Locals will meet on Thursday this week to discuss setting up a new residents association.
‘With city developments encroaching on us in adjacent areas, we feel that now is the time to make sure that our voice is heard at the Council table,’ reads a flyer circulating in the area.
’We also feel that as a community we would benefit from knowing and supporting our neighbours better.’
The streets proposed for inclusion are: Picardy Place, Broughton Street Lane, Forth Street, Union Street, Hart Street, Broughton Place and the east side of Broughton Street.
In other words, a northward extension of the area established in the early 1730s as Picardie Village. Here, French Protestant (Huguenot) weavers were encouraged to put down roots and share skills with the natives.
A helpful press release by those behind today's plan explains:
The houses were built south facing with allotments to the front in what is now Broughton Street Lane. This ground was enclosed by a drystone dyke extending to what is now Picardy Place. The gardens were then divided into 13 allotments giving each house one-third of an acre of ground. The lane to the back of the houses was laid with ‘causey’ stones donated by the Council.
Each house was built with a workspace for the looms and for teaching local apprentices how to weave silks, linens and cambrics. There was a coal house, bakehouse and latterly a barber’s shop.
In the adjoining lands towards Broughton Place and Gayfield Square there were numerous prosperous French fue holders. Mr Jolie and Mr Bonar, to name a couple, were both entrepreneurial and influential in Edinburgh society.
Spurtle wishes the new group well, although we wonder whether they might usefuliy advance east a bit to embrace Gayfield Square residents, whose association has had trouble securing new active members in recent years.
The meeting is scheduled for 6.00pm on Thursday 19 October in the Outhouse (Broughton Street Lane).
A good initiative for those living in the 'top of Broughton Street' area. @theSpurtle @KarenDoran3