sar029112 SCOTLAND (1957). Musselburgh Inveresk, Midlothian, Scotland. An oblique aerial photograph taken facing South/East.

Staggs (Volunteer Arms)

Petrol Pumps at the kerbside - SMT garage and car showroom

In 1957, I think this was the South Street Dairy (run by the Pearsons?)

Originally the United Presbyterian Church and marked as such on the 1853 OS Town Plan. The U.P. Church was formed in 1847 after the the merger of two churches which had earlier broken away from the Church of Scotland.

The entire North High Street frontage demolished from the Hayweights corner to this point for the Brunton Hall redevelopment.

Marked as "Clark's Cottages" on the 1893 edition of the OS Town Plan.

Marked as "Telfer's Cottage" on the 1893 edition of the OS Large Scale Town Plan.

Mansfield Place (running horizontally) is between here at Dalrymple Loan and Mansfield Avenue to the left of this marker. The nearly-identical street below (to its north) is Mansfield Road.

This block had I think, at one time - 1930s or '40s? - housed the "Labour Hall" and was later occupied for a time in the 'Sixties by Heather Valley knitwear. Lothian Crisps may have also had premises at the back? There were a number of shops at street level, including the Bargain Stores and Laing the ironmonger. Subsequently demolished and redeveloped.

Four older properties,lying between the taller flatted block to the east and the property at the corner of Fishers Wynd to the west (and including Brodie's Ironmongers and Hay's Plumbers shops and what had at one time been Whitelaw's brewery offices (possibly Nos 129 - 137 North High Street) demolished in the early 'Seventies and the site redeveloped as flats.

Lilybank House - mentioned (unfavourably) in the 1857 report of the Royal Lunacy Commission as being one of about a dozen private lunatic asylums in Musselburgh at that time. In the 19th C some others were at Belfield House, Hallcross House, Castle Gordon. Millholme House, Newbigging House. Lilybank House alone had 72 inmates when visited by the Commissioners in 1855.

A surviving building from an earlier ( pre-Victorian? ) phase of development in Fishers Wynd, when the street was much narrower, as can be seen. This side of the street may have been largely redeveloped before WW2? In the mid-Nineteen Fifties, this building, or the one adjacent to it, housed the "Selfdo Supply stores", if I remember correctly.Subsequently demolished.

Corner of North High Street and Bridge Street before the building of the Brunton Hall. Externally, at least, the Brunton Hall might be thought of as something of a mistake in terms of architecture and townscape.

Fisherrow Primary School - in its last year as a functioning school when this photograph was taken - closed summer 1958. My Alma Mater 1952-1958 - Miss Lennox, Mrs Farquhar, Miss Edwards, Mrs Palmer.

Postwar redevelopment (flats/shops/offices) by Musselburgh Town Council of former tenement block - "Scrap Castle" - on the corner of Market Street and Eskside West

1957 traffic! By this time, the tramlines have gone - the Joppa to Levenhall tramline closed in or around 1954.

Ah, the Hayweights! A la recherche du temps perdu.

Hayweights Cinema. In 1957, there were four cinemas in Musselburgh, three of which can be seen in this photograph. The fourth was the Pavilion - the "Piv" - near the Town Hall. All gone.

The "Regal" Cinema, built circa 1937. Later reopened (around 1960?) as the "Playhouse". Closed and subsequently demolished. Site redeveloped as flats.

This site later developed as "new" Musselburgh Library.

These buildings demolished and the site,including the ground immediately to the rear,redeveloped for modern houses either in very late 'Fifties or early'Sixties.

In 1957, when this shot was apparently taken, this would be the "Mall House Furnishers".

The original meeting hall of the Fisherrow Coast Mission. From around 1950, occupied by the CHurch of Christ.

In 1957 this was the home of the Fisherrow Coast Mission, which had moved there, from its original premises only yards to the west, in or around 1950. The building originally was the Drill Hall of the local Company of the 6th Volunteer Battalion of the Royal Scots.

Finlayson's? scrap yard

Open/garden ground redeveloped as Gracefield Court.

Melville Gardens

Gracefield - houses demolished and site down to New Street now a car park.

Part of Brunton's - "the wire mill" - in Mall Avenue

House with an outside stair to upper floor - one such as this still exists in New Street today.

Postwar (circa 1950-53) housing redevelopment of south side of Market Street by Musselburgh Town Council. There was a considerable amount of local authority building in the 1950s, clearing sub-standard housing - redevelopment which had possibly been delayed by the Second World War.

Early 1950s redevelopment by Musselburgh Town Council of former "island" site of brick-built tenements at South Street/Hercus Loan junction

Central Picture House - demolished citca 1962 for extension of SMT bus garage

Gap site with billboard advertisements - a footpath here led up to Mansefield Road

Railway wagons in siding

Railway Goods Shed

Brunton's offices/drawing offices etc rebuilt after being destroyed by fire in or around 1951. I was taken by my parents at night-time, as a four-year old, to see the blaze from the viewpoint of the Roman Bridge.

Public Washhouse - the Fisherrow "Steamie"

I think that this was the Fisherrow School janitor's house -subsequently demolished

Cottage(uninhabited and semi-derelict by 1957, I think) at the Market Street end of the "Long Close", It was entered by stairs from the close itself. Subsequently demolished

Old cottages which I think were derelict or semi-derelict in 1957. Redeveloped as Solicitors' offices.

Tenement at the junction of Bridge Street and Eskside West -now demolished and the site of modern flats

Mall Cafe (now Caprice)

A reminder that Musselburgh used to be an industrial town -Brunton's, Stuart's Inveresk Paper Co. Mill hooters would signal the coming and going of hundreds of workers. Like industrial Britain itself - all gone

I think that this was the original Inveresk Church Manse - now the site of the (new) Burgh Primary School

Newbigging Car Park

Musselburgh Building Society

High Church

Fire Station

The weighbridge, still in use in the 'Fifties - wee laddies used to stand on it and make it shoogle slightly

Eskmills Bowling Club

Inveresk Bowling Club

Musselburgh Grammar School

Lewisvale Park

SMT bus garage before it was greatly enlarged

SMT buses parked in the Mall

This whole frontage on the south side of North High Street from the Hayweights to the "Store" was demolished to accommodate the Brunton Hall

Building(long-since demolished)on south-east corner of Links Street with Holmes' shop on the ground floor. In that faraway land of Fisherrow in the 'Fifties, Mrs Holmes used to make toffee apples, which a wee laddie like me used to buy

Ford's Bakery

Entrance to "The long Close". As a wee laddie, I used to run through it on dark winter nights!

I think this was the Thistle Tavern

Musselburgh and Fisherrow Co-op Society - "the Store"

Covered platform of Musselburgh station which closed in or around 1964

Before the building of the Brunton Hall, this part of North High Street was wide enough to allow car parking in the middle of the road, as can be seen here.

New Council flats in Fishers Wynd built on the site of the old Fisherrow Brewery demolished in the early/mid 1950s

The "Blue Ball" garage/filling station

Part of old Burgh Primary School

Part of Maxwell's yard where fairground rides were built

Menzies's shop (toys among other things)

SMT car showroom (Vauxhall cars)