Andy Arthur 🐣 Threadinburgh 🧵
@cocteautriplets
Followers
18,687
Following
2,329
Media
25,100
Statuses
137,330
Overlooked stories of Edinburgh, Leith & Scottish local history. Expect the unexpected: people, buildings, transport, maps & occasional attempts to be funny
Threadinburgh en Ecosse
Joined December 2009
Don't wanna be here?
Send us removal request.
Explore trending content on Musk Viewer
Oprah
• 624688 Tweets
Papa
• 270757 Tweets
Jill Biden
• 118526 Tweets
Nebraska
• 113735 Tweets
Máximo
• 30703 Tweets
対象作品
• 27438 Tweets
Vaticano
• 26518 Tweets
双葉社フェア開催
• 24546 Tweets
Concord
• 23342 Tweets
Axel
• 19677 Tweets
HAPPY MOMENTS WITH BAMBAM
• 17357 Tweets
Stanford
• 15197 Tweets
Andrade
• 14735 Tweets
Peterson
• 10642 Tweets
Pinned Tweet
For 2022 the ESPC carpets of the day shall be going into a monster thread for ease of reference. You're welcome 🙇♂️
3
5
50
If you keep the height of your carton constant but shrink the depth and width of it almost imperceptibly, by just 3.8%, you can reduce the amount of juice in it by 15% and hope people won't notice
#shrinkflation
131
1K
5K
On this day in
#Edinburgh
in 1861 a great disaster occurred, one immortalised in a single phrase literally set in stone. It had enormous repercussions at the time and yet it's also largely forgotten, its details vague. This is the thread about the "Fall of Heave Awa' Land" 🧵👇
95
879
4K
The curious history and politics of plain breid. A thread. 🧵👇
211
755
3K
About a month ago, Scottish Water dug a very deep hole at the end of Dalmeny Street to investigate a leak, closed the road and then downed tools. This morning, the locals have now spoken.
61
327
3K
I saw a tweet yesterday about how an SUV was "as big as a Sherman tank", and I wasn't sure it was, so I decided to find out. The answer is "not quite. But getting there".
140
1K
3K
Stop what you are doing right now and check out this vintage greengrocer shop interior! Yours for only £60,000 (38 Bridge Road, Colinton)
93
187
2K
We have looked at Plain Bread. We have delved into the depths of the Macaroni pie. We have examined the origins of Neeps and Haggis. So now we must turn our gaze upon that other stalwart of Scottish cuisine; the Lorne aka Square aka Slicing sausage (📷Bayne's Family Bakers)🧵👇
155
276
2K
It is time now for another important piece of Scottish culinary history, so let us go beneath the crunchy, cheesy crust of the Macaroni Pie and find out a little bit more about the history of this gastronomic delicacy 🧵👇 (📷Bayne's Family Bakers)
79
325
2K
It is with a heavy heart that I bring you the news that they are at it, once again.
13
273
2K
There were only 3 Barrys born in Scotland last year, and only 1 the year before that. Peak Barry was in 1979, when 502 Barrys were born.
We need to do something about Scotland's Barry situation, and do it quickly, otherwise we're at a genuine risk of Barrys becoming extinct
146
320
2K
There are few words that will get some Scottish folk as misty eyed, nostalgic and feeling wistful as "Creamola Foam".
But what is this apocryphal delicacy? How and where did it come to be? And just what is its dark secret? Add 2 spoons, stir, and let's find out. 🧵👇
116
267
2K
Apropos current events, I thought it might be interesting, relevant or both to delve a little into the name of a certain street and dispel a few myths or misapprehensions about it. 🧵👇
54
397
2K
Aurora Borealis? At this time of year? At this time of day? In this part of the country? Localized entirely over Edinburgh?
49
104
1K
Edinburgh has put up a giant sign saying Edinburgh in the centre of Edinburgh.
Incredinburgh.
