Stockbridge, Edinburgh

Stockbridge is an area of Edinburgh, located towards the north of the city, bounded by the New Town and by Comely Bank. The name is Scots "stock brig" from Anglic "stocc brycg", meaning a timber bridge, in particular, a footbridge. Originally a small village, it was incorporated into the City of Edinburgh. The actual "Stock Bridge" was built in 1801 and spans the Water of Leith. The painter Henry Raeburn (1756–1823) owned two adjoining estates, Deanhaugh and St Bernard’s, which he developed with the assistance of the architect James Milne. Milne was also responsible for the fine St Bernard's Church (1823) in Saxe Coburg Street. Ann Street, designed by Raeburn and named after his wife, is a rare example of a New Town street with front gardens.

The Colonies

Between Glenogle Road and the Water of Leith there are eleven parallel streets, collectively known as the "Stockbridge Colonies". Built between 1861 and 1911 by the Edinburgh Co-operative Building Company to provide low-cost housing for working people. The streets are named after those who founded the Company, including geologist and writer Hugh Miller (1802-56). The colony houses are now considered prime real estate, due partly 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.

t Bernard's Well

This mineral water well is on the south bank of the Water of Leith, in an estate once known as St Bernard's. Just below a footpath is St Bernard's Well; the well-house was originally built in 1760. The waters of the well were held in high repute for their 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. St Bernard's F.C., a once successful Scottish team but now defunct were named after the famous well and played in Stockbridge.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.

The well is now maintained by the City of Edinburgh Council and the well is open to the public on Sundays throughout the year [http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/internet/leisure/local_history_and_heritage/monuments/other_monuments/CEC_st._bernards_well] .

Culture and sport

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 Fact|date=April 2008 ). 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 27 March 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. St Bernard's F.C. were a successful side but suffered declining support in the face of Hearts and Hibs.

The neighbourhood is also home to the Stockbridge Pipe Band. Founded in 1994, the Band are current British, European, World and Cowal Champions in G4b of the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association.

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 Stockbridge and Inverleith Community Council (also covering Comely Bank).

Famous citizens

Notable Stockbridge residents have included:-
*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
*David Roberts (1796-1864), artist
*Peter Higgs, physicist
*Graham Crowden, actor
*Norman Lovett, actor
*Rose Frain, artist
*Thierry Gathuessi,Hibs Footballer
*Madame Doubtfire, A.k.a. Mrs Annabell Coutts, Pawnbroker & Money Lender to Edinburgh High Society during the 1920s Depression.

Film location

Because of its picturesque qualities, Stockbridge has often been used as a location in film and television dramas.

For example: - "Mary Reilly"; "North and South"; "Women Talking Dirty" (directed by David Furnish); "Rebus".

Trivia

The original Mrs. Doubtfire (or Madame Doubtfire) lived and ran a shop in Stockbridge. It was a run-down rag and bone shop which occupied for many years a basement area in South-East Circus Place, now a solicitors' office. The name "Madame Doubtfire" remained in large, bold, faded-gold letters on the ageing shop fascia for many years after the lady's death. The novelist Anne Fine lived in the area at the time and was, apparently, fascinated by the name. She used it for her novel of the same name. The Robin Williams character Mrs Doubtfire bears no resemblance to the Stockbridge original. Madame Doubfire's favourite saying was "walls have ears".

One of Scotland's most famous brothels used to be located in Danube Street, Stockbridge. The proprietrix Dora Noyce was well-regarded by her clients and was fined only very occasionally by the Edinburgh authorities. Also a good friend of Madame Doubtfire's

Academy of Urbanism awards

The success of Stockbridge as an urban environment led to the area being shortlisted by The Academy of Urbanism for the award 'Great Neighbourhood of the Year: 2009'. On 15 May 2008, Stockbridge was chosen from a selection of 10 neighbourhoods to proceed as one of the three 'finalists', with the winners to be announced on 26 November 2008.

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

External links

* [http://www.bweb.co.uk/stockbridge/ Stockbridge community online]