Morningside, Edinburgh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Morningside |
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 Morningside Clock |
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 Morningside
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| Population | Unknown |
| OS grid reference | NT244708 |
| Council area |
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| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Edinburgh |
| Postcode district | EH10 |
| Dialling code | 0131 (446, 447, 452) |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament |
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| Scottish Parliament |
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Morningside is a lively area in the south of Edinburgh, Scotland. It used to be a small village. Today, it's a popular place to live, known for its shops and friendly feel. Morningside Road is a main street that follows an old path from Edinburgh to the southwest of Scotland. In the 1800s, Morningside grew into a residential suburb. This growth happened because of new train services and better transport.
Contents
Exploring Morningside: Location and Surroundings
Morningside is about 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) south of Edinburgh's city centre. It has many interesting neighbours. To the north, you'll find Bruntsfield. To the northeast is Grange. Blackford is to the east. Comiston is to the south. Greenbank is to the southwest. Finally, Merchiston is to the northwest.
This area includes beautiful places like Braidburn Valley Park. It also has parts of the Braid Hills and Blackford Hill. The main road, the A702 road, cuts through Morningside. This road is part of a very old route. It connects Edinburgh to Biggar and the southwest of Scotland.
A special part of Morningside is called the Morningside Conservation Area. This area helps protect the historic buildings and feel of the neighbourhood. It was created in 1996.
Morningside's Past: A Look at its History
The village of Morningside started on land called the Burgh Muir. This land was given to Edinburgh by King David I in the 1100s. In the late 1500s, the city sold off some of this land. They needed money to deal with a terrible plague in 1585. Morningside slowly grew on this land.
The name "Morningside" first appeared on a map in 1759. At that time, it was just three houses. An old description from 1882 called the village "a row of thatched cottages, a line of trees and a blacksmith's forge."
Morningside quickly became an important farming village. It served nearby farms and estates like Canaan and Egypt. It was also the first stop for farmers bringing their animals into Edinburgh from the south.
In the early 1800s, Morningside started to become a residential suburb. Wealthy people from Edinburgh built large homes here. By the 1850s, most of the streets you see today were already in place.
How Transport Shaped Morningside
Transport improvements helped Morningside grow even faster in the late 1800s. In the 1870s, a tram service started. This was one of the first in Edinburgh. It connected Morningside directly to Princes Street in the city centre. These trams were first pulled by horses. Later, they became cable cars and then electric trams.
An even bigger change came in 1885. The Edinburgh Suburban and South Side Junction Railway opened. This railway carried passengers between Morningside Road Station and Waverley Station. It also moved goods like animals and coal to and from the goods yard in Maxwell Street.
In the 1890s, the Braid Estate was developed for housing. This included streets like Nile Grove and Cluny Avenue. By the early 1900s, Morningside was a well-established area. It had schools, churches, a public library, a cinema, and even a ballroom.
What's in a Name? Street Origins
The exact origin of the name "Morningside" is a bit of a mystery. Some people think it's because the village was on the sunny, "morning side" of the city. However, others believe it was just a "fancy" name chosen by one of the early landowners.
You might notice some street names with biblical references, like Canaan Lane and Egypt Mews. This is probably linked to Little Egypt Farm, which was nearby. The farm might have gotten its name from Romanies who camped there after being told to leave the city in 1540. At the time, people thought Romanies came from Egypt.
The Braid area, with names like Braid Road, is named after a 12th-century landowner, Sir Henry de Brade. The name "Braid" comes from a Gaelic word meaning "throat" or "gorge." This refers to a deep cut in the Braid Burn river near Braidburn Valley Park.
Other street names like Cluny and Corrennie come from properties in Aberdeenshire. These were owned by the Gordon family, who owned the Braid Estate in the late 1800s.
The name Falcon appears in streets like Falcon Road. These streets were built in the 1900s on the site of Falcon Hall. This large house was taken down in 1909.
Famous Buildings and Landmarks
Morningside has many interesting buildings, old and new.
- The Old Schoolhouse: Located at 140 Morningside Road, this building was built in 1823. It has a small clock tower. It was the village school until 1892. It also hosted church services before the main church opened. Today, it's home to the Cornerstone Church.
- Morningside Public Library: You'll find this library at 184 Morningside Road. It opened in 1904 on the site of the old village blacksmith's shop. In the 1970s, it was one of the busiest libraries in Scotland!
- Dominion Cinema: At 18 Newbattle Terrace, this cinema is a great example of Streamline Moderne style. It opened in 1938 and has been run by the same family ever since. It's one of the few independent cinemas left in Scotland.
- Church Hill Theatre: This building at 33 Morningside Road was originally a church. It was designed by Hippolyte Blanc. In the 1960s, it was turned into a theatre. Now, it's used by amateur theatre groups and for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
- Canaan Lane Primary School: This is a modern, two-storey school building. It's made of natural sandstone and Corten steel. It was finished in 2022, and students started attending in August of that year.
