Muirhouse Slum
Jackie Whincup's Muirhouse Slum
Muirhouse Means House On The Moor. Around 1320, King
Robert The Bruce Gave The Lands Of Muirhouse To Sir William Oliphant Of
Aberlady.
The Oliphants Owned The Estate For Around 300 Years But In The Mid
1600s Sir James Oliphant, A Judge, Murdered His Gardener So It Was Passed To
His Son Also James But He Murdered His Mother And Fled The Country.
The Original Muirhouse House Was Built Around 1670 But
Mostly Demolished When The Present House Was Built By Captain William Davidson
In 1832. The Davidson Family Bought The Estate In 1776 From The Watson Family
And Owned It Until 1870 When It Passed To The Earl Of Morton. The Davidsons
Gave Their Name To Nearby Davidson's Mains.
In 1953 Most Of The Estate Was Sold And The Council Began
Building Public Housing. This Continued Up Until The Early 1970s With A Mixture
Of Boxed And High Rise Flats/Apartments. Like Most Other Council Estates,
Muirhouse Had Its Share Of Anti Social Behaviour And By The 1980s Had A
Reputation For Drugs, Violence And Crime. And, The Area, Generally Regarded As
THE Most Deprived Area North Of Scotland’s Glorious Capital, Edinburgh, And
Also The BIGGEST And Worse Ever Slum In The United Kingdom Of Great Britain.
In This Painting, Jackie Brightens Up The Area By Putting
A Smile On All The Under Privileged And Deprived Adults And Children!
