Morningside, Edinburgh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Morningside |
|
|---|---|
 Morningside Clock |
|
 Morningside
|
|
| Population | Unknown |
| OS grid reference | NT244708 |
| Council area | |
| 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 |
|
| Scottish Parliament |
|
Morningside is a district and former village in the south of Edinburgh, Scotland. It lies alongside the main arterial Morningside Road, part of an ancient route from Edinburgh to the south west of Scotland. The original village served several farms and estates in the area. In the 19th century, it developed as a residential suburb, its growth being stimulated by the arrival of a railway service and other transport improvements.
Contents
Landmark structures
Morningside landmarks include the Morningside Clock, originally in the middle of the roadway as the clock for Morningside Station (part of the suburban railway line); the elaborately decorated Canny Man's pub (formerly The Volunteer's Arms) on the corner of Canaan Lane; and the Bore Stane, an ancient monument, adjacent to the former Parish Church in which the Royal Standard of James IV was pitched for the muster of the Scottish Army on the Burgh Muir before the battle of Flodden 1513.
Also of note is the Streamline Moderne Dominion Cinema on Newbattle Terrace.
The Eric Liddell Centre, a local charity, named after the 1924 Olympic 400m gold medalist athlete, Eric Liddell, immortalised in the 1981 Oscar Award-winning film "Chariots of Fire" is situated in Morningside in the former North Morningside Parish Church at Holy Corner.
The Church Hill Theatre sits at the top of the hill above Holy Corner.
Street names and local history
The names of several streets in the area have biblical associations, such as Eden Lane, Nile Grove, Jordan Lane, and Canaan Lane. The Jordan Burn is a stream which trickles out of sight at a spot next to the present Post Office in Morningside Road. Several theories exist for the origins of these names, ranging from Jews settling in the area at one time to Cromwell's troops inventing place names while foraging in unfamiliar territory. However, Charles Smith, in his noted history of the area, indicates from historical sources the likely presence of Gypsies on the Burgh Muir in the 16th century and the existence of an Egypt Farm, first mentioned in 1585, which may have been a reminder of their presence. It was demolished in the 1890s.
Another early street name of note is Cuddy Lane ("cuddy" is a Scots word for a donkey or short, thick, strong horse).
Amenities
Civic amenities include South Morningside Primary School; Saint Peter's R.C. Primary School; Blackford Pond; and Morningside Library. There are a wide range of small, traditional shops, cafés and restaurants as well as some more mainstream shops and supermarkets such as Waitrose and Marks & Spencer; and there is an independent, family-run cinema, The Dominion.
Churches in the area include Morningside United Church (Church of Scotland and United Reformed Church) at Holy Corner; Morningside Parish Church in Cluny Gardens; Morningside Baptist Church (Baptist Union of Scotland), St Peter's R.C. Church and the Old Schoolhouse Christian Fellowship (independent). Morningside Baptist Church purchased Central Hall, Tollcross in June 2011. The former MBC church building at Holy Corner, Morningside, Edinburgh was sold to Elim Church in March 2012. The former North Morningside Parish church was converted for community use in 1980 and is now called the Eric Liddell Centre after the Olympic athlete who lived locally and attended Morningside United Church.
Transport
The area is served by a number of buses operated by Lothian Buses including route numbers 5, 11, 15, 16, 23, 36, 38 & 41.
5 Hunters Tryst - Oxgangs - Morningside - Newington - North Bridge - Meadowbank - Northfield - Brunstane - Asda
11 Hyvots Bank - Buckstone - Morningside - Bruntsfield - Tollcross - Princess Street - Bonnington - Newhaven - Ocean Terminal
15 Meadowmill Sports Centre - Strawberry Corner - Musselburgh - Portobello - Princes Street -Tollcross - Morningside - Buckstone - Lothianburn - Bush - Penicuik (Deanburn)
16 Colinton - Oxgangs - Morningside - Tollcross = Princess Street - Leith - Newhaven - Granton - Muirhouse - Silverknowes
23 Trinity - Canonmills - Hanover Street - The Mound - Tollcross - Bruntsfield - Morningside - Greenbank
36 Ocean Terminal - Bonnington - Canonmills - Stockbridge - West End - Tollcross - Morningside - Craiglockheart
38 West Granton - Pilton - Western General - Craigleith - Ravelston - Murrayfield - Saughton - Morningside - Blackford - Cameron Toll - Royal Infimary
41 Cramond - Barnton - Davidson Mains - Craigleith - West End - Potterrow - The Meadows - Marchmount - Blackford - Balcarres Street
The disused Morningside Road railway station was closed to passenger service in 1962 when the Edinburgh Suburban and Southside Junction Railway service was withdrawn. A local pressure group is campaigning for the station to be re-opened, possibly as an extension to the Edinburgh tram system.
- Grant, James, "Old and new Edinburgh" volumes 1–3 (or 1–6, edition dependent), Cassell, 1880s (published as a periodical): Online edition
Notable residents
- Francis Garden, Lord Gardenstone (1721–1793), lawyer, judge and joint Solicitor General for Scotland from 1760 to 1764. He was the first occupant of Morningside House.
- David Deuchar (1743–1808), etcher and engraver. He was an early occupant of Morningside House, which he acquired in 1795. He is credited with having 'discovered' the portraitist Henry Raeburn.
- Thomas Chalmers (1780–1847), minister of religion and founder of the Free Church of Scotland. He lived at 2 Morningside Place and later at 1 Churchill, and occasionally preached at the Old Schoolhouse.
- Susan Edmonstone Ferrier (1782–1854), satirical novelist, known as the "Scottish Jane Austen", lived in East Morningside House in the early 19th century. A metal plaque on the gate post records her time there.
- George Meikle Kemp (1795–1844), self-taught architect who designed the Scott Monument in Princes Street Gardens. He was living in Ainslie Cottage in Jordan Lane at the time of his death.
- Reginald Johnston (1874–1938), British diplomat who from 1919 to 1924 served as the tutor and advisor to Puyi, the last Emperor of China; born in Jordan Lane.
- Charles d'Orville Pilkington Jackson (1887–1973), prolific sculptor, best known for his statue of Robert the Bruce at Bannockburn; lived at 17 Jordan Lane.
- John Smith, leader of the British Labour Party from 1992 to 1994. His funeral service at Morningside Parish Church in 1994 was attended by almost one thousand people, including many leading figures of the British establishment.
Images for kids
-
Former Morningside Parish Church
