Oxgangs high rise flats

The Oxgangs tower blocks (known locally as the Oxgangs high rise flats) were a group of 3 tower blocks which were built on Firrhill Drive/Oxgangs Crescent in 1961 and 1962. They each contained a mixture of flats and maisonettes with 2 bedrooms each, totalling up to 80 homes per block. The blocks were called "Allermuir Court" "Caerketton Court" and "Capelaw Court", and were named after three of the nearby Pentland Hills. The original name of the group of three blocks was "Comiston Luxury Flats". They boasted outstanding views across Edinburgh, and offered a much better place to live than the slums of the inner city. However, a short while after their completion several problems were drawn into attention such as dampness, and after the 1970s the original families were beginning to move out of the blocks in search of other housing. In 2003, Social Justice Minister Margaret Curran announced £10,000,000 in funding for demolition of the blocks and rebuilding of affordable housing on the site. Work began in 2003 with the decanting of Capelaw Court and by 2004 it was empty, finally being demolished (with the use of controlled explosives) on 17 April 2005. The demolition was screened live worldwide by the National Geographic Channel. Allermuir and Caerketton Court were next and they were both demolished within seconds of each other on 26 November 2006. On the site of Capelaw Court, 60 flats and 31 houses were built (managed by Dunedin Canmore Housing Association, Communities Scotland and the city council, in partnership). The first residents moved back to the new homes in early 2007. The site of the other two tower blocks is currently being developed into more housing. The whole project was due to be completed in around 2009/10.

1. Cultural references

Singer-songwriter Kathy Muir wrote Like Warriors about her childhood in Capelaw Court. The video of the song includes photos and film footage of the Oxgangs high rise flats provided by other locals.

1. Gallery


1. References


1. External links

Village in the Sky. The Story of High Rise Living in Oxgangs

Nearby Places View Menu

Oxgangs

Oxgangs is a suburb in the south-west of Edinburgh, Scotland. Surrounding districts include Caiystane, Dreghorn, Redford, Fairmilehead, Colinton and Swanston and Colinton Mains. The post code area for Oxgangs is EH13.

Landmark Neighbourhood

Firrhill

Firrhill is a suburb of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is south of Merchants of Edinburgh Golf Club and lies next to Oxgangs. The area is mostly made up of public housing which was built by the Corporation Housing Department in the mid-1950s, however most of the council properties have now been bought by tenants using the right to buy scheme although a fairly large number of these are rented out privately by individual landlords. Firrhill High School lies in the area.

Neighbourhood School

Comiston

Comiston (Scottish Gaelic: Baile Chaluim, IPA:[ˈpaleˈxaɫ̪ɯim]) is a suburb of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is south of Morningside and west of the Braid Hills, linking the suburbs of Oxgangs and Fairmilehead. The main road through the area, Comiston Road, is a continuation of Morningside Road, and further south becomes Biggar Road. It is classified as the A702 which runs eventually to Biggar. A part of Comiston Road has signage as Pentland Terrace, the name of a terrace of Victorian houses set back from, and above Comiston Road, with a roadway of its own immediately in front of the houses. Comiston House was owned by the Forrest baronets. Sir James Forrest, 1st Baronet, Lord Provost of Edinburgh, occupied it from 1837 to 1843. Its grounds now form Fairmilehead Public Park.

Neighbourhood Park

Greenbank, Edinburgh

Greenbank is a residential district of south Edinburgh, Scotland. It is situated between the districts of Morningside and Oxgangs, i.e. slightly to the south-west of the heart of Morningside. The area was originally developed in the late 19th century, being completed in the early 1930s. The former City Hospital closed in 1999, after which modern flats and houses were constructed on Greenbank Drive, some of which incorporate parts of the Victorian contagious diseases isolation hospital. The area of the new development has become known as Greenbank Village.

Hospital Neighbourhood