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Wester Hailes

Wester Hailes
Wester Hailes
Wester Hailes, located on the western periphery of Edinburgh, is a post-war housing estate constructed between 1969 and 1975. In 1988, Wester Hailes was one of four housing estates chosen to take part in the New Life for Urban Scotland Initiative. The initiative, and the partnerships that they generated, were expected to provide valuable lessons on how to tackle the social, economic and environmental problems of large urban distressed areas. The area was extensively redeveloped during the 1990s and 2000s. New initiatives, outlined by the Wester Hailes Partnership, covered housing and environmental improvement, the development of social facilities, the provision of training opportunities and the promotion of community activities and involvement.

The majority of the photographs within this exhibition were pictures taken for The Sentinel or West Edinburgh Times local newspapers. They are in the custodianship of Prospect Community Housing who maintain the From There... To Here blog charting the social history of Wester Hailes. The black and white photographs in this exhibition date from the late 1970s and evoke a real sense of the community spirit that continues to exist in Wester Hailes.

Have a look at an exhibition showing contemporary images of Winter to Spring in Wester Hailes.