Stockbridge, Edinburgh

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Stockbridge Market

Stockbridge is an area of Edinburgh, located towards the north of the city, bordering on the New Town. It was originally a small village, but was later incorporated into the City of Edinburgh. The actual "Stock Bridge" was built in 1801 and spans the Water of Leith.

1 The Colonies
2 St Bernard's Well
3 General
4 References
5 External links

[edit] The Colonies

Between Glenogle Road and the Water of Leith, are eleven parallel streets collectively known as the "Stockbridge Colonies". Built between 1861 and 1911, with the aim of providing low-cost housing for working people, the colony houses are now considered prime real estate, due in part, to their location near the Royal Botanic Gardens and Inverleith Park. The colonies are often considered to be almost a village in their own right.

[edit] St Bernard's Well

This mineral water Well is situated on the south bank of the Water of Leith, in an estate once known as St. Bernard's. Just below a pleasant footpath is St Bernard's Well, the well-house being originally built in 1760. It was at one time held in high repute for its medicinal virtues, and the nobility and gentry took summer quarters in the valley to drink deep draughts of the water and take the country air. In 1788 Lord Gardenstone, a wealthy Court of Session judge who thought he had benefitted from the mineral spring, commissioned Alexander Nasmyth to design a new pump room. The builder John Wilson began work in 1789. It is in the shape of a circular temple supported by ten tall Doric order columns, with a statue made in 1791 from Coade stone of Hygieia, the Greek goddess of health, in the centre.

The superiority of much of the St Bernard's estate was purchased in the 1790s by Sir Henry Raeburn, who almost immediately began selling it off by feu charters, although he remained living at St.Bernard's House until his death in 1823. (The house was demolished in 1826 to make way for the east side of Carlton Street).

In the opening years of the 19th century George Lauder of Inverleith Mains also acquired parts of these lands as evidenced by a charter whereby "Henry Raeburn, as retoured heir to Sir Henry Raeburn, Knight, Portrait Painter, Edinburgh, his father, was seised on the 19 March 1824 in a piece of ground for the purpose of making a communication by a stone bridge across the Water of Leith from the New Street called Atholl Street, now India Place, to the grounds of St Bernards, parish of St Cuthberts, which piece of ground had previously been sold by George Lauder residing at Inverleith Mains, to the said (deceased) Sir Henry Raeburn on 28 June 1823". Doubtless this new bridge (built the following year by James Milne, and today known as St. Bernard's Bridge) was thought would assist in making those so far undeveloped parts of Stockbridge, and the Raeburn lands, attractive to developers. George Lauder, the great-grandfather of Sir Harry Lauder, had also purchased St. Bernard's Well and surrounding land in April 1812 from Francis Garden Campbell of Troup & Glenlyon. His eldest surviving son is described in the Edinburgh Annual Post Office Directories as "William Lauder of St.Bernards Well, farmer" until his death in nearby Saunders Street in 1858. He was buried in Dean Cemetery.

In 1884 St. Bernard's Well was purchased and presented to his fellow Edinburgh townsmen by Mr William Nelson, after it had been restored and redecorated by Thomas Bonnar, with a new statue of Hygieia, carved by D. W. Stevenson. Dean Terrace and Ann Street today overlook the valley and Well.

[edit] General

A main thoroughfare, Raeburn Place, contains many various shops and restaurants. Stockbridge is also noted for its numerous speciality shops including a cheese shop as well as multiple charity shops (some of which are among the highest grossing in the UK). Because of the proximity to Broughton High School, Edinburgh Academy and Fettes College, the area is often busy with schoolchildren during the afternoons.

Raeburn Place is also the location of the Edinburgh Academy sports ground which was the site of the first ever international rugby match on March 27, 1871. The Grange, home turf of the Scottish cricket team, can also be found there. The venue hosted two fixtures of the 1999 Cricket World Cup.

Each year Stockbridge hosts a community festival, normally lasting 9 days at the end of June. Since 1988, the festival has held The Stockbridge Duck Race to raise money for local charities. 1000 rubber ducks are released into the Water of Leith. Each has a number written on its head and the first ducks past the winning line win prizes for their sponsors. "Duck Wardens" follow the ducks to keep them out of the reeds and to stop watching children falling into the river. Hundreds of people turn out every year to cheer for their duck.

The community council which covers Stockbridge is Stockbrige and Inverleith Community Council (also covering Comely Bank).

Notable past Stockbridge residents include:

Sir Henry Raeburn (1756-1823), portrait artist.
James Hogg (1770-1835), poet and novelist.
Sir James Young Simpson (1811-70), surgeon.
Thomas de Quincey (1785-1859), intellectual.
Horatio McCulloch (1805-67), landscape artist.

[edit] References

Romantic Edinburgh, by John Geddie, London & Edinburgh, 1929, p.261-2.
The Buildings of Scotland - Edinburgh, by John Gifford, Colin McWilliam, David Walker, and Christopher Wilson, London, 1984, p. 404, ISBN 0-14-0710.68-X