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At last the ivy has been cleared off the railings on the Mackenzie Bridge at Stockbridge. It has revealed the damage which can be done to the beautiful antique and original ironwork. Let us hope they will be re-painted and mended soon. Continual care and maintenance of our heritage ironwork is important but it is made a great deal easier if hedges, plants and ivy are not allowed to grow up through them. Now revealed, by the ivy removal, is the second arch of the bridge for the old mill lade taking water to Silvermills and Canonmills downstream. And growing...
Our charitable company, Dean Valley Regeneration Limited, was incorporated in September 2015, and since then we have been working steadily towards making an application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund (formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund). With an estimated project cost of over £1.9m, Lottery Fund support would always have been essential, and it was always intended that the City of Edinburgh Council would make the application and carry the project forward. We have worked closely with the Council to that end, and our formal Expression of Interest was submitted to the Fund by the Council in December. The response from...
Every morning the grey heron (Ardea cinerea) flies in to the Dean Valley for a tasty meal at the bottom of the weir on the Water of Leith. Probably little fish and frogs. It is easy to wade about in the shallows and its sharp eyes spot the flickering movement of its dinner under the surface. It will need a lot of food to bring back to at least 3 chicks in its nest which is high up in trees back at the Heronrie. Sometimes it wades around the Gormley statue at Stockbridge before flying out again in the evening.
Water of Leith is overcome with the three cornered leek (Allium triquetrum) a kind of wild garlic. In the last five years it has come to dominate the riverbanks in April and May. Though pretty it is highly invasive and very difficult to eradicate. It was brought over to the UK from the Mediterranean, and it is an offence under Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act in England and Wales to plant or otherwise cause to grow this species in the wild. It is not clear what the rules are in Scotland. It can be used for cooking...

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