94
84
1K
I took a punt in the charity shop and splashed out 79p on a nondescript but intriguing little book. And boy, am I glad I did, because it relates the most incredible life story, which I will now relay to you. This thread is about Bessie Watson, the Suffragette Piper Girl 🧵
69
486
1K
He packs his lunch in a Sunblest bag, the children call him Bogie
He never lets on, but I know 'cause he once told me
He let me know a secret about the money in his kitty
He's gonna buy a dinghy, gonna call her...
37
217
1K
The registers of Canongate Kirk record on 17th Feb 1819 a 22 year old man was interred, having died 3 days earlier from fever. What they do not say is that he was far from the land of his birth and that he was a truly remarkable man. He was John Sakeouse and this is his story🧵👇
29
332
1K
Julie, have you tried flattening the boxes rather than piling them up in the middle of your kitchen? 🤷♂️
60
60
1K
Your periodic reminder that, when it comes to railway styling, Japan just does what it feels. No half measures.
49
286
1K
Today I'd like to pay tribute to an unsung hero of Wikipedia, Xabier Cid, who took a photo of a Scotch Pie in Glasgow in 2007, translated it as "Pastel Escocés" and wrote it up for Galician wikipedia.
37
169
1K
When you design a building and leave the alignments and spacing up to Microsoft Word
16
96
933
And just like that, magically graffiti is gone and the hole is filled. The system works 🤜🤛
About a month ago, Scottish Water dug a very deep hole at the end of Dalmeny Street to investigate a leak, closed the road and then downed tools. This morning, the locals have now spoken.
61
327
3K
17
68
923
I am probably going to get pelters for this. But here we go. Scottish politicians as WW2 British Aircraft...
128
255
884
Our entirely unscientific comparison shows these 3 popular SUVs are about 90% of the length, 80% of the width and 70% of the height and footprint of a common mid-war, mid-range, WW2 tank.
28
315
840
Trying to summon the strength to compose a thoughtful or constructive tweet to accompany this. But I can't, so I'll just go with my initial response of "Oh, for fucks sake!" and find a desk to go bang my head off
48
91
794
Because it's topical, let's have a very brief thread on some history of that Scottish culinary staple, the morning roll. 🧵👇
35
196
785
Stop what you are doing right now and enjoy Aberdeen's finest estate agents' virtual housedressing (h/t
@UrbanistTOC
) 🔗👉
57
165
779
In 1901, the Public Health Committee of the Town Council of Edinburgh paid £50 to commission a then remarkable and pioneering bit of research: they asked three doctors to go out into the working classes and poor of the city and find out what they actually ate. 🧵👇🍲
45
255
770
That the "problem" with Gaelic that makes it unlearnable is the word for "wine waiter" being "neach-frithealaidh-fion" is peak Guardian.
27
104
731
You want to see a 90 second animation showing 188 years of railway building, closure and re-opening in Edinburgh? You do? Great, cos I made one. Simultaneously fascinating and depressing.
41
449
724
AI input - "The biggest Caledonian Macbrayne ferry ever, serving macaroni cheese". The results of this genuinely made me laugh. I mean they're so good, and yet so simultaneously awfully bad.
22
82
701
In Edinburgh this is called the 30 and goes via a route so circuitous and counter-intuitive that it could never be retraced to the mystery destination of Clovenstone, which exists only on bus timetables
not only is public transport free in Brussels, but they even have a bus called "Not The 48" which takes you to a mystery location if you're feeling a bit down or you just don't have anything to do that day
something for other cities to consider
446
9K
114K
52
49
684
What about is a Wankpanzer as big as a Panzer? Again, "not quite, but getting there".
20
169
658
Just picked up my Halowe'en costume and frankly it's terrifying 😱
18
98
658
There are only a few basic typologies of the standard 1930s Edinburgh suburban bungalow, but the "suprised owl in a sombrero" variant is a new one on me.
17
46
661
Cut through the romantic hubris about it being inspired by highland camping trips and I think the real design inspiration was "how can we design a car that's as dangerous as possible for any pedestrian who is unfortunate enough to be hit by it".
