Sighthill Housing Estate

Last week I went to visit Edinburgh's Sighthill to get some pictures for a school art project. I went in the car because it was pishing with rain and it was really windy (plus if I had gotten the bus it would have been dark by the time I got there!).

The Sighthill estate compromises of lots of 3-storey low-rise flats (some of deck access), three 16-storey Tower Blocks (Hermiston, Weir and Glenalmond Court) and one 10-storey Slab Block (Broomview House) of which was built some years before the other multi's on the estate.

I have many memories of the estate as a child. My auntie and her (now ex) husband used to stay on the 16th (top) floor of Hermiston Court (but I never saw their flat as I was too young) and my cousin used to stay on the 8th floor of Weir Court. I must have been about 7 years old at the time but I can still remember going up to stay at his for the night with my other cousin Scot. I remember the three of us getting into the lift and it being covered in graffiti, piss, litter and fish supper wrappers etc, the smell was brutal, then when we got up to his flat I remember going inside and it being really nice. I didnt really notice anything like dampness or the flat being cold (but then again when your that age you couldnae give a shit anyway! lol). My cousin had left his livingroom window open a bit (and I've always had this thing about daydreaming out of windows) so I looked out but when I looked down I just about shat myself! So much so that I accidently dropped a jam sandwich I was eating, I feel sorry for the poor bloke who ended up with that on his head! lol

But anyway, here are the pics (some of which unfortunately have blurry dots of rain on them as I was taking the photos from inside the car when it was raining):

GOODBYE OXGANGS FLATS!

On Sunday 26th November 2006, the last two remaining tower blocks in Oxgangs (Allermuir Court & Caerketton Court) were dramatically demolished using controlled explosives. It took only 8 seconds for the two 14-storey blocks to hit the ground and after that a cloud of dust swept around the area. You can see several videos of the demolition on
http://youtube.com/results?search_query=oxgangs

Here are some pictures I took on the demolition day and in the months leading up to it (when the interiors of the blocks were being stripped out):


17th of October. View from field behind Oxgangs Avenue. Oxgangs towers looking dark and empty