Oxgangs
Encyclopedia
Oxgangs is a suburb
in the south-west of Edinburgh
, Scotland
, United Kingdom
. It is named for an oxgang
, an ancient Scottish land measure.
Surrounding districts include Caiystane, Dreghorn, Redford
, Fairmilehead
, Colinton
and Swanston
and Colinton Mains. The post code area for Oxgangs is EH13.
A significant majority of former council-owned properties in Oxgangs have been bought by tenants under the right to buy scheme
leaving approximately 659 properties in council ownership thus making it extremely difficult to be allocated a council home in the area.
The area has two small shopping areas at each end of Oxgangs known to locals as the "top" and "bottom" shops. The top shops (Oxgangs Broadway) are the larger and feature a small convenience store called "Premier - Broadway Convenience Store" known as "Dennis'" after the owner of the shop. Other shops in the top shop area include a newsagent
s named Finn's, a movie rental store named Movie Express, a tanning salon, a bakers (Ford's), a barbers and hairdressers, a bookies, three take away
s (a chip shop, a Chinese and an Indian takeaway). There is also a post office and a pharmacy. Located in and around Oxgangs and adjacent areas are a police station, a medical practice, a public library
, a nursery, three primary schools and a high school, and a pub. There are three churches in the area: Church of Scotland
, Scottish Episcopal Church
and Roman Catholic Church
. Recently a Kingdom Hall
was built in the Oxgangs Green area.
Surrounding Oxgangs are three large supermarkets. A Tesco
next to Firrhill High School
, a Morrisons
near the Swanston area and a Scotmid
in Colinton Mains.
In 2003, after years of campaigning by fed up residents the council took the decision to demolish and redevelop Oxgangs high rise flats
. In April 2005 longstanding tower block Capelaw Court was demolished to make way for new housing. Capelaw was one of three high rise flats built in Oxgangs Crescent in 1961 and 1962. The other two buildings (Caerketton Court and Allermuir Court) were demolished in November 2006. The demolition of Capelaw Court was filmed and featured on the National Geographic Channel
, which interviewed residents of Oxgangs and community leader Heather Levy.
Two neighbouring primary schools situated on Oxgangs Green (Comiston and Hunters Tryst) were recently merged and renamed Pentland Primary. At first the Comiston pupils moved into the building formerly known as Hunters Tryst alongside current Tryst pupils while Comiston was renovated and a year later all staff and children moved permanently into the refurbished Comiston building, now known as Pentland Primary.
operating chartered services. Bus routes 4, 5, 16, 18, 27 plus night service N16 all serve the area.
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
in the south-west 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...
, 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...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It is named for an oxgang
Oxgang
An oxgang or bovate is an old land measurement formerly used in Scotland and England. It averaged around 20 English acres, but was based on land fertility and cultivation, and so could be as low as 15.Skene in Celtic Scotland says:...
, an ancient Scottish land measure.
Surrounding districts include Caiystane, Dreghorn, Redford
Redford, Edinburgh
Redford is a suburb of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is in the south-west of the city, south-east of the Colinton area, and is known particularly for Redford Barracks, an army base.-External links:*...
, Fairmilehead
Fairmilehead
Fairmilehead is a district of South Edinburgh. It lies approximately 3 miles due south of the city centre and borders Midlothian. The area comprises the districts of Buckstone, Caiystane, Swanston, Frogston and Winton....
, Colinton
Colinton
Colinton is a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland situated 6 kilometres south west of the city centre. It is bordered by Dreghorn to the south and Craiglockhart to the north-east. To the north-west it extends to Lanark Road and to the south-west to the City Bypass...
and Swanston
Swanston, Edinburgh
Swanston is an area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is a small village lying to the south of the larger suburban area of Fairmilehead, on the south side of the Edinburgh City Bypass off Oxgangs Road, and five miles from the city centre. The name is also used to encompass some of the more modern housing...
and Colinton Mains. The post code area for Oxgangs is EH13.