57
71
652
There's a building on the Edinburgh skyline which is as unusual as it is instantly recognisable. It looks ancient, but, relatively, is not. It's interesting in its own right. But perhaps more interesting is what it barely conceals, what you've maybe never noticed. 🧵👇
19
101
645
He was 12 year old Joseph Mcivor, nephew and boarder with the Mcluskies, and he was alive. His likeness and words would later be carved in stone above the entrance to the rebuilt tenement, where you can see them to this day.
8
41
628
Some of the fundamental principals of classical architecture include symmetry, proportion, columns, pediments and a great big level split in the middle to save a few thousand quid on ground works
25
43
594
Have you ever wondered why at its far western end, where it meets North Charlotte Street, the regular Georgian, right-angled grid of the First New Town does something odd and has a bevelled corner? You have? Great, lets find out why. A quick 🧵👇
18
81
601
Fixed those bilingual signs by removing all the bits that aren't English so the radges will ken where they're going now
10
136
585
Architect absolutely nailed the late nineties provincial leisure pool brief 💯👏
39
30
550
Point of order. Digestives were invented in Edinburgh. On Robertson Avenue in Gorgie to be precise.
35
164
542
I can assure you, Daily Record, that the birthplace of Christianity in Scotland is neither "hidden" nor "lesser-known"
23
33
548
I think I can speak on behalf of everyone in Scotland when I say, from the bottom of my heart, "Thank you, Ben.
Thank you.
Thank you for finding our lost islands." 🙏🫂
(It's funny, they're always in the last place you look, aren't they?)
33
63
553
Tantamount to a declaration of war here from Lidl
87
61
549
In Scotland we waste billions on bilingual signage that nobody can understand 🤔
29
89
539
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge then flew their private helicopter to their 289 room palace in Edinburgh which sits unoccupied for most of the year, being maintained for them at the expense of the taxpayer but for which they get to keep the entrance charges
#touching
11
123
509
And what about the best of British? Once more, not quite but nearly.
10
139
536
Every time you see a proposal for a new station it's a big car park and access road, a couple of fugly lift towers and a bus shelter stuck on the platform as an afterthought
66
55
512
Say hello to these two lovely ladies who just drove at the zebra crossing full of pedestrians who were crossing, leaning on the horn to try and clear the way, then tried to shoo us off the crossing. Thanks to passing Polis car for ignoring it 👏
40
92
495
For giggles, here is the answer to that chinscratcher "is my Mini as big as a WW2 tank". Pick the right tank and the answer is "yes, yes it is as big as a WW2 tank".
5
99
496
It's all kicking off in Edinburgh South 👀
27
91
500
Here's one for you that I bet you probably never heard of.
Did you know that in 1928, a proposal was put forward to make crossing the Firth of Forth by car easier by building a dam across it?
A short thread, by nature of the complete lack of information available. 🪡👇
18
111
489
The contrast between Edinburgh and Glasgow in the vacant and derelict land survey is stark. 👀
Every year,
@Scotgov
collects data to find out how much vacant and derelict land there is in Scotland, which is publicly released.
For the first time, you can now view this data on an interactive map to find out about sites near you.
ℹ️ To view, visit:
8
78
121
37
89
489
When the decision to close the direct line from Edinburgh to Perth via Glenfarg was made by Richard Marsh MP in 1969, it was justified as saving the 22mile route's £241k operating deficit. When 7 miles of M90 opened between Dunfermline and Kinross that same year, it had cost £4m
Annual plea to the train gods to please, please, please build a faster train line between Perth and Edinburgh. 🚂
37
22
292
8
78
491
Given that the Palace of Holyroodhouse is currently getting more attention than it is used to, let's briefly take a delve into a usually overlooked aspect of its historic residents 🧵👇
9
89
442
Tremendously exciting! A pulley transfer and cable inspection pit, sith it's c. 9 foot pulley wheels sitting just below the surface!
Old tram pulley wheels uncovered by
@EdinburghTrams
dig on
#LeithWalk
at
#Pilrig
Archeologists there now. Engineer says might cover with huge metal plate
Looks amazing with original brickwork.
