wealthy.
SAINT TRIDUANA
Saint Triduana was born in the Greece and was believed to have journeyed with Rule a holy man from the area of Patras in Greece in the 4th century AD. Rule deciding to stop the Romans from seizing the bones of Saint Andrew and took as many bones as he could and travelled as far from Greece as possible ending his journey in Scotland. Triduana settled in Scotland and due to her great beauty attracted the attentions of many men. One in particular was Nectan King of the Picts. Triduana to stop the King’s attention she is said to have torn out her own eyes and gave them to the King. As Saint Triduana aged she settled in an area outside an area known as Eidyn later to be known as Edinburgh. Many people made pilgrimages to see her as she was believed to have the power to make the blind see. On her death in Restalrig a shrine was built in her honour and was intact until the reformation in the 1500. There are many stories of the blind praying to Saint Triduana and regaining their sight. St Margaret’s well previously known as St Triduana’s Well before the well was moved to its present position.
Deanery Walls Restalrig
The Deanery Walls of Restalrig stand across from the church where St Triduana was said to cure the blind and a shrine is next to the church. The Deanery wall may have been a protection to the house that many took refuge in. James III in 1487 had the church restore and it was completed by James V as the collegiate church of the Deanery of Restalrig. The Wall that remains could be a small part of a large wall that encircled the church and house of the Dean of Lestalric which was the land owners of the area.
Edinburgh Police Box
The Police Box was basically a small Police Station for the Police Officers that were on the beat (walking the area they Police In the Police Box was a telephone connected to the local station, an incident book to keep note of any suspicious activities in the area, a fire extinguisher and first-aid kit in case of emergencies. The Police officers could take meal breaks and a toilet was also in the box. It was also used to keep prisoners until a vehicle arrived to take the prisoner to the main Police Station. Each Police Box had an outside telephone that was available to the public and was connected to the Local Police Station. They were painted blue and first used circa 1890 but were in common use by the 1930s. Edinburgh designed their own boxes to fit the architecture of the city. The Boxes were designed by architects, MacRae, Rollo and Tweedie. The box pictured is one of the last remaining still in its original colours as when the boxes were sold the new owners had to repaint the boxes a different colour. The Police Boxes are no longer used by the police
PIERSHILL GRAVEYARD
The Graveyard opened in 1887 with a large Jewish burial section, including a memorial dedicated "to the memory of the Jewish soldiers of Edinburgh who gave their lives in the 1st World War. The cemetery was also the first in Scotland to permit an officially designated animal burial section.
THE GREAT LAFAYETTE
Sigmund Neuberger, was born on 25 February 1871 in Munich, Germany and died on 9 May 1911 and is buried in Edinburgh’s Piershill Graveyard. He was a famous illusionist and was the highest paid magician of his time. He became one of the highest-paid performers in Vaudeville. The Great Lafayette's affection was his dog Beauty a terrier given to him as a pup by fellow conjurer and admirer Harry Houdini. His dog is also buried in the graveyard.
Craigentinny Castle Edinburgh
Craigentinny (Craigantinnie House) Castle stands in Loaning Road in Restalrig was built circa 1590. The land owners the Nisbets were in occupancy till 1765 when purchased by William Millar and his heirs lived here til 1859. The Craigentinny Tomb (with the Craigentinny Marbles).
WILLIAM HENRY MILLER MAUSOLEUM
was born in Craigentinny, an area between Edinburgh and Portobello in 1789. He became a
Member of Parliament at the age of 40 for Newcastle-under-Lyme. William Miller was a book collector and opened a
library in Britwell Court, near Burnham, Buckinghamshire. The library was said to be one of the most important
private collections in Britain. The library and collection, on his death was passed down through the family until 1919,
at that time there were no family members left and the collection was broken up and sold. On his death he made a
provision in his will to have a mausoleum built on the family estate in Craigentinny Edinburgh. The mausoleum is the the most impressive I have seen and stands over 50 feet (30 meters) in height and goes under ground 40 feet as he
had a fear that grave robbers would steal his body. The Mausoleum is decorated with two bas-reliefs based on a
Roman Mausoleum. The William Henry Miller Mausoleum was completed in 1856 and stood in a meadow with no
other buildings nearby. It stood just near to the Portobello Road on the way to Edinburgh. He left instruction for the
bas-reliefs to depict the Overthrow of Pharaoh in the Red Sea and The Song of Moses and Miriam. These were
completed and attached to the mausoleum in 1868 and became known as the Craigentinny Marbles. Also within
the mausoleum are his parents William Miller and Martha Rawson or Miller, Sarah Marsh and Ellen Marsh all of
Craigentinny and Britwell Buckinghamshire
'THE SONG OF MOSES AND MIRIAM'
THE OVERTHROW OF PHARAOH IN THE RED SEA
THE MONUMENT WAS ERECTED TO THE MEMORY OF
WILLIAM HENRY MILLER
AND HIS PARENTS
WILLIAM MILLER AND MARTHA RAWSON OR MILLER
HERE ARE INTERRED
MARTHA MILLER
DIED 11th JANUARY 1827
WILLIAM HENRY MILLER
MP FOR NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYME
BORN 13th FEBRUARY 1789 DIED 31st OCTOBER 1848
SARAH MARSH
BORN 20th APRIL 1832 DIED AUGUST 6th AUGUST 1880
ELLEN MARSH
BORN 29th AUGUST 1801 DIED 4th NOVEMDER 1861
ALL OF CRAIGENTINNY AND BRITWELL
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE
THE SITE WAS CONSECRATED ON 13th SEPTEMBER 1860
THE SCULPTURES WERE ADDED IN 1868
HISTORIC TRIVIA
James Tytler - First UK Manned Balloon Flight
James Tytler 1745 – 1804 James Tytler was the first to pilot a hot air balloon in Britain 27 August 1874. After a number of attempts, he finally floated almost 1/2 a mile which has confirmed his place in the history of flight. The journey began at an area close to the foot of Arthur Seat. There are streets now named after him. The world’s first man balloon flight was the Montgolfier brothers in France in 1783
Alexandra Mary Chalmers Watson
Alexandra Mary Geddes
Hibernian Football Stadium
Hibernian was founded by Irish football enthusiasts in 1875 and the name came from the Roman for Ireland (Hibernian). The East Meadows hosted the first Edinburgh Derby with Heart of Midlothian on Christmas day 1875. The present home of Hibernian opened in 1893. In 1955 Hibernian were the first British side to play in European competition. Hibernian won the Scottish Cup in 1902 and 2015. The Celtic football Club was also formed as a west of Scotland Hibernian but the name was changed as to stop any confusion when playing against each other.
Meadowbank
Commonwealth Sports Stadium
Edinburgh
The Meadowbank Stadium was built for the Commonwealth Games in 1970 and was the first venue to hold the Commonwealth games on two occasions. The second games in 1986 were unsuccessful due to the British Governments support of apartheid in South Africa as many countries boycotted the games. There are many varied events held in Meadowbank Stadium throughout the year antiques fares, international competition and local club sports teams still make good use of the stadium. The Stadium was also used for football and the greatest track cyclist of all time, multiple Olympic gold medal winner Sir Chris Hoy started his cycling career here. At this time 30 January 2018 the stadium and Velodrome are closed for complete structural renovations.
