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Morocco Land, Canongate, 1963
Drummond Young, 1963, Photograph
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Morocco Land, Canongate, 1963
Morocco Land, Canongate, 1963
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Category
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Item no
21474
Title
Morocco Land, Canongate, 1963
Description
A view of newly constructed flats and shops in the Canongate area of Edinburgh. The archway of a arcade is at the furthest section of the street. There are several people walking along the street and a pram has been parked outside on the pavement. A man crosses the road whilst reading a newspaper.
Artist / maker
Drummond Young
Date
1963
Size
21.2 x 16.2 cm
Type
Photograph
Location
Edinburgh and Scottish Collection
Morocco Land, in the Canongate is said to derive its name from the legend of Andrew Gray, an ancestor of the Earl of Moray, who, having escaped execution for rioting, fled to Morocco where he made his fortune. On his return, he heard that his cousin, daughter of the Lord Provost of the time, had caught the plague. He cured her and they later married and continued to live in her home in the Canongate. The figure of a turbaned Moor which projected from a recess over the second floor of the building is attributed to this time and associated with the plague epidemic, although it may have been a tradesman's sign.
In the 1930s, examination was made of the properties in the Canongate by officials from Edinburgh Corporation and many were assessed as being no longer fit for habitation. By 1937, the buildings were derelict and plans were made to preserve them, but by 1940 work had not begun on reconstruction. In March 1947, it was necessary to demolish part of Morocco Land when the empty tenement began to collapse and in 1952 the architect, Robert Hurd outlined his plans for the redevelopment of the second section of the Canongate to include Morocco Land. By 1958 Morocco Land had been rebuilt with shops on the ground floor and modern flats above, with the figure of the Moor reinstated in its rightful place on the wall. An unusual wooden house-front was incorporated into the façade of the building.
Exhibitions with this item
Modern Architecture in Edinburgh
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Architecture
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Architectural features
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Arches
Business
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Service industry
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Shops
Homes
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Residential buildings
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Tenements
People
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Adults
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Men
People
>
Adults
>
Women
Places
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Edinburgh areas
>
Canongate
Places
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Edinburgh areas
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Old Town
Places
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Scotland
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Edinburgh
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