Category: Muirhouse

No Ruined Stone: Paul Duke’s Muirhouse exhibition opens tomorrow

Paul Duke: No Ruined Stone
26 November 2022 – 19 February 2023
City Art Centre, 2 Market Street, Edinburgh EH1 1DE
Free Admission

This November, the City Art Centre opens a new exhibition of street photography by the artist Paul Duke depicting contemporary life in the Muirhouse area of Edinburgh.

Paul Duke: No Ruined Stone features 38 large-scale black and white photographs documenting the built environment and residents of Muirhouse. It is accompanied by a short film by Julian Ward, in which Paul Duke talks about his work and the experience of creating the series.

This is the first time No Ruined Stone has been displayed as a full-scale exhibition, bringing the photographs back to the artist’s home city.

Paul Duke grew up in Muirhouse, in the north of Edinburgh, between the mid-1960s and early 1980s. He attended the local Craigroyston High School, where his teachers inspired him to consider art as a possible future career. Drawn to photography, he enrolled at Napier College (now Edinburgh Napier University), before gaining a place to study at the Royal College of Art in London. From here, he established himself as a lens-based artist.

In 2015 Duke returned to Muirhouse to develop No Ruined Stone. This series was conceived as the second part of a photographic trilogy by Duke which examines the social climate in modern-day Scotland. It takes its name from the poetry of the Scots writer Hugh MacDiarmid. For No Ruined Stone, the artist spent time meeting local people and talking with them; reconnecting with his roots and exploring how the Muirhouse community had changed since his own upbringing there.

The exhibition at the City Art Centre presents a selection of 38 photographs from No Ruined Stone. It features views of homes and other architectural structures, surrounded by elements of the natural world. Portraits of local residents punctuate the otherwise unpopulated setting, giving a sense of the community’s identity – something that is too often misrepresented in popular culture and elsewhere.

Duke’s understated yet powerful images depict Muirhouse at a time of significant urban regeneration and social flux. While raising issues around social inequality and poverty, No Ruined Stone is underpinned by a message of human resilience, strength of character, and ultimately, hope.

Paul Duke said: “When I started work on No Ruined Stone in 2015, my greatest wish was to create a narrative that gave voice to the residents of Muirhouse – to challenge misrepresentation by portraying the community and local environment with honesty, fairness and dignity.

“I wanted to offer personal insight and in doing so, address pressing questions around social injustice. With millions of people up and down the land dealing with the cost of living crisis, I believe that these photographs have taken on new meaning and are now more relevant than ever.

Curator Dr Helen Scott said: It’s been a real privilege to work with Paul Duke on bringing this exhibition to the City Art Centre.

“No Ruined Stone is an important body of work that is both hard-hitting and reflective, socially-engaged and highly personal. There is heart and truth in these photographs, and the images linger with you long after you’ve seen them.

Councillor Val Walker, Convener of Culture and Communities, said: “We are delighted to present Edinburgh’s own Paul Duke: No Ruined Stone at the City Art Centre.

“His wonderful photographs will be on display for the first time as a full-scale exhibition and I’m sure visitors will be captivated by the series on contemporary life in the Muirhouse area of the Capital and the changes in the community.

“The aim of our City Art Centre is to champion historic and contemporary Scottish visual and applied arts, so I’m delighted that we can display Paul’s work in his home city.”

The exhibition is accompanied by the publication Paul Duke: No Ruined Stone (Hartmann Books, 2018).

Paul Duke: No Ruined Stone opens on Saturday 26 November 2022, and runs until 19 February 2023. Admission is free.

Community safety: Dispersal Zones in place for fireworks weekend

Don’t get caught up in anti-social behaviour on Bonfire Night!

Police Officers have the grounds to take action should people be involved in such conduct, as detailed in these posters.

Please attend organised events only and always keep safe.

🔥

#OpCrackle

#KeepingPeopleSafe

Community Chest: regeneration specialist offers £3000 grant for Pennywell initiatives

A new fund, known as the ‘Creative Community Chest’ has launched which will support micro projects in Pennywell, Edinburgh and is established in partnership with North Edinburgh Arts and the OneCity Trust. 

