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The more obscure, unusual, overlooked, and irreverent bits of Edinburgh and Leith local history
Site URL: threadinburgh.scot
Feed URL: threadinburgh.scot/feed
Posts: 10
Followers: 1
The thread about Lufra; or how one street in Edinburgh got its unusual name
Published: August 2, 2024 19:36
A move to a new neighbourhood means new streets to explore and new place names to be intrigued about. One that jumped right out at me was Lufra Bank and what I thought was a rabbit hole about where its name originates turned out to be a hole with a…
The thread about Plain Breid; Its history, politics and enduring place in the Scottish national psyche
Published: May 30, 2024 13:12
Plain Breid. You know the stuff, it comes wrapped in nostalgic, tartan, waxed paper; doesn't fit properly in the toaster; goes dry all too quickly; reminds you of your childhood or your granny and holds a genuine nostalgic allure for many Scots. So what is…
The thread about the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the unlikely home of a King of France
Published: May 26, 2024 22:00
It's well known that the Palace of Holyroodhouse is both the present day official residence of the British Monarch and also an ancient home of Scottish royalty. But there was a 400 year gap between these two periods and what is less well known is that one…
The thread about Craigroyston, a wandering placename on the map of north Edinburgh
Published: May 25, 2024 19:52
What connects a placename in the north of Edinburgh, a football team, the Gaelic language, Rob Roy Macgregor and 20th century council house building? Shall we read on and find out?
The thread about the 1926 St. Margaret’s railway crash; inevitable fatalities during the confusion of the General Strike
Published: May 13, 2024 23:40
In May 1926, at the height of the bitter General Strike, a group of striking coalminers caused the "Flying Scotsman" to derail. Mercifully, no real harm was done, but within an hour a collision between a goods and passenger train in Edinburgh would result…
The thread about Ramage & Ferguson, the Leith shipyard that built luxury steam yachts for the rich and famous
Published: May 2, 2024 22:27
Leith is well known as a centre of the shipbuilding industry, but what's less known is that for almost 60 years, one of its long-forgotten yards occupied an industrial niche building the luxury, steam-powered mega-yachts of the Victorian and Edwardian…
The thread about the history of Leith’s parliamentary representation and why it resulted in a “Dirty Trick”
Published: April 21, 2024 16:37
There has been a parliamentary constituency with "Leith" in the name since one was first formed in 1832, and one in the Scottish Parliament since its inception in 1999. A current proposal from the Scottish Boundary Commission would abolish the latter…
The thread about the Causewayside Lads Institute and the wandering life of Victor de Spiganovicz, self-described “Mystery Man”
Published: April 13, 2024 22:07
There's a small and somewhat unremarkable building on Causewayside. If you look a bit closer at it you'll find out it was once the "Causewayside Lads Institute". If you look even closer at its origins and you'll begin to unravel the life story of the…
The thread about the Rule of the Strap; the origins and demise of the peculiar corporal punishment in Scottish education
Published: April 9, 2024 19:08
On April 2nd 1982, Lothian Region Council implemented a ban on corporal punishment in its schools, making it the first Scottish authority to do so and at odds with many others. In Scotland, corporal punishment in schools almost universally meant hitting…
The thread about the Leith Races; the foremost sporting event in Georgian Scotland and a riotous week of gambling, drinking and fighting
Published: March 13, 2024 23:52
The sandy beaches of Leith Sands have long ago been buried beneath the port's docks, but in the 18th century they hosted the Leith Races. The foremost horseracing and sporting occasion in the Scottish calendar, they were renowned as much for the drinking,…