13 Albany Street
1897 – 1904 Apartments
These were run by three sisters in their thirties, Violet, Isabella and Flora Elphinstone. They moved here from Number 39 where they had run a similar establishment. Then in 1904 they moved again, this time to Number 41, where they ran their apartments until 1925.
The property then was sub-divided into offices.
1906 – 1912 Office of Edward F Gibson
Edward Gibson was solicitor (SSC). He attended The Edinburgh Institution which later became Stewart's Melville College and while in Albany Street acted as the Hon. Secretary to the Edinburgh Institution Former Pupils' Golf Club. He graduated from Edinburgh University in 189, winning two prizes.
He was involved with the Church of Scotland and in 1907 he delivered an address at the Church of Scotland Guild Conference. In 1910, he was a member of the Hospitality Committee as part of the organisation of the World Missionary Conference held in Edinburgh which welcomed around 1,200 representatives of Protestant denominations and missionary societies.
1906 – 1917 Office of George Robert Stewart
George Robert Stewart was a solicitor (SSC) and previously in partnership with Gregor McGregor in the Firm of Macgregor & Stewart but in 1906 the dissolved their partnership and George carried on business in his own name at Number 13.
1907 – 1917 Office of J Stuart Macdonald
Solicitor - became one of the partners in the law firm, Murray, Lawson and Macdonald
1912 – 1917 William Thomas Purves
Civil engineer trading as J & W Purves.
1918 – 1945 Office of John M Geoghegan
John Geoghegan bought the house and lived here and ran his accountancy practice from the house. He let some parts of the house, In 1925 there were two women, Janet Haddow and Elizabeth Macnamee lodging.
For a number of years Geoghegan also acted as secretary of the South East of Scotland Retail Drapers and Men’s’ Outfitters Association. Around 1938, the firm became John M Geoghegan & Sons and working in the firm from 1928 – 1934 were Ronald Kennedy, and from 1937 – 1940, Eric D Crawford and James Whitton.
It seems likely that this the James Whitton referred to in an account of life at Edinburgh University in 1953 by Lawrence Mackie: ‘My worst class was Accounting and Taxation, taught by Mr James Whitton, whose room was at the top of the second set of stone spiral stairs in Old College. It was mandatory to pass this subject to qualify as a solicitor, so gaining a pass was important. With “Mackie” for a surname it varied whether I came in the ‘M’s or in the ‘Macs’ in formal roles, and when Mr Whitton read out the names of the students who had passed the degree exam in his course, and I didn’t appear in the ‘Macs’ I assumed I had failed, so when he finally read out my name in the ‘Ms’ I couldn’t stop myself uttering a great whoop. “Some people who passed this exam didn’t expect to,” was Mr Whitton’s only comment.’
John Geoghegan died in the 1940s. The accountancy firm continues to this day and is one of Edinburgh’s and Scotland’s major independent chartered accountancy firms.
late 1940s Dudley Stewart
1949 – around 1970 Office of Roxburgh & Forrest Ltd
Quarrymasters.
1949 – 1960 GestetnerOne of the international chain of branch offices that sold and serviced Gestetner products.
Mid 1960s – (at least mid-1970s) William Vannan
Architect. (photo Forrester Park Housing Estate designed by him)
Mid 1960s – 2018 Alexander Kirkwood & SonKirkwoods was a family business that stretched back to the early 1800s. One unfortunate claim to fame for the firm was that in 1824 the firm was accidentally responsible for the Great Fire of Edinburgh as it began in their workshop in the old town. The firm was medallists and engravers. It bought Number 13 around 1965 and sold it in 2018 and moved to Jane Street. Here a photo from 1956 of Mr Kirkwood and his son who carried on the business.
