Ever since the publication in 1886 of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, we have been accustomed to thinking of Edinburgh as a city divided. Its clefts are notionally between outward respectability and private vice, between modern Enlightenment and historic superstition, cerebral advancement and bestial instinct.
The Broughton Spurtle is a member of the Independent Community News Network. This lunchtime, its Director, Emma Meese, issued the following open letter.
We reproduce it unedited and in full.
As you can imagine these are very worrying times for our members.
As an organisation, we are now extremely concerned.
This is a time when our members are crucial in ensuring public information reaches communities across the UK to inform and advise about public health.
Police Scotland issued a press release today. We reproduce it, unedited and in full, below.
Police Scotland is advising the public to be cautious of strangers offering bogus services during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Social distancing and self-isolation mean more people than usual are in their homes at the moment. This presents an ideal opportunity for criminals to take advantage of elderly and vulnerable people, in particular.
In the weeks to come, as a diversion from current inconveniences and alarms, Spurtle will serialise a previously unpublished work compiled by A. J. McIntosh entitled News from the Mews.
It is a selection of Victorian newspaper reports detailing events in the – generally overlooked – back streets and service lanes of Edinburgh’s New Town.
A few of these have already appeared in the printed pages of the Broughton Spurtle. Most, though, appear here for the first time in over a hundred years.
SOME OF THE INFORMATION BELOW HAS BEEN SUPERSEDED BY UK GOVERNMENT ADVICE (20:30, 23.3.20). USE COMMON SENSE.
We’ll try and cover Spurtleshire one street at a time over the next few days, but if you have news or developments please let us know and we’ll update this page as we go along.
Congratulations to the Council for the superb beds of spring flowers on the Broughton Street/Mansfield Place roundabout.
Sometimes these sites are rather bland and ‘serviceable’ in Miss Jean Brodie terms. But just now there is a radiant and variegated mix of bulbs to gladden the hearts of all Wordsworthian spirits.
Keep up the good work!—JRM
In these troubling times, it’s heartening to find local businesses, charities, and individuals rising to the challenge.
Some are making offers of help, some are declaring a determination to keep calm and carry on, others are making public statements of solidarity and high principle.
Below we find a willingness to deliver groceries to the vulnerable and at-high-risk by Bellevue-based Claremont Food and Wine (Tel. 556 7853).
Cllr Adam McVey, Leader of Edinburgh Council, yesterday announced new social distancing and visiting restrictions at Council-run care homes.
In schools, assemblies and other large assemblies will be stopped unless absolutely essential.
£2m emergency funding has already been assigned to reinforcing necessary proactive and preventative measures against Coronavirus.
‘Our focus is on minimising the impact of the virus on our communities and Council services,’ says McVey, ‘with a particular emphasis on health and social care.
Edinburgh Council’s programme to upgrade street lighting across the capital will begin in the City Centre Ward 11 (see map below) on 6 April and continue into June.
Over 3,000 bulbs, starting in Coates and moving eastwards, will be replaced with LED ones. The benefits claimed for these include:
Meet Daryl.
He is, we think, the first of this year’s Broughton cats to take advantage of the lengthening days and go wandering.
Described as a cream Siamese, Daryl has blue eyes and is chipped but not collared.
He’s been missing from the gardens of Bellevue Street since Monday 3 March.
If seen, please tell Chris at 07912 601412.
