One of Scotland’s most eminent scientific instrument makers, Alexander Adie, lived at Canaan Cottage for most of his life. He and his uncle both purchased plots in 1802 when the 65-acre Canaan Estate was divided and sold for building private suburban houses.
Alexander J. Adie’s second son, Alexander James Adie junior (1808-1879), was apprenticed to the civil engineer, James Jardine, and became a railway and bridge engineer. In May 1828, he wrote the account of a mongoose, which he had kept at Canaan Cottage for about a year, and he published this in the first issue of The Magazine of Natural History, in 1829.
Charles Maclaren (1782-1866) was co-founder and editor of the Scotsman newspaper. He moved to Moreland Cottage from Northumberland Street in the New Town of Edinburgh around 1851, and he lived there until his death at the age of 84, in September 1866.
John Thomson was a most remarkable man. Born a weaver in Paisley, he retired as Professor at Edinburgh University. He Lived at Moreland Cottage.
John Stuart Forbes (1849-1876) came to Edinburgh aged two, where his parents, a banker, Charles Hay Forbes and his wife, Jemima Rebecca Macdonell, lived at Canaan Park. He fought at the battle of Little Big Horn under Custer, and was killed
It’s one of the optimistic clichés of the natural world that the discovery of a rare newt can stop plans for building on green land. Since the water which passes through the Astley Ainslie grounds is largely confined to pipes, finding a newt seems a bit unlikely. But history is unlikely…
St Roque house, built around 1850, is one of the magnificent historical buildings at the Astley Ainslie. Rebuilding the house, William Ivory and Robina Cox Ivory cultivated connections to the Botanical Society of Edinburgh and a substantial garden.
Dr Grieve was minister of the Old Church, Edinburgh at the time he was caricatured by John Kay in 1793. His head is here attached to the ass, being ridden by Robert Dundas, the Lord Advocate. He lived at Canaan House.
The ‘Canaan’ site, which the Astley Ainslie occupies, has been associated with public health for at least 600 years. The 15th centruy Chapel of St Roque and its adjacent hospital served victims of Edinburgh’s plagues.
In 1901, Frances Hodgson Burnett published her book, The Secret Garden, a popular work, constantly in print for more than a hundred years and the inspiration of extensive adaptations in film and television.
Judith Friedland of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, writes about the Occupational Health connection between Astley Ainslie and Canada.
The Astley Ainslie grounds contain two carvings by the Scottish artist, Maxwell Allan, who worked with both Hew Lorimer and Ian Hamilton Finlay.
The Astley Ainslie Hospital is a wonderful place to work in. Apart from the excellent staff from all quarters, the environment is so uplifting. I worked there as a Clinical Psychologist from 1976-1980 at the start of the new Rehabilitation service under Professor Cairns Aitken
The Astley Ainslie site has a long and rich history – a history that reveals the deep connections between human health and the land we inhabit.