The Secret History of Our Streets - Moray Place Edinburgh Moray Feu, BBC. Part 1 of 2

[@silverfoxpin]

What a truly sad shame part 2 is blocked. I was so enjoying it. I lived there many years ago. It was a wonderful area to live in.

My greatest lifelong friend lived and died here at age 93.William Thomson Hook. He was a Sheriff and the finest man I ever met

[@trainrover]

@ What compels you to saddle with kleptoparasites, pray tell, hmmm.. .. . .

@@trainrover Trainrover yes sounds like you are the type who hangs around railway toilets looking for little boys. hmmmmmm.

[@yashshah3484]

Currently I'm reading few letters written from Edinburgh to Bombay in the year 1824 by lady named Elizabeth low to his child who was working in India for East India company. She mentions of buying first floor flat in Pitt Street paying five hundred and fifty pounds. 1824, almost 200 years ago.

[@jonsmum5552]

My grandparents told me all about the history of these streets, when we meandered down them. My grandparents stayed in the Grassmarket, which was a far cry from what it is now. It was a slum, with many lodging houses, and pubs, it was teeming with winos and folk down on their luck. I used to walk up Victoria street of the Vennel steps to catch my bus home after visiting my grandparents. I can honestly say I was never afraid, nobody bothered back in the seventies with a young kid making their way home. The only words spoken were “ are ye alright hen”

[@Hemulen40]

Thanks for upload. You´re a good sport , old chap !

[@coltsuperocean10]

Fascinating film.

[@davidoption8]

Glad to see a couple/more brothels behind the doors of Moray Place. Locals have been terrific.

[@salsabil44]

Thought that was Danube St? 17a if I remember rightly :-)

[@StirlingVoid]

Scottish saying 'Never trust a McDonald'

[@jckonstanz]

Käthe, you are lovely. ❤ My mother and my grandmother are called Käthe.

[@operatorjeffdeathstar7759]

Nice to hear my Edinburgh ancestors lovely clear diction...

[@ruthy8ruthy]

Thank you for the upload

[@gra-emed3617]

People keep saying English accents. They aren’t English accents they are just posh Scottish accents. We have a hundred thousands accents in the uk! Some stronger than others. These accents are still Scottish, just different from yours or mine for that matter. I found this really interesting. Thanks for the upload.

[@MbartM96]

That’s not a posh Scottish accent, it’s an upper-class English accent. This accent is found in the upper classes anywhere the British colonised.

[@mikefraser4513]

Well, we didn't have "English" accents in the Dumbiedykes and I was proud of it.

[@lissaallan]

I think my husband has referred to this particular Scottish accent as the "Little English" accent. It isn't really Scottish it is what happens when a posh Scottish families send their kids to Eton.

[@dannymcintyre3819]

It's an upper class English accent - nothing Scottish about it. These people are culturally English. They're not culturally or linguistically Scottish at all.

[@tillerman7272]

That’s a massive assumption. I’m sure many of them, despite not having the accent, play the back pipes, wear tartin/kilts, go to Scottish dances etc.

[@daniellarose9391]

That lady at the end ... all those belongings and a lovely place to live but so lonely 😞

[@DSQueenie]

My dad's work used to be there on Moray place. It's nice.

[@DSQueenie]

So I guess the commercial use didn't last! Then again are Law Firms commercial?

[@DSQueenie]

+DSQueenie Ah it was the Hope Trust that owned it.

[@clairepeace5783]

Fascinating documentary x

[@janoginski5557]

The architect was Gillespie, (from Dunblane).

[@ninecatsmagee8384]

Where's Part 2 of this?

[@janoginski5557]

I believe “ Call me Johnny” has departed this mortal coil.

[@L1AXYZ]

So sad I couldn't watch part 2 because it's blocked :(

[@JanetCaterina]

fascinating

[@ianhudson2193]

Shame its cut short!

[@NilDesperandum777]

Interesting how the wealthy Scottish sound awfully English.

[@lorddaver1935]

+NilDesperandum777 Because they are members of the British aristocracy. They ARE Scottish, but mostly they attended Eton or Harrow in the south of England or one of the other famous public schools in Britain (private schools, in American - and Scottish, parlance) such as Westminster. Or perhaps one of Edinburgh's famous private schools such as Fettes College or the Edinburgh Academy. After which many of them would attend Oxford or Cambridge University. Hardly surprising, then, that they should sound "posh".

[@DSQueenie]

That Hope guy actually has a very Edinburgh accent.

[@bluehockey-martin5698]

As someone who goes to an edinburgh private school, I can tell you that the culture is very English and you hear very few obviously Scottish accents, they do essentially suck up to the English establishment a lot. During the referendum I was pretty much the only (at least openly) yes person in my entire year which gives you a pretty good idea of the attitudes of the community. Although really they have posh edinburgh accents that accent sounds English because they were really raised within the English establishment and aristocracy.

[@heatherstephens9295]

How could you ever identify them as Scottish, especially with an English accent?

[@dannymcintyre3819]

@@bluehockey-martin5698 Which school?

[@allmhurach]

Got the episode on Fittie?

[@1658iain]

Sorry, no - watched it - v. interesting. I only uploaded this as so many folk on the "Lost Edinburgh" FB page had missed it…It was repeated and should be on iplayer...

[@allmhurach]

Pity - friend who bides in Spain' s mother was born there and we even met the elderly lady who featured in the programme the last time we were there. Thanks any way.

[@1658iain]

***** Easily sorted - iplayer which can be accessed in Spain by using a virtual private network like Tunnelbear or Tor Project - very simple as the BBC servers don't know where you are! Easy to use and works a treat!

