Wester Hailes - Izeria

Wester Hailes is an area in the south west of Edinburgh, Scotland. Wester Hailes borders on Kingsknowe and Longstone to the east. Bankhead Industrial Estate and Sighthill Park lie to the north.

1. History

Although named after a large private house, the area was not substantially developed until the early-1970s, which is reflected in the dominant housing styles, mainly purpose-built flats and tower blocks. It was extensively redeveloped during the 1990s and 2000s, with a large number of properties being renovated and some others -such as the high rise "slab block" flats at Hailesland Park being demolished and replaced with newer "low rise" housing. As well as council and private housing, there is a community housing association called Prospect Community Housing based in Westburn Avenue, who have housing in the Westburn, Clovenstone, Walkers, Barn Park areas of Wester Hailes.

1. Facilities

Westside Plaza is the main social and shopping hub of the area, comprising a public house, Jobcentre, council housing office, library, newsagent, an arcade, an Odeon cinema and a collection of shops both adjacent to and inside the Wester Hailes Shopping Centre. A post office, optician, pharmacy, and a dentist can be found inside the latter. The indoor market closed in 2014, and the space re-opened in 2015 as a gym. Local education centres include Stevenson College, the Wester Hailes Education Centre, the WHALE Arts Centre, the Sighthill campus of Napier University and the main campus of Heriot-Watt University to the west, in Riccarton. A swimming pool is located in the Wester Hailes Education Centre.

1. Transport links

The main points of arrival and departure for Wester Hailes are the string of bus stops located on the northern edge of Westside Plaza (formerly Wester Hailes Shopping Centre), and the railway station a short distance to the south. Bus services departing here are the 3, 21, 30, 33, 400, X40, N30, N400 provided by Lothian Buses and 20 provided by McGill's Scotland East, with destinations including the city centre, Gyle Shopping Centre,Livingston, the Hermiston Gait shopping complex and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh at Little France. Service 44 passes nearby to the south on its way to Currie and Balerno; services 25, 34 and 35 pass nearby to the north, with destinations including Hermiston Park & Ride and Heriot-Watt University's Riccarton Campus. There is also pedestrian and cycle access east towards the city centre, via the Union Canal.

1. Demographics


1. Notable people

Tommy Smith, jazz saxophonist. Supermodel Eunice Olumide grew up in Wester Hailes.

1. References


1. External links

Wester Hailes Digital Sentinel Wester Hailes at Gazetteer for Scotland

1. = Academia =

Wester Hailes Education Centre Heriot-Watt University Napier University Archived 10 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine Stevenson College

Nearby Places View Menu

Wester Hailes railway station

Wester Hailes railway station is a railway station opened in 1987 by British Rail serving Wester Hailes in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located on the Edinburgh branch of the West Coast Main Line, but is not served by inter-city services - these are provided via the Shotts Line of the SPT network. The station has two platforms, connected by a stairway footbridge, and CCTV to deter crime and anti-social behaviour. It is managed by ScotRail. The staple passenger traction calling at this station is the Class 156 "Super Sprinter". As this station is part of the West Coast Main Line to Carstairs, which diverges at Mid Calder Junction, a colourful variety of CrossCountry Class 220 "Voyager", Avanti West Coast Class 221 "Super Voyager", Class 390 "Pendolino" and London North Eastern Railway Class 801s can also be seen.

Landmark Train

424 m

Wester Hailes Education Centre

Wester Hailes High School is a mixed non-denominational high school in Wester Hailes, in the South-West suburb of Edinburgh. The current principal is David Young and the roll is about 303. In addition to the school on the site, there is a swimming pool and fitness centre which are open to the public, and a youth work programme.

School

569 m

Baberton

Baberton is a suburb of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is known as Baberton Mains, It is south-west of the Edinburgh City Bypass and Wester Hailes and south of the Shotts Line railway line. The village of Juniper Green is situated to the south of Baberton and Baberton Golf Course is to the west. Most of Baberton Mains comprises a housing estate built in the early 1970s by George Wimpey. All streets take the "Baberton Mains" name but some streets in Juniper Green take the name Baberton and not Baberton Mains. Although the antiquarian writer James Grant stated Baberton House was the property of King James VI in the early 17th century and he gifted it to Alexander Brand, one of his favourites, prior to his death in 1625. More modern architectural historians note that Baberton House was designed and built in 1623 for his own occupation by the architect Sir James Murray of Kilbaberton (d.1634), King's Master of Works. Bradshaw's Guide says Baberton House was a hunting lodge of King James VI and that King Charles X of France lived here after the July Revolution of 1830. Baberton House was the home of the Edinburgh physician Byrom Bramwell, and his friend and colleague Charles Edward Underhill died here in 1908.

Golf Historic Site

616 m

Sighthill, Edinburgh

Sighthill is a suburb in the west of Edinburgh, Scotland. The area is bordered by Broomhouse and Parkhead to the east, South Gyle to the north, the industrial suburb of Bankhead and the Calders neighbourhood to the west, and Wester Hailes to the south. It is sometimes included in the Wester Hailes area, while the Calders, Bankhead and Parkhead are sometimes considered parts of Sighthill. Administratively it has formed a core part of the City of Edinburgh Council's Sighthill/Gorgie ward since 2007.

Industrial Neighbourhood