Gina Davidson from the Evening News came out to see the site for herself and was blown away:

ARTHUR’S Seat sits proudly against the blue of the May sky. Edinburgh Castle’s flags are a slight fluttering in the distance. To the right there’s Blackford Hill, a gorse-covered mount rising above the tree tops.

It’s noon and this sun-lit view of the Capital can only be found in one spot – the orchard of the Craighouse parkland.

Turn your eyes north and stretched out in front of you is a sweep of daisy-strewn grass, the cherry blossom trees are in the pinkest of health, the shades of green in the wood dappled by rays of light.

Click here to read the full feature article  on Craighouse containing interviews with members of the Friends and William Gray Muir for the The Craighouse Partnership in today’s Evening News.

A local resident playing golf in the past

Craighouse has a long history and we have recently received a fascinating letter from someone who worked at the hospital as a Psychiatrist in the 60s who lived on Craiglea Place.

This letter is both fascinating in terms of the special nature of the site in terms of wildlife and the general public – reiterating  how the site has been used by the general public in the 60s – but also in terms of its medical history. The letter outlines the succession of doctors and psychiatrists who worked there and emphasises their humanity as well as their contribution to medical science. Which, of course, is partly what the design of the grounds at Craighouse was originally about.

I have not included names and addresses here on the internet, but I have the full hand-written letter in my possession if anyone would like to see it. I have not copied out the full part about all the practitioners, but here is a part of this lovely letter – a reminder of the past and also a reminder of what is important going forward.

Dear Rosy,

My daughter thought it would be helpful if I wrote to you about Craighouse. My interest is personal having, first of all, been raised in Greenbank Road from where we could see South Craig Villa. I was a member of the Merchants of Edinburgh Golf Club from 1950 to 1968 after marrying my wife [name removed] and I lived in Craiglea Place rented from the Royal Edinburgh Hospital from July 1965 to October 1968…

From October 1961 to October 1968 I was a trainee psychiatrist at Craighouse including 4 years as a Senior Registrar before leaving to take up a consultant post in Paisley.

The grounds were always open and accessible for walks and picnics when the girls were small. This was as an ordinary citizen on my part and not an NHS employee. If I remember rightly, there was no law of trespass in Scotland and assume this is still so.

There was always much wild life about and, in particular, I remember how often we used to hear and see owls.

This was a major wild life corridor, as modern terminology has it, with various habitats – woods, grassland, a large orchard and so forth. Morningside has a population hugely expanded since my early days and the population needs a “lung” so to speak. I would certainly like to think our daughter and her children would have the access we did.

Experience shows that once such an environment goes, through greed or ignorance or both, it has gone forever, often times closed off, gated “communities” appear instead. Talk of conservation and protection of biological diversity fades.

Although the following is not directly related to our subject matter I thought you would be interested in Craighouse Hospital as it was in the 1960s. The public probably thought of it as the old asylum with its long term “inmates”.

There were about 300 beds which included acute admission units with a turnover greater than all of the Andrew Duncan Clinic down the road off Morningside Park.

In the early 60s the patients were in what were designated amenity beds which meant that they paid £4-50 a week for better “amenities”. This meant that there was some social class difference. However, this measure was phased out by the mid 60s.

Craighouse in the 70s

The only consultant in the early 60s was Dr Elizabeth Robertson…She was highly respected at national level and known for her research and publications on Alzheimers Disease and other forms of dementia. She kept alive the interest in this branch of Psychiatry when no one else seemed to be. She ensured high standards of treatment and care and in the training and academic teaching of the medical staff. There were 2 Senior Registrars, 2 Registrars and 2 Senior House Officers.

The letter then talks in detail about various doctors and consultants, emphasising the humanity and eminence of many who worked there, including Dr Ashcroft, for whom an obituary was enclosed with the letter. The letter tells me that he was a giant of Biological Psychiatry and:

“also a very humane doctor and a respected practitioner of Psychotherapy. The media tend to divide psychiatrists into biological determinists and psychotherapists – two opposing poles…He was a key researcher into the discovery of the causes of depressive illness and Alzheimers’ Disease and, in Aberdeen, the development of MRI scanning.”

The letter ends by wishing us the best of luck with our campaign.

I would like to thank the sender for this lovely piece of social history, a real glimpse into the past and a reminder of much of the thinking that runs through the history of Craighouse. Just as he mentions in the case of Dr Ashcroft, wellness and wellbeing at Craighouse was about treatment, yes, but also about the environment. The thinking behind the original way the grounds and buildings are set out; the way the landscape invites its users to enjoy the views (see Cockburn Association letter).

Craighouse today

We need to remember that the views, the grounds, the semi-natural parkland, have all been designed with this in mind, and continue to be important to people’s feeling of wellbeing today.

The writer of this letter hopes his grandchildren can continue to enjoy this fabulous site. As do I – along with all the other wonderful green spaces in Edinburgh that we can enjoy presently but that would be at risk if the developers are allowed excessive new-build at Craighouse.

