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Friends of Warriston Cemetery

Friends of Warriston Cemetery

Author Archives: Warriston Birder

2020 Community Act of Remembrance.

Featured

Posted by Warriston Birder in Remembrance

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Due to COVID restrictions, the 2020 Warriston Cemetery Community Act of Remembrance has been cancelled. However, The Rev. Joanne Foster, Minister of Inverleith St Serf’s Church, has kindly filmed a service which can be seen by clicking the following link…

https://fb.watch/1DpqETwNft/

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September 19th 2020. Headstone revelation.

19 Saturday Sep 2020

Posted by Warriston Birder in Headstones and monuments, Revelations

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As part of the Saturday work party session, re-establishing an original path, this headstone (behind the standing cross in these photographs) was discovered underneath a mass of ground ivy. Firstly, the base was uncovered and then the fallen headstone which was face-down. The ivy was cleared and the stone was very carefully turned and placed safely against its base so that the face was visible. After a couple of washes using plain water and a nylon-bristle brush, the stone and its perfectly intact raised lead inscription came up very well.

Who knows when the face of this stone last saw the light of day but it could be a couple of decades.

Click on an image to view it full size. Opens in a new tab/window.

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The Fallen Fir Tree August/September 2020

10 Thursday Sep 2020

Posted by Warriston Birder in Information, Nature

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On August 16th 2020 we lost a lovely tall fir tree at the southernmost part of Warriston Cemetery. The precise cause hasn’t been determined but the tree, rather than being uprooted, broke off at ground level. Winds around the time weren’t particularly intense but wind-assisted damage can’t be ruled out.

The foot of the tree was lying where it had broken off, supported by the raised ground there and by some of its still-attached branches which were in the river. The rest of the tree jutted out over the Water of Leith and the upper section was partly on the river and riverbank, partly on the raised flood protection walkway and protruded into Warriston Road.

The photographs here were taken on August 17th, the day after the tree toppled. Also on September 8th when the team were working to cut and remove it. Lastly on August 10th when all that remained was a mass of twigs, small branches and accumulated debris that had become caught by the tree branches. This will eventually clear with help from the river.

Right-click on an image and select ‘Open image in a new tab’ to see the larger size.

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The last day of August, 2020.

31 Monday Aug 2020

Posted by Warriston Birder in Views and Nature

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Edinburgh Cemetery, Warriston Cemetery

To open a larger version, right-click on an image and select ‘Open link in a new tab’.

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A Wet Monday in mid-August 2020

17 Monday Aug 2020

Posted by Warriston Birder in Headstones and monuments, Views and Nature

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Around Warriston Cemetery.  August 17th, 2020.

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The last day of July, 2020.

31 Friday Jul 2020

Posted by Warriston Birder in Uncategorized

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A rather misty start but quickly cleared as the temperature increased.

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IMG_3317bIMG_3318IMG_3323IMG_3332IMG_3345IMG_3350IMG_3355

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Map with points of interest.

24 Friday Jul 2020

Posted by Warriston Birder in Uncategorized

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This map indicates just some of the many points of interest within Warriston Cemetery. Click on the map to view it full-size. Opens in a new tab/page. If printing, it’s best to set it to A4 size, landscape format, no margins, no headers/footers.

the first points of interest map

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June 18th 2020

19 Friday Jun 2020

Posted by Warriston Birder in Headstones and monuments

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The Red Lady has this season’s scarlet flowers. They’ll grow, of course. At least, we hope so!

Click on the photograph to view the full-size image. Opens in a new tab/page…

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More images from May 2020

13 Saturday Jun 2020

Posted by Warriston Birder in Headstones and monuments, Information, Nature

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IMG_0674

Orange Tip butterfly (male)

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Blackbird (female)

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Bluebells and more

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Robin

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Blue Tit (left) and Coal Tit

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Bluebells

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‘Katie’ and Bluebells

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Bluebells and stones

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Orange Tip butterfly (male) on bluebells

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In the Garden

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Blackbird (male)

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Orange poppy

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Bluebells and cranesbill

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Greater Spotted Woodpecker

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Aerial photograph, 1937.

17 Sunday May 2020

Posted by Warriston Birder in Headstones and monuments, Historical, Information, Views

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Here is a section of an aerial photograph taken in 1937 and found on the ‘Britain From Above’ website. It includes the south eastern part of Warriston cemetery. Other main points include Powderhall stadium, probably most known for greyhound racing and motorcycle speedway but also for athletics and football. Eric Liddell, portrayed in the Chariots of Fire film, trained there in 1920. It was the original ground of Edinburgh City Football Club and it also hosted some celebrity football matches. The kennels can be seen to the left and that is where a branch of B&Q, the home and garden supply business, stood before the ground was redeveloped as housing. Parts of the adjacent area were taken up by various industries including W. and M. Duncan’s Regent Confectionary Works (commonly known as Duncan’s Chocolate Factory), J. G. Waterston’s Logie Green Printing Works which was converted to residential units, and John McKinnell’s Dunedin Cigarette Factory that produced Lorraine Cigarettes and Clan Tobacco. Housing construction is seen in progress on Warriston Road between an earlier version of St Mark’s Bridge and what is now St Mark’s Park with many (long since gone) allotment plots on the slopes between and to the side of those partly-built houses and the Water of Leith flowing parallel with the stadium. On the left of St Mark’s Bridge you can see where the ford was traversed before any bridge was constructed in that position.

Click on the image to view a larger version. Opens in a new tab/page.

1937 aerial

In the cemetery itself you can see where the railway was built through the grounds consequently dividing the site. An underpass was created to link both parts of the burial grounds with the railway running over that. The company was the Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway. In this photo, several wagons can be made out on the tracks. This part of the railway was built in 1845, only a couple of years after the cemetery was opened, and the track closed in the 1950s, subsequently turned into a walkway/ cycle path.

On the other side of the railway wall you can see a collection of buildings. This was the gardeners’ area where plants would be provided for the cemetery. There are greenhouses, potting and tool sheds and other outbuildings including a bothy or shelter for the under gardeners’ use. As there was a chimney included, it is supposed that the gardeners had their cuppas in there as well as sheltering when the weather was inclement. Only part of this structure still exists, the rest of the outbuildings having been demolished several years ago. You may just about be able to spot a second, smaller chimney attached to the left of the greenhouses. We believe this was used to heat those greenhouses when required.

To the left of the outbuildings you can see the cottage in which the Head Gardener would be in permanent residence. The cottage was mostly demolished in the 1970s and only a part of the wall can now be seen. This was all when the site belonged to a private company, before The City of Edinburgh Council took over in 1994.

This image has been valuable to us in not only providing a rare glimpse into the past of this wonderful cemetery but we have also used it to locate some gravestones in various areas that were hidden amongst the modern undergrowth.

The image can be found on the following page of Britain From Above. In order to zoom in on that site you need to register with them which is free to do so. Link below;

https://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/en/image/SPW056048

 

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