1950s Greenside and Greenside Youth Club

Before the glass facade of the multiplex cinema, the metal giraffes and the car boot sales, the Greenside area of Edinburgh was home to a population of 571 people living in 256 houses. Lying in the shadow of Calton Hill, the neighbourhood's narrow streets and alleyways saw little sunshine. The area suffered from poor ventilation, over-crowding and poor sanitation. With the backing of the City's Medical Officer of Health and the Chief Sanitory Inspector, Greenside was a priority area on the council's programme of slum clearances. The Medical Officer had declared the area unfit for human habitation and the only satisfactory option would be to pull the tenements down.
Here though, a collection of photographs held by the Edinburgh & Scottish Collection describes a different side of the story. They were taken and kindly shared with Edinburgh Libraries by Wm Ewing Smith. Ewing Smith lived in the Greenside neighbourhood at the time, helping out at the Greenside Mission whilst at college in Edinburgh studying theology. His pictures capture the spirit of a strong community coming together at Greenside Youth Club to play and have fun. They offer a unique record of a lost community and a vibrant picture of youth culture in 1950s Edinburgh.