Morningside Clock

Following on from Maisie the other day, here is a blip from Morningside taken this morning on a walk.

The area centres around Morningside Road - an ancient route from Edinburgh to the south-west.

The names of several streets in the area follow a biblical theme, such as Nile Grove, Canaan Lane, Eden Lane and Jordan Lane. Jordan Burn which trickles out of sight under Morningside Road similarly adopts this same naming theme. Several theories exist for the origins of these names, and Charles Smith, in his noted history of the area, indicates that the historical evidence does not support a favourite theory. Theories include the presence of a large number of Gypsies at the time the land was feud out; the immigration shortly afterwards of a number of notable Jewish people; a connection to the army of Oliver Cromwell and simply the presence of Egypt Farm, nearby.
Another early street name of note is Cuddy Lane ("cuddy" is an old Scots term for horse).

Residents

By some definitions, in Morningside was a former Edinburgh home of the author J. K. Rowling, writer of the Harry Potter series of books; however by some definitions her house on Abbotsford Crescent was within the Merchiston area. It stands close to the homes of fellow authors Alexander McCall Smith and Ian Rankin.

In fiction, Morningside is the home of Muriel Spark's Miss Jean Brodie, and in children's literature it is the home of "Maisie from Morningside", a kitten in books by Aileen Paterson. Prior to his death, the Labour leader John Smith lived locally and his funeral, attended by much of the British Establishment, was held at Morningside Parish Church, which has the longest aisle of any parish church in the UK. Fred Goodwin, former chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland, has a residence in nearby Marchmont. The Engineer John Begg was born in Morningside.