Churches in Morningside
Morningside has several churches, some with unique designs.
- Braid Church: Located at 1 Nile Grove, this church has a unique octagonal shape. It was designed by George Washington Browne and opened in 1886. It used to be a Church of Scotland church, but now it's a pizza restaurant!
- Morningside Parish Church: This church is on the corner of Braid Road and Cluny Gardens. It's built in the English Gothic style. It opened in 1890. This church is a combination of five older churches in the area.
- Former Morningside Parish Church: On the corner of Newbattle Terrace and Morningside Road, this was the first permanent church in Morningside. It opened in 1838. It closed in 1990 and is now used by Edinburgh Napier University.
- St Peter's Church: This Roman Catholic church is at 77 Falcon Avenue. It was designed by Sir Robert Lorimer and built between 1906 and 1907. It has a special Italianate bell tower.
Buildings That Are No Longer Here
Some important buildings from Morningside's past are no longer standing.
- Morningside House: This was the main house of the original village. It was a simple house with a garden. The first known owner was Lord Gardenstone in 1789. The house was taken down in 1895.
- Falcon Hall: This was the biggest and grandest home in Morningside. It stood on 18 acres of land. It was built in 1780 and later had a neoclassical front added. The last person to live there was a mapmaker named John George Bartholomew. The house was demolished in 1909. Interestingly, its original fancy gates now form the entrance to Edinburgh Zoo.
- Toll House: This building was originally at the south end of Morningside Road. It collected money from people using the road from the 1850s until 1883. In 1888, it was moved and rebuilt as a gatehouse at the entrance to the Hermitage of Braid. It's still there today and is now a café.
Other Interesting Landmarks
- Bore Stone: This is a stone pillar built into the wall of the former Morningside Parish Church. A plaque says it's where the Scottish army gathered before the Battle of Flodden in 1513. However, many historians disagree with this claim.
- Morningside Clock: This tall clock on a cast-iron pillar was put up in 1910. It was made by the Saracen Foundry in Glasgow. It used to be in the middle of the road near the train station. In 2017, it was restored and now stands on the east side of Morningside Road.
- Hanging Stanes: These are two sets of stones in Braid Road. They were the foundation for a scaffold used for a public hanging in 1815. This was thought to be the last public execution for highway robbery in Scotland.
Famous People from Morningside
Many interesting people have lived in Morningside over the years:
- Francis Garden, Lord Gardenstone (1721–1793): A lawyer and judge. He was the first person to live in Morningside House.
- Thomas Chalmers (1780–1847): A religious minister and founder of the Free Church of Scotland.
- Susan Edmonstone Ferrier (1782–1854): A Scottish novelist known for her funny stories. She lived in East Morningside House.
- George Meikle Kemp (1795–1844): An architect who designed the famous Scott Monument in Princes Street Gardens.
- Sam Bough (1822–1878): A landscape painter.
- Reginald Johnston (1874–1938): A British diplomat who was a teacher and advisor to Puyi, the last Emperor of China.
- Charles d'Orville Pilkington Jackson (1887–1973): A sculptor famous for his statue of Robert the Bruce at Bannockburn.
- Ronald Fairbairn (1889-1964): A psychiatrist and psychoanalyst.
- John Smith (1938-1994): The leader of the British Labour Party from 1992 to 1994. His funeral in 1994 was held at Morningside Parish Church.
Morningside Today: A Modern Community
Today, Morningside is a busy and popular place to live. Its main shopping street, Morningside Road, is famous for its many unique shops and cafés. Many of these are independent businesses, not big chains.
The area has three primary schools, several churches, a public library, a cinema, and a theatre. Many of the beautiful Victorian and Edwardian homes from the 1800s still stand. However, in the northern part of Morningside, you'll mostly see Victorian tenements (apartment buildings). Further south, you'll find more Bungalows and detached houses.
The population of the Morningside area is about 31,379 people (as of 2021).
Even though passenger trains stopped serving Morningside Road Station in 1962, the area still has great transport links. Several Lothian Buses routes connect Morningside to the city centre.
Morningside in Books and Songs
Morningside has appeared in popular culture:
- Books: Muriel Spark's 1961 novel The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is partly set in Morningside. The school in the book was based on James Gillespie's School for Girls nearby.
- Music: The Scottish band The Proclaimers mention the district in their song "Then I Met You." This song is from their 1988 album Sunshine on Leith.
- Children's Books: A kitten named Maisie MacKenzie, also known as Maisie from Morningside, is the main character in a series of children's books by Aileen Paterson. In 2011, Lothian Buses even put an image of Maisie on the No. 5 bus, which serves Morningside!
You might also hear about the "Morningside accent." This is often shown in movies and TV as a very refined, upper-class accent. People sometimes use it to describe the attitudes of Morningside residents. Maggie Smith famously used this accent in the 1969 film version of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.
Images for kids
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Morningside Clock