24
117
479
27
80
434
The Penguin Book Donkey. Perfectly sized to take new and popular Penguin paperbacks (themselves now a classic of modern design). It was simple in form, made from a few plywood parts. The side "panniers" held the Penguins, the central slot, magazines and papers.
2
45
417
🧵So what is special about August 27th? Well, it was today, 239 years ago, when the eccentric Edinburgh character of James Tytler ascended in his hot air balloon and flew the 3,000 or so feet from Comely Gardens to Restalrig, the first aerial flight in the British Isles. Thread👇
10
138
421
I appear to have acquired a thing... And should be henceforth barred from auction houses for my own good.
40
11
417
So here we go then. Edinburgh's public tramway system, 1870-closure in 1956. Horse, cable and electric. It's quite amazing how quickly it grew or was converted between different power systems, and even more shocking how quickly it was closed.
9
134
406
To all the lovers, but especially the haters, of the Lorne Hot Cross Bun™, I give you:
🥐⚫"le croissant noir et brun"
(
@Simon_Howie
"wee black" in a croissant with brown sauce)
Your move,
@ScotRail
.
66
34
404
Hi guys just remember that they've made some changes to the Highway Code and if you need to park your car directly outside the primary school gate you can't do it on the zigzags, you have to go onto the pavement and put your flashers on. (This new rule only applies for Audis)
38
58
399
The Category-A listed Cables Wynd House. Leith's answer to Le Corbusier's Unité d'Habitation. Unmistakably the "banana flats" on account of their bendy plan🍌.
But did you know they are neither the only nor the original banana flats in Edinburgh? 🪡👇
14
58
400
Scotland Street, in
#Edinburgh
's 2nd New Town. Not the grandest or longest such, but certainly one of the more interesting. But what draws me to it is what you cannot see - the tunnel running beneath. Join me for a quick 🧵on the "Life and Crimes of the Scotland Street Tunnel" 👇
5
53
395
Returning to my teenage haunt. To paraphrase Captain Oates, "I am just stepping inside. I may be some time"
27
10
396
I'm not quite sure being hit by a car and being sent flying through the air is quite a "near miss", do you
@BBCNews
? 🤔
16
50
396
And just in case you think I'm unfairly treating the motor industry on this car / military comparison, I'm not the one who markets vehicles such as the Defender, Grenadeir, Shogun, Barbarian, Ranger, Warrior, Lancer etc.
15
30
388
Stop what you are doing right now and take yourself a look at this beautiful little cottage that also includes its own railway track "which is available to purchase along with “Meg of Saughtree” a Ruston diesel shunter, two wagons and a guard's van."
11
55
391
The workmanship of the cladding of this really is catastrophically poor.
51
55
384
Aged just 11, Bessie found herself in London leading out the Scottish contingent, with the male pipers behind her, ahead of the Royal Standard of Scotland. The most incredible and powerful photo was taken of that moment.
2
49
391
On this day in 1964, 58 years ago, Egon Riss died at home in Colinton in suburban Edinburgh.
A name relatively unknown outside modernist design and industrial architecture circles, much of his life's work was unceremoniously demolished. Let's try and raise his profile bit 🧵👇
21
97
385
"Not Spoken Here", the Monoglot's railway map of East and Central Scotland, with no Gaelic, Celtic or other foreign Mumbo-Jumbo to confuse or offend the traveler. (Ironically, this is going to cost millions in new station signs)
25
264
372
👷Architect: So, what do you think?
🤷♂️Client: Oh. I thought I said 6 storeys?
👷Architect: 6? I thought it was 4? Oh. Give me one second. Can you pass me that pen?
<sound of scribbling>
15
26
381
More bright, colourful and cheery doors in the otherwise staid, repetitive and frequently monotonous New Town please. 👏
45
28
377
Right, I've finally animated the Leith coastline as best as I can, from the estimated ancient shoreline to present day. I feel it's a tragedy that the docks in their current form totally disconnect modern Leith from the sea that formed it.
25
116
377
This had me stumped (ho!ho!ho!) for a bit as it's not "in the books", but some digging around in other places has thrown up a few answers! 🪄🧵👇
I’ve an old mirror with this intriguing plaque on the bottom.
