27 Albany Street

1898 – 1904 Thomas John Millar and Ella Morrison (neé Inches) Millar

Thomas was an accountant and Ella a City Councillor. Ella’s father, Sir Robert Kirk Inches, also was an Edinburgh Councillor and became Edinburgh’s Lord Provost in 1912. Ella later became the first woman to be elected as a magistrate in Edinburgh. She also served on a range of public bodies, including the Central Midwives Board for Scotland. She received a MBE. In her capacity as an Edinburgh Councillor, she attended a meeting of the Edinburgh Safety First Committee in 1927 at which it was proposed that ‘red lights be fitted to outlying portions of statues’, as the Chief Constable had ‘a few complaints from motorists of nearly running into the Gladstone statue’. It was pointed out that it would cost a lot of money to put red lights on all the city’s statues and Ella suggested that if there was better lighting in the vicinity of any statues requiring attention that this might meet the point.

The house then lay empty for a few years.

1907– 1916 William and Maud (neé Kemp) Ramsay

William Alexander Ramsay was an advocate, having practised since 1894. The couple moved into the house after their marriage, and in their first year in the house had a son. William also was a member of The Primrose League, an organisation set up in 1883 to advocate Conservative principles in Great Britain, and, in 1898, addressed a meeting of the League in Glasgow.

Maud was active at the start of the First World War in seeking donations for the military’s Second Scottish General Hospital, based in the previous Craigleath poorhouse, which had served the St Cuthbert’s district of Edinburgh and included an Infirmary. She wrote to the newspapers seeking donations: ‘I am endeavouring, with the consent of the authorities of Craigleith Military Hospital to collect a small sum of money sufficient to provide each wounded soldier there with a Christmas present in the form of a box of chocolates.’ Issue Two of the Craigleith Hospital Chronicle recounts the Christmas day festivities, including that every patient in the hospital received a box of chocolates, for which Mrs Ramsay is thanked. The magazine also describes the concerts organised by the medical staff that took place in each of the wards. ‘In ward 1A Dr Ritchie’s Quartette opened the concert. Staff-Sgt Paxton also sang, whilst Pte Kemp contributed a conjuring entertainment. Dr Fordyce sang, after a violin solo had been tastefully executed, and a very happy gathering came to an end.’

Maud died of pneumonia in 1915 and it appears that William left Albany Street soon after. He died six years later.

1918 – 1919 James and Eleanor (Shaw) Irvine-DyceJames Irvine-Dyce, and his brother, William (photo), were born in Kirkwall. On the death of their father, James Irvine, a merchant seaman, their mother, Mary, moved to Leith in Edinburgh and remarried John Dyce, a stonemason. James was working as a sculptor when he enlisted in the First World War on 31 August 1914. He joined the 25th Royal Scots and although he volunteered to serve overseas, he remained in Edinburgh. He was promoted Lance Corporal on 26 May 1915 and Corporal on 10 June 1915. James suffered from abdominal pain after nearly every meal, also from constipation. After several medical examinations, he was discharged on in June 1916. The Medical Officer certified that he was suffering from 'inflammation of the stomachi and indicated that the problem began in August 1915 at Portobello and was caused by gastric catarrh resulting from ordinary military service, aggravated by diet. In 1918, he married a widow, Eleanor Shaw (nee Henderson) and they moved into Albany Street, where James returned to working as a sculptor. Two of his works were exhibited by the Royal Scottish Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. In November 1914, William volunteered to join his older brother in the Royal Scots but, unlike his brother, was posted to the Mediterranean, and on the 10th May landed in Gallipoli. William was killed in June 1915 when he was only 19 years old. The letter from his officer to Mary read: ‘I feel that I have a concern in your son’s career that is different from that of the usual relationship between officer and man. Willie had won the esteem of all in the company, and his death is deeply deplored. He was hit by a sniper this morning as he was fetching water for his comrades in the trenches, and died instantly. We buried him this afternoon. Mr Ross, the Presbyterian chaplain, conducted the ceremony, and his funeral was attended by the Colonel, and all his company officers. A small cross was erected to his loving memory. Willie died, as all soldiers would choose to die, in a just struggle for freedom, and with a clean record behind him.’ An In Memoriam in The Scotsman in 1918 said: ‘In loving memory of Pte William Irvine Dyce, also his chums, Bob Finlay and Tom Johnson, Royal Scots, who were killed at the Dardanelles; deeply mourned.’

Perhaps, the death of his brother compounded James’s ill-health as he died here in December 1919, aged 27.

1920 – 1922 James D and Janet Goodsir

James had worked for the British Linen Bank, though when he lived here he was 76 and retired. His wife, who may been deceased by this date, had been a doctor.

1924 – 1952 Boarding House

Andrew Lindores, who had previously been running lodgings in one of the flats in 2a, took over Number 27 and operated it as a boarding house, styling himself a Butler. In 1938, a boarder, Robert Marcus Gunn Mitchell, late of Malay Estates, died in the house.

1955 – 1975 The Edinburgh Masonic Club

For the greater part of the 20th Century, masons have endeavoured to provide premises suitable to meet the needs of freemasons in the Edinburgh area. Notable amongst these were the Edinburgh Corporation tramways and the Edinburgh transport Masonic Clubs. In 1955, a few zealous Craftsmen accepted responsibility of the assets of the latter and founded The Edinburgh Masonic Club. Initially these Members used the premises of the free gardeners in Picardy place. at the latter part of that year, 27 Albany Street became vacant and with the financial support of younger Brewers, the members purchased this property. The First Annual General Meeting was held in the Clubrooms on 17th May 1956, and the Club officially opened by Brother Colonel Dudgeon in early 1957. Despite financial setbacks the Club became one of foremost Social Clubs in the Edinburgh area. Around 1975 the Club bought and moved to premises in Shrub Place Lane.

1975 - 1977 St Cuthbert's Cooperative Employees Club

Rge social club for St. Cuthbert’s which at this time had become the sole co-operative in Edinburgh having taken over its biggest rivals and it employed ver 3,000 people. In 1981, St. Cuthbert’s changed name to the Scottish Midland Co-operative Society, or Scotmid for short.

1979 - at least 1980 Thistle Social Club

This new club for Orange Lodge members was opened here in spite of objections that it would be sited close to the Roman Catholic Cathedral hall at Numbers 45 and 47, and so could incite sectarian violence. Residents also expressed concern that it would to the problem of late-night noise and parking; already an issue due to a number of licensed premises in the area.