An item of "Breaking News". Will appear on the Breaking News page and the front page.
Edinburgh’s earliest zoo – the Royal Edinburgh Zoological Gardens – was established in 1840 in Broughton Park, on ground now bounded by West Annandale Street, Bellevue Street, Melgund Terrace, and East Claremont Street.
It was never a financial success and closed in 1857, amid widespread and long-standing concerns about the welfare of its specimen species. Financial concerns predominated.
I've recently had the opportunity to check how up-to-date is Spurtle's last article on stair lighting.
It’s been six-and-a-half years since we last profiled Kathy’s Knits.
Back in July 2012, locals Cathy and Leslie Robb were preparing to open the doors at 64A Broughton Street for the first time. It was a new venture after Leslie’s recent retirement from asset managers Baillie Gifford, and rather a leap of faith as nowhere else in Edinburgh was specialising in top-end British yarn at the time.
Topping & Company Booksellers seeks permission to convert the former Royal Bank of Scotland at 2–3A Bleinheim Place into a bookshop (Ref. 18/10412/LBC).
The proposal is for: retail space on the ground and first floors; storage and staff facilities in the basement; and installation of a new lift.
Hopes and concerns were expressed at last night’s New Town & Broughton Community Council about draft proposals for improving George Street and the First New Town (Issue 280).
Meet Laura Clifford and Ian Staples, the partners behind Curiouser & Curiouser at 93 Broughton Street.
The two began trading here in October 2010, with Laura curating the shop’s unique selection of books, cards, ‘quirky homeware’, artworks, frames, stationery, and other uncategorisable curiosities.
Pickles is an all-white neutered male with green eyes. He’s three-and-a-half years old.
He isn’t wearing a collar, but has been micro-chipped.
He ought to be at home in Bellevue Road, but isn’t. Instead, he’s been missing since 8 January.
Pickles is in a bit of a pickle.
Please keep an eye out for him, and check your sheds. If you’ve seen him recently or know where he is now, kindly call his humans on 07794 00305. Alternatively, call the Identibase helpline on 0370 2408245, quoting reference number 011D36.
Good news!
Readers will remember our report in late November about the 18.5m telecommunications mast newly installed on Broughton Road.
The siting had caused upset among many locals who felt its positioning next to the Gretna Rail Disaster memorial in Rosebank Cemetery was unsightly and disrespectful.
We were first alerted to the red-shoed crow by @markalexander_m on Twitter four days ago.
It appears along the cycle path between Tesco and St Mark’s Park, just after Warriston Junction, on the bridge over the southern approach to the cemetery.
By the time Spurtle passed this lunchtime, the bird had been joined by words.
Whether these are by the original Mystery Mosaicist or somebody else is unclear. But it’s an odd phenomenon we’d like to see more of in 2019.
The reality of this season of goodwill often fails to match the expectation, but here instead is a minor cause for festive optimism.
We first featured news of a bright new future for the police box on Broughton Road in December 2015.
Local resident Yosef Mazon was successfully seeking planning permission to convert the redundant structure into a takeaway coffee and food outlet.