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):
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posted by Sambo91 @ 8:24 AM
1 Comments:
Hi Sam, thanks for the comment on my blog - you got the right person. Living so high up is great because of the views and the light.
On the other hand, it is pretty ordinary too. Like your experience forgetting you were so high until you looked out and lost your sandwich!
Our flats are warm and dry; the lifts don't smell of pish or anything! And the building doesn't shake in the wind. It feels pretty substantial. But the wind does whistle.
I feel sad hearing about other high flats being knocked down - properly maintained and managed, a multistory block is a good place to live - they are building 16 floor buildings at Western Harbour. I can't imagine Oxgangs without the high rises - and they are planning on knocking down the Sighthill and Broomhouse high flats as well, I think.
It's good you are documenting them because they are an important part of Scottish social history. There are some great photos on Scran if you have access to that. And there is a very good book worth looking at called Tower block : modern public housing in England,Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by Miles Glendinning and Stefan Muthesius in the Edinburgh City Library - the Fine Art department at George IV Bridge
I hope to do my own research into the Leith high rises (Persevere and Citadel and the demolished Grampian and Cairngorm Houses). Not sure when I will get the time!
Take care and keep up the good work. If you have any more questions, I would be happy to help.
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