A picture of our doughty petition table

Friends Of Craighouse are thrilled by the amount of support   from local businesses who are displaying our posters or acting as petition points.

We would like to recognise this tremendous effort by publicly thanking them, so many many thanks go to :

Bennets Bar, Maxwell Street

The Clock Cafe & Bistro, Morningside Road

The Zulu Lounge South African Cafe, Morningside Road

Rymers Vet, Morningside Road

Caffe e Cuccina, Italian Restaurant & Coffee Shop, Morningside Road

Doyles Newsagent, Comiston Road

New Xian Chinese Carry Out, Comiston Road

The Evening News Shop and General Store, Comiston Road

Margiotta Food & Wine Store, Comiston Road

Leaf & Bean Cafe / Restaurant, Comiston Road

Vino Wines, Comiston Road

The Waiting Room Pub & Restaurant, Belhaven Terrace

Craiglockhart Post Office, Colinton Road (Craiglockhart Shops )

Sugarcube Cafe, Colinton Road (Craiglockhart Shops )

If you have not already signed our petition, you can pop into any of these places to do so.

Local shops and businesses are a really important part of our local community life and we’d like to encourage everyone to support them in turn.

This area would disappear under part of a huge housing development

Two weeks ago we sent a letter to Dame Joan Stringer of Napier University outlining 8 pages of detailed factually-based researched questions about the sale of Craighouse campus and the exact involvement of the university in The Craighouse Partership’s proposals to build new build development over some of the most beautiful, loved and protected parts of this historic green site on Edinburgh’s seventh hill.

Yesterday, Edinburgh Napier University issued a press release to the newspapers responding to the letter which you can read here. This lead to two articles appearing in the Scotsman: this longer piece and a shorter one and another in the Evening news.

Dame Joan’s response was disappointing. More than that, it was needlessly antagonistic – accusing a community campaign with a petition of over  5000 local signatures of being an “emotive disinformation campaign” trying to discredit the university.

Disinformation means the intentional spreading of untrue information. This is a very serious charge to level against us. All the more so as Dame Joan fails to point out what information is untrue or that we know to be untrue.

In her reply to us, she further accuses our letter of making “unsubstantiated allegations”. You may read our letter here.

Letter to Joan Stringer, Principal of Napier University

It is a chunky read and that is precisely because it is so researched and is thorough in its quoted sources and substantiates its questions. Where is the substantiation for Dame Joan’s allegations against us? (Indeed, where is the substantiation for much of what Napier has issued about this development – from their claims about LA&P to dereliction threats?) What information have we released that is false? And what allegations have we made that are unsubstantiated?

We have asked straightforward questions, pointed out discrepancies between presentation and fact and offered opportunity for clarification or correction. Unfortunately Dame Joan’s response is to ignore this and issue accusations with no supporting evidence, facts, examples or corrections being offered.

It seems to be a case of simple name-calling.

Indeed, for someone who talks keenly about substantiation, Dame Joan Stringer seems to rely rather a lot on non-attributed quotes in her attack. Admitting that Napier still have money to be made from the development, Dame Joan claims this is in the region of £1.5million – disputing that Napier will make a (quotes) “killing” or “anywhere near the millions of pounds being quoted by certain individuals”. Where were these things quoted?  And what individuals said this? She also said that “certain individuals” appear to be attempting to “distort the facts”. Which certain individuals is she talking about and what “facts” have been distorted?

She talks of putting out the “true facts” – (as opposed to the other kind?)— and yet follows this up by ignoring the eight pages of questions put to her.

As another of our members stated, we would be delighted if Napier were to release the “true facts”. But where have they done this? Not on their website. Not in the community liaison forum (which they did not attend). Not in the exhibitions (where they were not represented). Not in answers to our letters and not by their heavy redaction of information released under FOI requests.

All in all, this makes for a rather unimpressive statement about a hugely controversial issue that is surely worth a little more of the Principal’s time and attention. It seems that Napier wishes to smear a local campaign whilst not answering the key questions about this highly controversial development and how Napier became part of a Consortium seeking to build across highly protected green space on Edinburgh’s seventh hill.

We will be replying to her letter and this statement in due course.

Building on the parkland and orchard would be damaging, says Cockburn. “We would be likely to oppose such development were it to be submitted for planning permission.”

The Cockburn Association have added their voice to the growing opposition to the Craighouse Partnership’s plans to build 116 new houses over protected green space and some of the most beautiful and loved parts of the landscape at Craighouse.

In a letter to William Gray Muir, Director of Sundial Properties  – part of The Craighouse Partnership, the Cockburn’s director, Marion Williams writes:

There is no doubt that the Craighouse Campus is one of the most significant developments within Edinburgh due to the quality of the existing architecture, its setting, and position on one of the city’s seven hills.

