Dumbiedykes - Hidden Cottages Traditional Cache
Shrek, Fiona & Donkey: Cache archived due to me moving home. Thanks to the builders who replaced the cache after replacing the fence it was attached to. Great to know there are some very decent folk out there!
Dumbiedykes - Hidden Cottages
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A quick series of caches in and around the Dumbiedykes area of Edinburgh.
Dumbiedykes is an area of central Edinburgh, located between Salisbury Crags, the Pleasance, and the Moray House campus of Edinburgh University. It comprises the three streets of Viewcraig Gardens, Viewcraig Street and Dumbiedykes Road.
It takes its name from the first School for the Deaf and Dumb that was founded nearby by Thomas Braidwood in the 1800's. For many years in the late 1800's and the first half of the 20th century the housing in the area was of a very poor quality. Indeed the Victorian tenements were known as the "Penny Tenements", the story being that the dilapidation was so bad that the owner of the properties, afraid of being liable should an accident occur, was so desperate to sell that he was prepared to let the properties be purchased for a single penny! No-one took him up on the offer.
Dumbiedykes is now a council housing scheme. Built in the 50's and 60's, and owned by the council ever since, it has until recently been the centre of a controversial plan to transfer the council's housing stock in the area to Housing Association control, with the promise of a massive injection of cash to renew the fabric of the properties (which fell through just before Christmas 2002).
There are around 700 individual flats and maisonettes in all, compressed in an area about a quarter of a mile square. Apart from owner occupiers and private tenants (of which there are a growing number, consisting of young professionals and students), the vast majority of residents are council tenants, some of whom have lived on the scheme since its inception, with a smaller proportion finding temporary accommodation on the scheme.
The district between Holyrood Park and the Pleasance was once an area of arable land divided into strips by DYKES.
Around 1764, Thomas Braidwood established an Academy for the Deaf and Dumb here, on the east side of St Leonard's road.
The Academy soon became known by the nickname DUMMIE HOOSE. It closed in 1873, but the nickname remained. The house appeared on Kirkwood's 1817 map of Edinburgh as DUMBIE HOUSE, and was later known as Craigside. It was demolished in 1939.
This cache takes you into the shadows of the two high rise buildings of the estate, Holyrood Court and Loch View Court.
I only recently discovered these cottages despite living in the area for the last 10 years!
The cache itself is overlooked by many windows so ultimate stealth is required. It is easily accessible to most but as it is off the main path it would not be suitable for wheelchairs.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Zntargvp anab - Gbc bs zrgny srapr fhccbeg juvpu unf orra rathysrq ol n gerr.
Treasures
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