NEWSLETTER - JANUARY 2004

Our Autumn Walk

September found a group of 27 adults, 13 children and various four-footed friends trekking up “The Cast” to Gorton House, (holiday accommodation) for a very pleasant picnic lunch in the garden of one of its Orchard Cottages. This was followed by a specially arranged visit to Wallace’s Cave hidden within the Roslin Glen cliffside. It was a most interesting day, made all the more enjoyable from seeing the successful drainage and stabilisation of the upper part of “The Cast” pathway between Polton village and Midfield, which for long has been virtually impassable. (This work was a team effort involving Midlothian Council, The British Horse Society, and a local land-owner, John Lessells). Our thanks go to Tim Tuke for organising the day and to Quintin Young for his warm welcome at Gorton House and for serving as the guide on our visit to the Cave.

Mavisbank

In December a number of local organisations and residents, including some of our members attended a Community Workshop which was organised by The Mavisbank Trust to consider options for the proposed restoration of this historic House and its grounds. From the final reporting session at that particular meeting it was clear that, with one or two exceptions, all supported the preservation of the structure but were urging a low-key approach with minimal disturbance to the land and no habitation of the building. The Trust now has grant funding for a series of professional studies to consider the related access and use, archaeological, site stability and conservation issues. You should be able to follow its further activities through its shared use of the Edinburgh Green Belt Trust website: www.egbt.org.uk and the alternative views noted above are now being expressed on another new website: www.mavisbank.plus.com

Fir Knowes Footpath

This path leading from Polton village up to the Hewan Bank, is an important link in the evolving “Esk Valley Way” strategic route between the Pentland Hills and the Firth of Forth at Musselburgh. Midlothian Council has completed an ambitious path refurbishment project to safeguard this important section, which had over a number of years become dangerously eroded. Members can now enjoy the pleasures of walking through the ancient woodland with its fine views over Springfield Mill, which is to become a designated Nature Site, thanks to the huge efforts of SMAG (Springfield Mill Action Group). Thank You: Many local projects have been tackled with enthusiasm over the past year and the contribution made by our members has been greatly worthwhile. Thanks go to each of you. Best wishes to all for good health and happiness in the year ahead.    B D

Monday, 16 February 2004
Illustrated Talk by
Winnie Stevenson
on the

(please see Page 2 for details)

at
Lasswade Park Pavilion
7.45 for 8.00 pm

Friday, 12th March 2004
8 - 10 pm
St Leonard’s Church Hall
Dobbies Road

Your Local Representative will call to offer you
tickets at £5.00 each
and also to collect your Annual Subscriptions
unchanged for a further year
at
£3.00 for Families and £2.00 for Individuals

No-one could have failed to notice the amazing transformation which has taken place in the centre of Lasswade. It has taken many months to complete, but the wait has been worth it and the once ugly, unkempt gap site next to the Post Office is now officially a Community Garden for all to enjoy.

At the Civic Society’s Autumn Project day on 12th October 2003, 27 local members, including several children and a spotty dog all volunteered to plant the new Garden. A number of local people took their spades and dug up plants from their own gardens. Monetary gifts received by the Civic Society bought trees, some in memory of lost loved ones, particularly Sally Hunter and Nigel McGlasson. Local nurseries also participated by donating plants and in particular, our thanks go to Pentland Plants, R & B Nurseries and Kevock Garden Nurseries. Our Project Day volunteers also had the task of planting 3000 daffodil bulbs provided by local Councillor Derek Milligan which were divided between the park, the Community Garden and the main approaches into Lasswade and will hopefully provide a real splash of colour in the coming weeks.

