Roanshead House

A Memory of Easthouses.

In 1956 I came to work in Scotland having been transferred from Yorkshire by the NCB. I needed a house and the semi derelict house known as Roanshead House was available, but boarded up and was not on mains electricity. My wife and I liked the look of the house and was told electricity would be provided in 3-4 months, so we agreed to move there when the house was renovated. We eventually moved in about May 1957 with two children Ann (2) and Susan (3 months). We lived there until 1967 when I was moved back South, to become Deputy Director of the NCB Mining Research & Development Establishment, Bretby. We were extremely happy living in Easthouses, everyone friendly, nearest neighbour was Dod Ormiston, who lived at the farm up the road and kept his cows in the field with the Maryburn running through (now a housing estate, I believe). Our two girls went to the local school, with the eldest, Ann, going on to Dalkeith High School. In 1960 we had our only son Neil, born in the hous; a roaring fire in the upstairs bedroom. As he got older he moved into the small bedroom in the middle of the house in a small bed specially made to fit the room. The children went to Sunday School in Newton Grange, taken there by Elizabeth Sinclair who lived down Maryburn Road. She married and emigrated to Australia. I would go fishing with two mates (can't remember their names), but the dog was called Moss. One of them worked for an agricultural machine company and the other for Pooley, the weighing scale supplier. We would go night fishing on the Tweed and call in all the pubs on the way for a dram. We would take part in the Galas and I believe one of the past occupiers of Roanshead, a Miss Stones who lived there with her brother, was very much involved with Prewar galas. I think she worked for The Lothian Coal Co. who owned the house before nationalisation. Interestingly the Marquess of Lothian's brother Ralph Kerr lives in Melbourne Hall, just 10 minutes from where I live. As a young married couple we found Easthouses an ideal place to bring up the family and Roanshead House to us, was something very special, especially the Rowan tree in the garden. I have photographs of Roanshead and the gala days which I can pass on if they are of any interest. I am now 83, widowed but still very active and have run a Burns evening in our village for the past 20+ years and will be hosting one on Friday 25th 2013. My son plays the keyboard, Susan sings (with Scottish accent) and Katherine born here in Derbyshire, plays the clarinet. Lovely memories of Roanshead House and Easthouses.