Shottstown, Penicuik

[mrs a]

Anyone have any information on Shottstown, Penicuik? It was demolished on the 1950's but 2 gt grandfathers were born ther in the late 1800's and I'd like to find out a bit more about it.

[sancti]

The Shotts Iron Company, driving the industrial age to the foothills of the Pentlands, had originally sunk Mauricewood Pit to mine ironstone, which they calcined [ -a process to drive off impurities such as water, carbon dioxide, arsenic and sulphur- ] in open hearth furnaces at the pit-head. About a mile away, at Fieldsend on the Edinburgh side of the little paper-making town of Penicuik, they built a Company suburb, Shottstown, its streets all proudly named after Company Directors. There is now a modern shopping centre on the site, but the name still survives in the Miners' Welfare Club.

http://www.penicuikcdt.org.uk/Mauricewood_pit_disaster.html

[fenultimate]

My paternal grandfather and my father lived at 7 Manderston Place, Shottstown.  My grandfather, James Neil, died in 1929.  My grandmother was rehoused to 6 Carlops Avenue when the Council built that estate (scheme) in the 1930s.  She had five sons, my father being the middle one.  He married in 1938 and I was born above Peggy Dodds's sweetshop at Christmas.  The shop was taken over by the Baird family and they also owned the garage next door on the corner of John Street and Carlops Road, just a hundred yards or so south-west of Shottstown.  None of my forebears worked for Shotts Iron Company and I believe that after the Mauricewood Disaster the houses were let out to any takers.  The photo gives an idea of how it was around the end of the 19th century

[mrs a]

what a pile of washing! Fantastic photo- wonder if any of them are muy ancestors

[fenultimate]

What are the names of your ancestors?
On one of the sites about the Mauricewood disaster the names and addresses of the victims are shown.

[Mr. Claypole]

The Royal Commission (Edinburgh) holds an aerial photograph of Penicuik that was taken in 1947.  It clearly shows Shottstown and the layout of the streets - the detail is impressive.  Ordnance Survey can also provide you with a print of an old OS Map of Shottstown.  I had one produced for my Mother, as she was born there in 1939.

[MonicaL]

A collection of aerial photos (ranging from around 1929-36) for Pennicuick also available here
www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/spw027089

Monica 

[MonicaL]

Welcome to RootsChat, Mr. Claypole 

Monica