History
The building of the area started in around 1953/54; before that (with the exception of Colinton Mains) there had only been a number of prefab houses and several farms but it had been mostly farmland and was basically considered to be part of the countryside. The area consists of large public housing schemes aimed at low to middle income groups, ranging from private bungalows to Edinburgh City Council-owned high rise tower blocks (although these have now been demolished).Right to buy scheme
The Right to buy scheme is a policy in the United Kingdom which gives tenants of council housing the right to buy the home they are living in. Currently, there is also a right to acquire for the tenants of housing associations...
leaving approximately 659 properties in council ownership thus making it extremely difficult to be allocated a council home in the area.
Amenities
Newsagent
A newsagent's shop , newsagency or newsstand is a business that sells newspapers, magazines, cigarettes, snacks and often items of local interest. In Britain and Australia, these businesses are termed newsagents...
s named Finn's, a movie rental store named Movie Express, a tanning salon, a bakers (Ford's), a barbers and hairdressers, a bookies, three take away
Take Away
Take Away is a 2003 Australian comedy movie, written by Dave O'Neil, who also features as a minor character, and Mark O'Toole. It stars Vince Colosimo, Stephen Curry, Rose Byrne and Nathan Phillips...
s (a chip shop, a Chinese and an Indian takeaway). There is also a post office and a pharmacy. Located in and around Oxgangs and adjacent areas are a police station, a medical practice, a public library
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
, a nursery, three primary schools and a high school, and a pub. There are three churches in the area: Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
, Scottish Episcopal Church
Scottish Episcopal Church
The Scottish Episcopal Church is a Christian church in Scotland, consisting of seven dioceses. Since the 17th century, it has had an identity distinct from the presbyterian Church of Scotland....
and Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. Recently a Kingdom Hall
Kingdom Hall
A Kingdom Hall is a place of worship used by Jehovah's Witnesses. The term was first suggested in 1935 by Joseph Franklin Rutherford, then president of the Watch Tower Society, for a building in Hawaii...
was built in the Oxgangs Green area.
Surrounding Oxgangs are three large supermarkets. A Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
next to Firrhill High School
Firrhill High School
Firrhill High School is a state-run secondary school in the South West of Edinburgh, Scotland. The school was established in the year 1960, being unveiled by the city's Lord Provost. The school has around 1160 pupils with a teaching staff of around 120...
, a Morrisons
Morrisons
Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, headquartered in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons formerly Morrison's, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...
near the Swanston area and a Scotmid
Scotmid
The Scottish Midland Co-operative Society Limited, trading as Scotmid Co-operative, is an independent retail consumers' co-operative which originated in the Scottish Midlands, particularly Edinburgh and the Lothians. It was formed in 1981 by a merger of the Dalziel Society of Motherwell with the...
in Colinton Mains.
AC Oxgangs
Known locally as "ACO", this is the community football team which was founded in 2001. ACO currently operates 15 teams selected from a total player pool of almost 160 youngsters ranging in age from 7 to 19 years old. Home matches are played at Colinton Mains Park (11-a-side) or at St Mark's Primary School (7-a-side).Recent changes
Oxgangs high rise flats
The Oxgangs tower blocks were a group of 3 tower blocks which were built on Firrhill Drive/Oxgangs Crescent in 1961. They each contained a mixture of flats and maisonettes with 2 bedrooms each, totalling up to 80 homes per block...
. In April 2005 longstanding tower block Capelaw Court was demolished to make way for new housing. Capelaw was one of three high rise flats built in Oxgangs Crescent in 1961 and 1962. The other two buildings (Caerketton Court and Allermuir Court) were demolished in November 2006. The demolition of Capelaw Court was filmed and featured on the National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society. Like History and the Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual...
, which interviewed residents of Oxgangs and community leader Heather Levy.
Two neighbouring primary schools situated on Oxgangs Green (Comiston and Hunters Tryst) were recently merged and renamed Pentland Primary. At first the Comiston pupils moved into the building formerly known as Hunters Tryst alongside current Tryst pupils while Comiston was renovated and a year later all staff and children moved permanently into the refurbished Comiston building, now known as Pentland Primary.
Public transport
Public transport is frequent with Lothian BusesLothian Buses
Lothian Buses Plc is the only municipal bus company in Scotland and the largest provider of bus services in Edinburgh, Scotland. City of Edinburgh Council own 91.01% of the company with the remainder being owned by East Lothian and Midlothian councils. As well as serving Edinburgh, Lothian Buses...
operating chartered services. Bus routes 4, 5, 16, 18, 27 plus night service N16 all serve the area.