The importance of the amenity of the site to the city is best appreciated along the Public Right of Way on the southern boundary. On this route to the summit of Easter Craiglockhart Hill the public are passing between the open land of the Merchants of Edinburgh Golf Course to the south and the open parkland to the north and it retains a continuity of recreational landscape. The path has views south to the Pentlands and spectacular views to the north east across the city to Arthur’s Seat and Edinburgh Castle; the design of the boundary wall allows people to stop, sit and enjoy these views. The view afforded to the city centre from this vantage point is better than that from the summit of Easter Craiglockhart Hill.

The open park and wooded hill are also the setting for the category A-listed former Royal Edinburgh Asylum by Sydney Mitchell & Wilson architects. The parkland was created as the setting of the Asylum as is clear from the route of the paths established round the perimeter, whether for access or for patients to walk. Building on the south or east of the open grass would change the historic setting to an urban character when it should remain semi-natural.

The letter carefully outlines the designations on the site that have come into being since 1992 and that clearly override the Partnership’s attempts to claim any continuing relevance of the 1992 brief:

While we appreciate the City of Edinburgh Council had marked the south of the Campus for development in 1992 subsequent designations as Open Space and an Area of Great Landscape Value should now predicate against development and the pending Special Landscape Area designation reinforces this. The latter landscape designation acknowledges the importance of the setting of the former asylum, as does the Craiglockhart Hills Conservation Area Character Appraisal. We also note that the Edinburgh Skyline Study identifies Easter Craiglockhart Hill as a Key view to the Castle (S4b) which cannot be seen from the summit but from the open area to the south of the campus.

The letter concludes that any building on the South of the site including the orchard/parkland would be damaging and The Craighouse Partnership is advised that any development here would likely meet the opposition of the Cockburn Association.

“In light of the recognised high quality views across, within and out of the site, and from Blackford Hill to Easter Craiglockhart Hill the Association is strongly of the opinion that any building on the south of the site would damage these existing views…We would be likely to oppose such development were it to be submitted for planning permission in our role as a civic organization entrusted with preserving the high quality of Edinburgh’s landscape and amenity spaces.”

In addition, Williams’ letter says the development proposed around the carpark will have a significant impact upon views of the historic buildings from the gate lodge and the letter makes it clear that the Cockburn remains to be convinced of the Partnership’s case for enabling development – the letter noting that whilst “The restoration of the former asylum buildings is welcomed…the Association remains to be convinced of the necessity of such extensive enabling development”.

The Cockburn Association is the latest of a long line of organisations and individuals lining up in opposition to the proposals including Morningside Community Council and Merchiston Community Council (click to read their statements), MSP Jim Eadie, MSP Alison Johnstone, MP Ian Murray and a petition of over 5000 local people who want to preserve the green space and woodland from newbuild development.

Credit: Edinburgh Evening News

We are delighted to announce that the petition has reached:

5000 signatures!!

Whoop! The Evening News took this great photograph of us (including some of our top petitioners) clutching a huge mound of petitions in celebration.  People have asked us why we haven’t made the petition available online. And the reason is that we wanted to show the strength of local feeling. The majority of these petition signatures have been collected from our petition stall and our hard-working volunteers on the ground in Morningside and Craiglockhart and in local shops. If you want to sign it’s available in Craiglockhart post office and various shops in Morningside including the Zulu Lounge, The Clock cafe, Doyles newsagents, The Leaf Cafe, New Xian Chinese Takeaway and Margiotta’s.

Or download the petition from the sidebar on this website, print it out for friends and family to sign then email friendsofcraighouse.com and we’ll arrange to pick it up from you.

We have been distributing newsletters in Craiglockhart and Morningside today. Quotes that sum up the day are “Awful what they’re doing. Just awful.” And from one Craiglockhart resident: “Who IS supporting this development?” A good question, as I haven’t met a single person, when leafletting, who does.

If you missed it here is the article from the Evening News today about Craighouse as the hot topic in Craiglockhart and Fountainbridge Ward. And here is Andrew Burns blog today on the same issue.

The rolling semi-natural parkland has a touch of the sublime as it leads down to trees and fabulous views beyond (click to view)

But let’s take a break from all the political hoo-ha. I couldn’t resist showing you these gorgeous pictures that were posted to our Facebook page by our supporters.

Craighouse is a beautiful place. But what I’ve been thinking a lot about recently is the sense of the vista – the sweep of parkland down to the trees and the fabulous views beyond. It is a deliberately uninterrupted sweep and reminds me of ideas of the “sublime” which is the feeling I think it was deliberately designed to engender in people sitting or walking there. The grounds are obviously designed to be unlifting for the residents and public in the past and continues to lift the spirits of those who enjoy the site now.

In this you can see the distinctive rig n furrow (the whirly effect over the sweeping lawns) Click to view

As someone said to me very eloquently at the exhibitions. “The thing you have to get across is that all this new-build would reduce it to simply a green field surrounded by housing. The developers fail to recognise what is special about the place. The sweeping lawns to those views. What’s special about the place is the panorama.”

Just part of the fabulous panorama and views that extends from the Forth, with the Castle and Arthur's Seat to the cone of North Berwick Law off shot on the right. Click to view

I think these shots manages to capture something of that feeling that makes this site so special.

And an old favourite