The planting of the garden was a great team effort and was completed in a record three hours, everyone who helped was rewarded with an enjoyable picnic lunch in the park. The whole community has been involved in creating this special area, and although the Civic Society organised the design and planting of the garden and the painting of the Post Office gable wall, Midlothian Training Services constructed the new stone bus shelter and boundary wall. We are very grateful to the Royal Mail who installed a rare specimen of a Victorian Penfold Post Box and Midlothian Council supplied some of the plants, topsoil, turf and the paving around the bus shelter. The whole area has now become a real focal point within Lasswade, an important open space which links the village with the Jubilee Footbridge, the restored War Memorial and the Public Park.

Although the Garden is Council-owned, it is hoped that local Civic Society members will monitor its condition and help to maintain the planted areas. There are still one or two finishing touches to be added to the area and it is proposed to erect a railing on the boundary wall for additional security. A garden bench is about to be acquired and possibly a piece of sculpture or interpretive feature to add local interest. There are still one or two spaces left for shrubs within the planting beds, so if anyone has any plant material they would like to donate do please get in touch with -

Sarah Barron on 663 1895.     SB

The Society has always been able to invite help from a small dedicated group of volunteers for special events such as project days and the annual party, but we would like to recruit some more of our members who would be willing to give occasional help with sandwiches, soup or tempting tasty bits etc.

If you feel you could spare a few hours,
no more than once or twice a year,
would you please phone Anna at 663 8103
or e-mail her (address on back page).

We would be happy to hear from you.

Notice of
Annual General Meeting

to be held in

Lasswade Park Pavilion

on

Monday, 26 April 2004

7.45 for 8.00pm

Refreshments will be served

It is requested that nominations for the Committee, (proposed, seconded and with the consent of the nominee) should be given to the Chairman two weeks in advance of the Annual General Meeting.

Did you know

that gunpowder was manufactured in Roslin Glen for 150 years until 1954, the Mills being started 200 years ago this year? The deep valley gave protection and the river provided water power. Unusually, a large number of photographs were taken while the Mills were working and these form the basis of the Talk and the CD-Rom which has been produced by:

Roslin Heritage Society.

Roslin, in the next valley upstream from our own in the North Esk catchment area, has a fascinating story to tell. As well as the prestigious

Rosslyn Castle and Chapel

of medieval times, it has a most interesting history of water-based industry on the Esk river, including one of the two nationally-important gunpowder mills of previous centuries, the other one being located at Gorebridge on the river South Esk.

Victorian charm and elegance has come to Lasswade in the shape of our new village pillar box. The Civic Society is enormously grateful to the Royal Mail for replacing the old lamp-box which was getting rather tired, with a new and splendid replica of a Victorian post box usually reserved for special conservation areas such as the entrance to the Queen’s Park at Holyrood and the High Street in Edinburgh. It has really given a huge visual boost to the centre of the village and the adjacent Community Garden and helped to reinforce the Conservation Area status of Lasswade.

Letter boxes first appeared on Britain’s streets in 1852 and since that time there have been hundreds of different varieties and sizes each bearing the cipher of different monarchs from Victoria to Elizabeth II. Probably the best loved of all the Victorian Pillar Boxes are those known as Penfolds, a copy of which we now have in Lasswade. Named after their designer architect J.W. Penfold they were originally made between 1866 and 1879. Just over one hundred of these originals and a smaller number of more modern replicas are in use throughout Britain today.

Our hexagonal pillar box has a top decorated with acanthus leaves and balls with a pineapple shaped finial mounted in the centre. During the thirteen years these boxes were produced, there were several modifications made and technically our box is a copy of the small size probably first made around 1872. Although the VR cipher can be seen below the collection plate, the Scottish Crown appears above the aperture rather than the Queen’s Crest which would normally be seen on English examples, making our type of box even more unusual. Our box was probably made in the 1970’s or early 80’s by the Carron Ironworks Company and was stored at the Royal Mail’s Sighthill depot for some time before finding its new home in Lasswade.

We are incredibly lucky to have acquired this Penfold box and I hope everyone in Lasswade District will enjoy it and make a point of using it as often as possible.                                                                         S B