[@allmhurach]

Ta!

[@central_scrutinizer]

these people dont represent most of edinburgh. a mile or two away people are living very very different lives.

[@fern1416]

I lived here. I know the Lairds and Mr Simpson

[@brunolondinese5857]

Rich people and their expensive things can be so boring! Very little of interest in this part 1, especially compared to other episodes. None of it seems to mean much at all about anything in a wider sense.

[@derekweir7692]

God hearing that Army brigadier talking about commanding 120 Jocks, God is that an abhorrent term.

[@nurlatifahmohdnor8939]

coast = costa

[@BarryHWhite]

i almost felt sorry for the auld boy...98%. W ow

[@qwertyts]

why don't they have even the slightest bit of a Scottish accent?

[@populationone1612]

Probally because of the schools they went too

[@dannymcintyre3819]

Because they are Brits not Scots - culturally upper class southern home counties English. Their language is RP English. They do not speak any Scottish language or speak in any Scottish accent. They are not culturally nor linguistically Scottish at all. Bit like Americans with Scottish ancestry - not Scottish at all but American. Likewise, these people are not Scots - they are Brits/English who happen to have Scottish ancestry and happen to reside in Scotland. I bet they don't even understand people who speak Scots or English with very obviously Scottish accents.

[@tillerman7272]

That’s actually very wrong, and pretty rude to assume that. I actually know some in this very video who stand by Scottish culture: some play the bagpipes, they attend ceilidhs, Scottish dances, have kilts and Scottish attire, are apart of whiskey establishments, know Scottish history very well, know the traditional songs, ballads and poems and chat with the locals who have thick Scottish accents, and don’t act at all snobby. Some even had ancestors who were jacobites. They were born, bred and schooled in Scotland. And having an English accent doesn’t detract from that.

[@dannymcintyre3819]

@@tillerman7272 why do speak a language from Oxford, London, Cambridge etc if they are from Scotland?

[@tillerman7272]

@@dannymcintyre3819 They are wealthy, so may send their children to private schools in Edinburgh such as Fettes or Merchiston. These schools are pretty international so they develop English accents from an early age.

[@dannymcintyre3819]

Why do all of these people speak the English language with English accents - none of them are Scots speaking or speak English with local Edinburgh or other Scottish accents despite being in the capital of Scotland. Why is this? Are Edinburgh's rich areas full of English people?

[@1658iain]

A tad anglophobic? They're Scots, born in Scotland... the accent is ever so slightly different from a pure English accent if you listen very closely.

[@dannymcintyre3819]

@@1658iain hi thanks a lot, I reject that and object in the strongest terms to that defamatory slur. Would you please point me to the words I typed that are "anglophoic" (never actually heard that word before but I googled it) and also explaain in detail exactly how they are anglophobic?

[@1658iain]

@@dannymcintyre3819 Suggesting that "none of them are Scots speaking English" & "Edinburgh's rich areas" are "full of English people" could be interpreted as Anglophobic. The residents ARE speaking with a very specific local Edinburgh accent. If your comment was not intended to be interpreted as Anglophobic, then I sincerely apologise. (I did only suggest a "tad" Anglophobic). But with the First Miniature currently baying for another Independence Referendum, tensions regarding such matters are running a bit high...

[@dannymcintyre3819]

@@1658iain Nothing I said was anglophobic at all, in my view. POinting out that rich affluent areas in Edinburgh are full of either (i) English people or (ii) people who speak a language or dialect (RP) which suggests to the listener that they are from England is not racist, bigoted or anglophobic at all. If these people all spoke with Irish accents, we'd consider them Irish. If they spoke Danish, we'd suggest they were Danish. They sound like they're from the home counties of England. Re your point about independence, it seems you want Westminster to continue to run our country. I want independence. The referendum has nothing to do with the First Minister Sturgeon (although you've decided to use the term "miniature" to demean the office, which is childish). A large majority of the electorate voted for the a referendum. Which is why there will be one. If you don't like that, join a British political party and campaign to keep Scotland run from the British parliament at Westminster.

[@1658iain]

@@dannymcintyre3819 "I want independence." And there we have it! A Nat! Some facts for you... Education, Policing & Health are devolved matters (amongst many others) and the SNP with 15+ years in office have done nothing but ruin these. "A large majority of the electorate voted for the a referendum"... A reminder, in 2014 there WAS a referendum where the majority actually voted to "Remain". Regarding the "large majority voted for a referendum"... Nope! The SNP do NOT have a majority at Holyrood save for the propping up by the Greens... And we only have the number of SNP seats there due to the voting system up here- more members of the electorate voted for non indy parties than for the Greens & the SNP. Have a nice day.

[@ntrbeing]

Her husband's in heaven lol.

[@joshuanaismith2427]

@King Brilliant Wtf what an insensitive horrible comment.....

[@frankgordon8829]

Seems like the higher you go in British aristocracy, the more boring you become.

[@gullwingstorm857]

Scottish IS British. You can't be Scottish and not be British.

[@dannymcintyre3819]

Yes you can.

[@gullwingstorm857]

@@dannymcintyre3819 No you can’t. You little Sturgeon drone.

[@dannymcintyre3819]

@@gullwingstorm857 who's sturgeon you arrogant Brit colonist clown?

[@kierenmcgrotty5297]

Im scottish. Not British. Im lucky enough to live in a nice area and nobody understands a word i say. Im a pariah in my own city. I just moved up to the posh bit.