IMAGES OF ESKBRIDGE

from Jim Neil’s collection

These formed part of the Eskbridge exhibition at Jackson Street School Penicuik

for Penicuik Community Development Trust on 17 March 2007

Eskbridge Station on the Penicuik-Rosewell line Jim Neil

Burnside Cottages Eskbridge, beside the station on the Jim Neil

Penicuik-Rosewell line

Brickworks Cottage Eskbridge. Esk Bridge and Burnside Jim Neil

Cottages are on the right; NBR Station and Esk paper Mills in the

background, looking south

Esk Mills from the south, with NBR railway bridge and the paper mill siding in the foreground, Shop Raw is in middle distance on the right. Jim Neil writes: “I didn't know the layout of Esk Mills all that well for despite most of my relatives on my mother's side working there, I never worked there myself. I can remember being in the mill lots of times as a youngster, mainly accompanying my grandmother or aunt when they took a meal of some kind to my grandfather or uncles. The other occasions were when we carried the heavy accumulator for our wireless down to the electricians' shop to be recharged --- that was a devil of a job! If you ever hear old mill workers talking about working in the "enamelling house", that was the first building on the left coming down the (private) mill brae (you can see the brae on the right of the picture, about one-fifth of the way in from the edge). It was, in fact, the coating department. The next building down, this time on the right, contained the offices. Then the long, dark-coloured building in the middle of the picture was for grass and pulp storage. I had an uncle who operated the "jigger" in that building. This was an overhead crane which traversed the entire length of the shed. I used to think that it must be the best job in the world! I find the buildings on the right-hand top edge really interesting. About half way between the top of the mill brae and the edge, you can see 'Eskvale' . I remember this as the residence of Willie Frew the Chief Engineer but Ian, his son, tells me that before that time the McDougalls' lived there after they had vacated 'Southbank'. 'Shop Raw' is clearly evident and I thought that I could see 'Oakleaf'. However, if the building that I think is 'Oakleaf' is truly that, then what happened to Hawthorn Cottage? I'll have to think about that one! Your date of 1930's for the postcard seems fair enough. To my mind, it looked much the same in the '40's as well. People who knew the mill intimately might be able to date it more closely by studying the mill buildings.”