Niddrie, Edinburgh
Encyclopedia
This article is about Niddrie, a suburb of Edinburgh. See also: Longniddry
, Niddry Castle
.
Niddrie is a suburb of south east Edinburgh
, Scotland
, UK. It is situated southwest of the seaside
area of Portobello
, and west of Musselburgh
, East Lothian
.
The Wauchope
family owned the majority of the area up to the 1930s, The family home Niddrie
Marischal House was immediately west of the present day Jack Kane Centre sports complex in Hunters Hall Park. The Wauchopes eventually donated their lands to the city.
Immediately adjacent to the Barony of Craigmillar
, and part of Edinburgh City's political ward Craigmillar/Portobello, it was also the home of the Craigmillar Festival Society
, a well regarded and internationally renowned community arts organisation, founded by local mother and "Woman Of Achievement" Helen Crummy
.
The placename is believed to be of Brythonic
origin, *nuada tref meaning "new settlement". In an 1987 Craigmillar Festival Society
community drama production called "Dampbusters" (a show about poor housing in the community at that time), it was jokingly referred to as meaning "never dry", a dubious and bogus translation from the "Old Scots" vernacular.
The Niddrie Mains
estate is now almost completely demolished. The land has been mostly designated for private housing.
The land which occupied most of the social housing in the community has and is being regenerated. However, whatever the ratio of the housing mix being planned and developed, debate still continues locally over the final number of units for social housing provision, and, given the lack of affordable housing at present, this debate looks likely to continue.
The site is currently being developed by PARC, an ALMO or Arms Length Management Organisation
, fully owned by the City of Edinburgh Council. The development includes a new primary school for the surrounding area, with the old Niddrie Mill primary school as well as St Francis primary school joining forces to take up residence in a joint campus within the new building. The first, though unassociated, phase of redevelopment in the Niddrie Mains area was the Hays
area, constructed around 2001 and consisting of two storey blocks with gardens and pedestrianised streets.
Social housing was built in Niddrie
by the Edinburgh
Corporation
as a social experiment linked to slum
clearance in the old town of Edinburgh
in the 1930s, Families from these cleared areas were housed together with local coal mining families from Niddrie
. The first streets were mostly full of poor families with no local facilities whatsoever and the attitude towards Niddrie
from the rest of Edinburgh
was predictable and generally hostile and that continues up to the present day.
was ranked as the 4th most deprived area in Scotland in the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation
2006.
. Today the nearest station are at and , both located on Edinburgh Crossrail.
Longniddry
Longniddry is a village in East Lothian, Scotland, with a population of 2,613 .Longniddry is primarily a dormitory village for commuters to Edinburgh, with good transport links by road and rail to the capital...
, Niddry Castle
Niddry Castle
Niddry Castle is a fourteenth century tower house near Winchburgh, West Lothian, Scotland. It is situated near the Union Canal, and is adjacent to a large oil shale "bing", or waste heap....
.
Niddrie is a suburb of south east Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, UK. It is situated southwest of the seaside
Coast
A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...
area of Portobello
Portobello, Edinburgh
Portobello is a beach resort located three miles to the east of the city centre of Edinburgh, along the coast of the Firth of Forth, in Scotland. It is now a suburb of Edinburgh, with a promenade fronting on to the wide sand beach....
, and west of Musselburgh
Musselburgh
Musselburgh is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, six miles east of Edinburgh city centre.-History:...
, East Lothian
East Lothian
East Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy Area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Midlothian. Its administrative centre is Haddington, although its largest town is Musselburgh....
.
The Wauchope
Wauchope
Wauchope may refer toPlaces*Wauchope, New South Wales*Wauchope, Saskatchewan*Wauchope Forest, Scotland*Wauchope, Scottish BordersPeople*Andrew Gilbert Wauchope , British soldier; killed in action at Magersfontein, South Africa...
family owned the majority of the area up to the 1930s, The family home Niddrie
Niddrie
Niddrie can mean:*Niddrie, Edinburgh, in Scotland, not to be confused with Longniddry in nearby East Lothian*Niddrie, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia*Electoral district of Niddrie, an electoral district in Victoria, Australia...
Marischal House was immediately west of the present day Jack Kane Centre sports complex in Hunters Hall Park. The Wauchopes eventually donated their lands to the city.
Immediately adjacent to the Barony of Craigmillar
Craigmillar
Craigmillar , from the Gaelic Crag Maol Ard, meaning 'High Bare Rock', is an area of Edinburgh, Scotland, about south east of the city centre, with Duddingston to the north and Newcraighall to the east.- History :...
, and part of Edinburgh City's political ward Craigmillar/Portobello, it was also the home of the Craigmillar Festival Society
Craigmillar Festival Society
The Craigmillar Festival Society was a Community Arts organisation that existed in the Craigmillar area of Edinburgh, Scotland from 1962 to 2002. It is regarded as important contributor to the Community Arts Movement...