Anyone from Scotland, or a witch (or both) who knows any more about the Edinburgh Witches Tree?
#Edinburgh
#Witches
15
24
68
20
80
376
This pub has been in the news for the wrong reasons recently, but despite appearances it's a very important pub; a surviving example of only a handful of such interwar hostelries built in
#Edinburgh
- the Roadhouse. And these 9 pubs have a story to tell. Shall we unravel it?🧵👇
24
75
378
If you take the word "lockdown" out it begins to make more sense
11
64
360
Next came the occurrence which would immortalise the events. From the wreckage a child could be heard crying. They dug towards him for two hours. He was trapped beneath a beam. The boy summoned his strength and courage to urge his rescuers - "Heave awa' Lads, I'm no deid yet"
3
24
371
Erect industrial grade barriers around your public spaces and charge people for the privelege of congregating in them. Then ban them from bringing their own bottle so you can charge them heavily for a cup of plastic pish. Did I get it right?
Nobody does New Year like Scotland 🏴 Find out how you can bring in 2019 the Scottish way 🎉
#Hogmanay
#NewYear2018
#Scotland
7
34
77
18
101
354
Please don't tell me that this isn't one of the most stunning and defining Scottish political photos of the 20th century. Bessie has Christabel Pankhurst's brooch around her neck, I believe, and a WPSU celtic knot badge on her sash.
1
62
366
It has been brought to my attention that I'm on the Netflix
👶🦌
9
8
367
Guys, if you like old lades and watermills, get yourself along to the former Canon Mill (Canon Street, Canonmills) as the lade and wheelpit have been exposed at the back by building works and are very visible from just metres away.
33
59
350
Another sleepy little suburban Edinburgh street of neat little inter-war bungalows and well trimmed hedges. I've cycled down it hundreds of times, probably even a thousand, and never paid it any attention. If I had, I might have found out that this is no ordinary street 🧵👇
15
45
353
Thoughts and prayers with all the very disappointed 30-40 something Dads in Financial Services at this difficult time for them
14
21
346
Some small but exciting and significant news was received by myself and
@sarasheridan
today. 2 days ago, Historic Environment Scotland updated Canmore (the national online heritage catalogue) to retire the name "Muschet's Cairn" from this small monument in Holyrood Park
32
93
351
I've previously jested that "Clovenstone" is a placename that only exists on bus timetables.
This is of course silly. But is there anything more to say about Clovenstone than its where more than one bus route starts and finishes? Of course there is. Let's go find out 🧵👇
@overlandertheb1
@cocteautriplets
I challenge Andy to create a thread on the fascinating and unsuspected history of Clovenstone.
2
0
10
38
53
346
It's been many years since I've paid too much attention to The Simpsons, but this time they've gone too far.
28
26
345
If you made it this far, thank you. I hope you enjoyed hearing the story as much as I did telling it. If you like this sort of thing please consider visiting my website for these stories at Threadinburgh dot Scot and signing up to the emails.
12
14
339
I, for one, am stoked that Grangemouth got the winter Olympics.
7
38
339
This is Clydebank. Specifically, this is Dalmuir.
And this is a thread 🧵. Specifically, a thread about Dalmuir's fleeting involvement in the production of giant, improbable aircraft. 👇
(📷Stephen Sweeney / CC BY-SA)
25
65
329
In case anyone's looking for a quirky seating solution, there's a pair of Edinburgh Corporation bus seats up for auction in Leith just now. Estimate £80-120 for the pair.
16
50
336
Teasers. (Yes, I have been working on this off and on for the best part of 5 months)
Should I do a schematic historic transport map of Scotland showing all the former railways and Highlands & Islands steamer services?
10
1
17
23
43
336
Scene.
Edinburgh Waverley, 9PM, Sept. 30 1940. A man lingers in the shadows by a bookstall, a hand in his pocket. He watches the left luggage counter, waiting anxiously. He steps forward and in the same instant is caught in a vice-like grip.
For Werner Walti, the war is over.
12
69
328