The initiative which has been established as part of the Pennywell Living development has been created by regeneration experts Urban Union with the City of Edinburgh Council. Scottish charities and community groups located in the North Edinburgh Arts membership area are being asked to apply for one of 10 grants of £300, that can be used to deliver creative and engaging content for the local community.  

The governance, monitoring and oversight of grant distribution will be undertaken by the office of the OneCity Trust.  The mission of the OneCity Trust is to fight inequality and exclusion in the City of Edinburgh.  

Neil McKay, Managing Director, Urban Union, said: “At Urban Union we specialise in delivering new homes equipped for modern community living, but investing in these communities is just as important.  

“We know that by working with residents, charities, and local groups we can help to create welcoming places to live and make a real difference to people’s lives.”  

Kate Wimpress, Director, North Edinburgh Arts, said: “North Edinburgh Arts has worked with Urban Union for almost a decade, delivering creativity in the community and enhancing the local area.

“With support from the OneCity Trust, these fantastic individual projects allow us to build community engagement, we look forward to seeing these creative ideas come to fruition.” 

Urban Union has developed 134 new homes and apartments as part of Phase 3 works at Pennywell Living and has been working in conjunction with the City of Edinburgh Council since 2014 to regenerate Pennywell, creating a vibrant residential area.  

Councillor Jane Meagher, Edinburgh’s Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, said: “Our regeneration of North Edinburgh is a major project for the people of Pennywell and Muirhouse and a great success story.

“It’s all about working together to improve lives, tackle poverty and inequality in the area and create beautiful new homes and community spaces residents can be proud of.  

“It is great news, then, that our contractors are making this pot of money available through the OneCity Trust to local projects and charities which also promote social inclusion. The whole project provides a perfect example of community empowerment, showing how great value can be added to an area when involving those who know it best.” 

The application form to apply for a £300 grant is available to download here. 

Please complete the application form and send to elaine@onecitytrust.com along with the associated documentation noted on page 2 of the application form. If you have any questions, please contact Elaine McCafferty – OneCity Trust at elaine.mccafferty@onecitytrust.com or telephone (0131) 469 3856 

Winter Warmer Sessions

There IS such a thing as a free lunch!

Our Winter Warmer sessions start next week – drop into the Old Co-op on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for free soup and a roll.

Available from 11am – 2pm (or until the soup runs out!).

We’ll be having sweet potato soup on Tuesday and everyone is welcome.

Final homes available from Phase Three at Pennywell Living

Prospective buyers hoping to reserve a property at the popular Pennywell Living development in Edinburgh will need to move fast, as there is only a small collection of apartments left that are ready to call home. 

The remaining apartments are available at the north Edinburgh development, which is delivered by regeneration specialists Urban Union, after the final batch of houses in Phase 3 sold out in 2 weeks.     

Currently available is the ‘Adam’, a two-bedroom apartment perfect for those looking for their first home or looking to downsize. Starting from £191,995, this home features a bright open-plan kitchen and living area, perfect for entertaining friends. The main bedroom is spacious and comes complete with an en-suite. There is plenty of storage area including fitted wardrobes and a separate utility cupboard. 

Also ideal for first-time buyers, the ‘Ross’ is a one-bedroom second floor apartment offering a large open plan living and kitchen space starting from £169,995. With contemporary specification and energy efficient living, the ‘Ross’ offers excellent storage space and is completed with a modern bathroom.  

Located only a few miles from Edinburgh city centre, Pennywell Living is in a prime position to make the most of the many shops, bars and restaurants the capital has to offer. Also, with great local primary and secondary schools, and a wealth of useful amenities in the area, the development is perfect for young professionals and families alike.   

Neil McKay Managing Director at Urban Union, said: “We are absolutely delighted with the past sales success at Pennywell. Given how popular properties have been at the development we really don’t expect these apartments to be around for long and we encourage potential buyers to come down to the development and get a feel for the properties in person as soon as possible. 

“Prospective buyers will be amazed by the spacious apartments available which offer the home comforts and efficiencies you would expect from a brand-new home, and so much more.” 

Every Urban Union home is highly energy efficient and is completed with all the features necessary for modern life, including high-quality, fully integrated kitchens and bathrooms, plenty of storage space and spacious living areas perfect for those looking for a place to call home. 

Apartments at Pennywell Living are available to reserve now with just £99 reservation fee.

