Fountainbridge

History

Early history

The Fountainbridge area first began to be developed at the beginning of the 18th century, when Alexander Brand bought the surrounding estate of Dalry and feued out land on the north side of the Lanark road for building. The name derives from a bridge that carried the road over the Dalry or Lochrin Burn. This had originally been called Foul Briggs or Foul Bridge, but Brand rechristened it "Fountainbridge" after a nearby well. The quiet and rural nature of Fountainbridge made it appealing to wealthier citizens who wanted to escape the cramped and insanitary Old Town, and it soon came to be "dotted over with pretentious and roomy mansions".

Industrialisation

The character of the district was to change in the 19th century, when it was transformed from a "secluded residential area for the middle classes" into the city's main industrial district. In 1822, it became the eastern terminus of the Union Canal, which ran from Edinburgh to Falkirk. The canal originally ended at the twin basins of Port Hopetoun and Port Hamilton, named after the canal company's principal backers. These were infilled in 1922, however, and the waterway now stops short at Lochrin Basin. The Leamington Lift Bridge, installed in 1906, stands at the entrance to the basin.

In 1856, the former Castle Silk Mills in Fountainbridge became the headquarters of the North British Rubber Company, manufacturers of Wellington boots and other rubber goods. The company was to become one of the biggest employers in the area over the ensuing century. During the Second World War, the rubber mills employed 9,000 workers and operated 24 hours a day. The company was bought out by Uniroyal in 1966, and the new owners began relocating operations to Newbridge on the outskirts of the city. The last facility at the Castle Mills site, a hose factory, closed in 1973.

Another major employer in Fountainbridge was McEwan's, which opened its Fountain Brewery here in 1856. By 1889, the site had grown to cover 12 acre and the company was valued at £1 million. McEwan's merged with Younger's to form Scottish Brewers in 1931, which in turn became the Scottish & Newcastle company in 1960. In 1973, the company invested £13 million in a state-of-the-art brewery at the old Castle Mills. The new brewery continued to operate until 2004.

By the mid-20th century, much of the housing stock in Fountainbridge and other working-class areas of the city had degraded into slums. Labour leader Harold Wilson visited the district in 1964 and expressed shock at the poor conditions in which residents were living. The Council responded to the problem by initiating a series of slum clearance programmes. Between 1950 and 1973, some 16,556 houses were closed or demolished and some 35,237 people were evicted across the city.

Redevelopment

Redevelopment of Fountainbridge began in 1998 with the construction of the Fountain Park leisure centre on former brewery ground on the north side of Dundee Street. This multi-purpose complex includes an adventure golf course, a laser tag arena, an amusement arcade, a multiplex cinema and ten-pin bowling, alongside multiple food outlets.

The Fountain Brewery site ceased operations in 2004 and was bought by the Council in 2012. The new Boroughmuir High School opened here in 2018. A remnant of the Castle Mills complex that the brewery had used as an office was leased to the Edinburgh Printmakers at a nominal rent. The building underwent an extensive renovation and opened in 2019 as a "multi-use arts complex centred around printmaking production". The rest of the site is earmarked for homes, offices, and shops.

Edinburgh Quay on the Union Canal is now the home of the annual Edinburgh Canal Festival. Scottish Canals offers long-term berths on the canal as part of its "Living on Water" programme.

Demographics

Notable people

Sean Connery was born and grew up here. His former production company was known as Fountainbridge Films. Anti-slavery campaigner Frederick Douglass lived locally in Gilmore Place during his time in Scotland.

Gallery

File:Fountainbridge and Union Canal.jpg|New student housing and public spaces by the canal File:Union Canal, Fountainbridge - geograph.org.uk - 5197806.jpg|Houseboats on the canal File:Edinburgh Meat Market Gate, Fountainbridge (37331706225).jpg|Former entrance to the Edinburgh Meat Market File:Fountainbridge Library - geograph.org.uk - 1436049.jpg|The art deco Fountainbridge Library File:Fountainbridge and Grove Street (12574677393).jpg|The corner of Fountainbridge and Grove Street File:North British Rubber Company at Fountainbridge - geograph.org.uk - 5010736.jpg|Castle Mills in its former derelict state

References

References

1. Smith, John. (1935). "The Book of the Old Edinburgh Club". T. & A. Constable.
2. Harris, Stuart. (1996). "The Place-Names of Edinburgh: Their Origins and History". Gordon Wright Publishing.
3. "Union Canal". The Gazetteer for Scotland.
4. "Leamington Lift Bridge". The Gazetteer for Scotland.
5. (2017). "Bouncing Back: The Architecture and Industries of Fountainbridge, Edinburgh". Historic Environment Scotland.
6. (27 May 2017). "The last remnants of Edinburgh's 'welly boot' factory". The Edinburgh Evening News.
7. "Fountain Brewery". The Gazetteer for Scotland.
8. Bol, David. (17 June 2019). "New plans for canalside neighbourhood in Fountainbridge includes social housing". Edinburgh Live.
9. "About the School". Boroughmuir High School.
10. "Boroughmuir High School". Buro Happold.
11. (12 February 2017). "Work to start within weeks to turn 'birthplace of Welly boot' into new arts quarter". The Scotsman.
12. "Galleries: Edinburgh Printmakers opens its new premises to the public". The Herald.
13. "Edinburgh Printmakers". Page/Park.
14. "Fountainbridge regeneration". The City of Edinburgh Council.
15. "Edinburgh Canal Festival & Raft Race". Scottish Canals.
16. "Main page". Edinburgh Canal Festival.
17. Mitchell, Hillary. (9 December 2018). "People are being encouraged to live on boats in Edinburgh as an alternative to renting flats". Edinburgh Live.
18. "Fountainbridge / Craiglockhart".
19. (17 June 2010). "Sir Sean visits site of his childhood Edinburgh home". BBC News.
20. (1 November 2020). "Locals remember Sean Connery after Edinburgh's famous milkman dies". Edinburgh Live.
21. (12 May 2002). "Connery dumps film firm". The Scotsman.
22. Hunter, Allan. (13 May 2002). "Sean Connery closes his LA-based Fountainbridge Films".
23. Wilson, Samuel. (2020-10-16). "Frederick Douglass: Scotland's anti-slavery agent". Historic Environment Scotland.