, a well regarded and internationally renowned community arts organisation, founded by local mother and "Woman Of Achievement" Helen Crummy
Helen Crummy
Helen Crummy, MBE was a founder of The Craigmillar Festival Society , and served as the Organising Secretary for the group until 1985....
.
The placename is believed to be of Brythonic
Brythonic languages
The Brythonic or Brittonic languages form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family, the other being Goidelic. The name Brythonic was derived by Welsh Celticist John Rhys from the Welsh word Brython, meaning an indigenous Briton as opposed to an Anglo-Saxon or Gael...
origin, *nuada tref meaning "new settlement". In an 1987 Craigmillar Festival Society
Craigmillar Festival Society
The Craigmillar Festival Society was a Community Arts organisation that existed in the Craigmillar area of Edinburgh, Scotland from 1962 to 2002. It is regarded as important contributor to the Community Arts Movement...
community drama production called "Dampbusters" (a show about poor housing in the community at that time), it was jokingly referred to as meaning "never dry", a dubious and bogus translation from the "Old Scots" vernacular.
The Niddrie Mains
Niddrie Mains
Niddrie Mains is an area of east Edinburgh, north of Niddrie Mains Road. The Mains refers to the farm of Niddrie which occupied the land on which the social housing estate for southeast Edinburgh was built in the 1920s....
estate is now almost completely demolished. The land has been mostly designated for private housing.
The land which occupied most of the social housing in the community has and is being regenerated. However, whatever the ratio of the housing mix being planned and developed, debate still continues locally over the final number of units for social housing provision, and, given the lack of affordable housing at present, this debate looks likely to continue.
The site is currently being developed by PARC, an ALMO or Arms Length Management Organisation
Arms Length Management Organisation
Arms Length Management Organisations or arm's length management organisations are UK not-for-profit companies set up by a local authorities primarily to manage and improve all or part of their housing stock. Ownership of the housing stock itself normally stays with the local authority...
, fully owned by the City of Edinburgh Council. The development includes a new primary school for the surrounding area, with the old Niddrie Mill primary school as well as St Francis primary school joining forces to take up residence in a joint campus within the new building. The first, though unassociated, phase of redevelopment in the Niddrie Mains area was the Hays
Hays plc
Hays plc is a British company providing recruitment and human resources services. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
area, constructed around 2001 and consisting of two storey blocks with gardens and pedestrianised streets.
Social housing was built in Niddrie
Niddrie
Niddrie can mean:*Niddrie, Edinburgh, in Scotland, not to be confused with Longniddry in nearby East Lothian*Niddrie, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia*Electoral district of Niddrie, an electoral district in Victoria, Australia...
by the Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
Corporation
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
as a social experiment linked to slum
Slum
A slum, as defined by United Nations agency UN-HABITAT, is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security. According to the United Nations, the percentage of urban dwellers living in slums decreased from 47 percent to 37 percent in the...
clearance in the old town of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
in the 1930s, Families from these cleared areas were housed together with local coal mining families from Niddrie
Niddrie
Niddrie can mean:*Niddrie, Edinburgh, in Scotland, not to be confused with Longniddry in nearby East Lothian*Niddrie, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia*Electoral district of Niddrie, an electoral district in Victoria, Australia...
. The first streets were mostly full of poor families with no local facilities whatsoever and the attitude towards Niddrie
Niddrie
Niddrie can mean:*Niddrie, Edinburgh, in Scotland, not to be confused with Longniddry in nearby East Lothian*Niddrie, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia*Electoral district of Niddrie, an electoral district in Victoria, Australia...
from the rest of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
was predictable and generally hostile and that continues up to the present day.
Crime
In the 80s and 90s Niddrie suffered from a high crime rate. Antisocial behaviour was very common, though gang fights and knife crime are of a lesser degree than in the 80's and 90's. In the eighties, Niddrie was one of the most drug-riddled communities in Scotland, and still has problems with class A drug use today. Nearby GreendykesGreendykes
Greendykes is a suburb of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is a fairly large council scheme, which consists mostly of low-rise flats but also houses two 14 storey tower blocks . It is sometimes considered to be part of Craigmillar, areas such as Niddrie, Niddrie Mains and Newcraighall are...
was ranked as the 4th most deprived area in Scotland in the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation
Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation
The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation is a tool used by local authorities, the Scottish Government, the NHS and other governmental bodies in Scotland....
2006.
Transport
Niddrie once had its own railway station, located on the Edinburgh and Dalkeith RailwayEdinburgh and Dalkeith Railway
The Edinburgh and Dalkeith Railway, also called the Innocent Railway, was Edinburgh's first railway. It carried coal from the mines in Lothian to its city centre terminus at St Leonards...
. Today the nearest station are at and , both located on Edinburgh Crossrail.