For further information visit the Urban Union website, call07940 992182 or email:

pennywellliving@urbanunionltd.co.uk  

LIFT’s Haunted House

This year we are doing something a little different, we are hosting our own Haunted House!

This even will run over the course of two nights, Thursday 27th and Friday 28th October! The event will start at 5pm but spaces will be limited!

If you would like to come along it is £2 per family, all kids must be accompanied by an adult! Feel free to get the kids all dressed up

Mair Scran fir Bees in Muirhouse!

Wildflower seeding at May Court and Fidra Court

Join us for creating a bee-friendly installation of the second BEES FIR SCRAN with Artist Natalie Taylor. This time we’ll be at Fidra Court car park verge, which will be seeded with wildflower perennials, which means the installation can be enjoyed for more than just one year.

Wednesday 21 September, 11am to 3pm – Volunteers wanted to help us with some preparation work, drop in any time

Friday 23 September, 2pm to 3.30pm – Main Event: Seeding and seed bombing – All welcome, free event!

SCRAN FIR BEES is supported by The National Lottery: Together For Our Planet Fund.

Council lied to justify destructive development, claim Silverlea campaigners

Community campaigners fighting to save the Silverlea woodland, wildlife and heritage site from a housing development have condemned as “Council lies” the claim that the site is a “barren” flytipping site  of “low landscape value and low recreational value with few quality trees”.

A meeting of the City of Edinburgh Council development sub-committee on 10 August flouted the Council’s own policy by approving the building of 142 houses on the green belt in the Muirhouse and the Salvesens area in north-west Edinburgh.

The Save Our Silverlea Campaign describe a photo of the site produced by the Council to justify the development as “totally misleading”.  

A SoS spokesperson said: “The photo showed a big pile of flytipped waste – but when a team from Save Our Silverlea visited the site days after the Council meeting, all we found was one white plastic bag and a dumped shopping trolley. The Council photo was either very old or taken elsewhere.  Councillors visited the site shortly before the meeting so they should have known the photo was ‘fake news’.”

Save Our Silverlea have produced photos of the site showing massive trees and a verdant and vibrant woodland. 

30-40 mature trees are to be felled to make way for the proposed scheme.

“We defy anyone – even a Councillor – to look at these magnificent trees and say this is a “barren”  flytipping site.  Clearly there has been some flytipping over the years – but if the site was sympathetically opened up to the community as a mini nature reserve with low impact paths and perhaps a children’s play area, then this increased footfall would act as a deterrent to flytipping. 

“The Council is effectively “saving” the site by destroying it.”

Freedom of Information request

The camapigners say the city council tried to justify the destruction of dozens of mature trees by claiming they were planting 131 saplings on the narrow strip of grass known as Silverknows Park. 

At the Council meeting Save Our Silverlea spokesperson Edward Murray described the real situation: “My flat overlooks Silverknowes Park and I watched them planting these saplings out in mid-February on a bitter cold day with the ground waterlogged,” he explained.

“The end result is the vast majority of these saplings never took root. They’re dead. Are we then to exchange 30-40 mature trees for row upon row of dead twigs in plastic tubes? That doesn’t strike us as a fair exchange.” 

On 16 August Save Our Silverlea submitted a Freedom of Information request asking how much the Silverknowes Park Tree Plantation cost.

At the Council meeting Edward Murray described Muirhouse, where he has lived for over 30 years, as “just a dormitory for workers to sleep in before going back to work again”. 

Mr Murray added: “Muirhouse is the size of a small town; it has no primary school, no park, not even a pub. It doesn’t even have a supermarket. In short, it is a deprived area. We have nothing down there. It’s one of the most deprived areas in Edinburgh.  

“And now, having taken practically everything, you want to take our last green space, the Silverlea site, for development, destroying a wildlife habitat and creating congestion and pollution along the Silverknowes/Muirhouse Parkway, described by Police Scotland as ‘the second most dangerous road in Edinburgh’.”

Save our Silverlea are continuing their campaign:  “As climate change threatens the future of humanity, we need to act to defend our green spaces.   This land should be used for the local community – not to make £millions for greedy property developers.

“We need much more council/ social housing – build council houses on the brownfield sites where they are now building 1000s of private houses.   The struggle to save our Silverlea continues.”

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