Brewery dray, Canongate, Edinburgh, September 5, 1962. The Cape family - Christopher, Stephanie and Barbara are at right. Photo / Peter Cape
It was 1962. The Cape family, my parents, my sister and I, and a cageload of white mice were in the British Isles.
We'd left London on July 18 where my father had been training with the BBC in new television production techniques, and were heading north to Scotland. My father had a grant from the Imperial Relations Trust to investigate lifestyles of artists and crafts folk amongst the heritage of the United Kingdom.
Travelling in a 1948 Ford Anglia, we camped under canvas where we could and accepted accommodation when it was offered. We arrived in Edinburgh at the time of the 1962 Edinburgh Festival. The place was vibrant with performances and famous names. The Edinburgh Tattoo was staged under lights in Edinburgh Castle.
The contrast is stark and poignant looking back, considering the current demise of the performing arts scene under pandemic conditions. My hope is that, with vaccination and wisdom, we can eventually see a Renaissance.
My father's diary takes up the narrative as we leave Selkirk and Peebles and arrive in Edinburgh.
September 1, 1962, Thursday
Pleasant night: up earlyish. Farmer tells us we're camped in Tinkers camp and offers us field instead. Park and to Penicuik. Buy Kit a suit for 32/6 at Cooperative: on into Edinburgh. See MacKenzie, COI (Central Office of Information), who tells us we're to be numbers of Press Bureau, met: Festwell Club: free tickets for anything we want to see or hear. Have lunch at the Press Club: then shop around. Problem of disposing of children while at concerts.
Approach church: Rector is out. Have small meal in Canongate after looking at antique shops and craft exhibitions. See coffee bar where folksingers sing – prop. (proprietor) suggests our coming back to meet. Have trouble parking. Hear singers, good, meet them after performance: leader, architect Bill Smith, offers us room in his flat at 25 Morey Place. Accept. Back to see Rector at St Johns (suggested that he find a parishioner in whose drive we can leave ch (children) and car). He no help. Out to camp at Penicuik. Tent springs leak (valve stem loose) reassemble: rain starts. Bed by 1am. (ph)(photographed) small cottage by Holy roadhenge.
September 2, 1962, Sunday
Up briefly and into Edinburgh. Smiths delightful: fire in huge room with locals and smaller one for children. Dump stuff. Into town to see art exhibition, clubs (Ph castle) Scott monument (2 photos of Princess St. ). Camera Obscura obscured, so see castle instead. (ph St Margarets Chapel ) Afternoon tea, then ph road leading up Monid Gong Grassmarket. Back to Moray Place. Dinner and out to Julian Bream late - guitar concert. Back and sing folksongs until 2am.
September 3, 1962, Monday
Raining: Leave children and go do washing in Bendixsie. Buy antique bone spoons and French bayonet. Into town to buy tweed for Barbara. Hunt (unsuccessfully) for shoes - find repairers instead. Have tea in town, back to put children to bed, then out to see magnificent circus, pantomime, ballet The Four Sons of Aymon. Danced in ice rink by C20 (20th century) Belgian co. Stayed on for a late-night show with the MacEwans, Carole Hester, and the Clancy Bros. Home to Morey Place, with rain on cobbles, gas lamps burning, and a night watchman with a brazier of coke.
September 4, 1962, Tuesday
Up late, and late to Glenkinchie distillery. Saw over (and ph) and drank single malt whisky (magnificent!) back to E'burgh to see The Doctor and the Devils, Dylan Thomas play on Burke and Hare in Church Assembly room – Theatre in the round.
L (lovely) evening, go and sing with the Corrie Group phs
She at the Tryst. (This is probably The Hunters Tryst Inn.)
Mouse has 13 children.
Claim for £25 - 4 - 6 (1009 miles) sent.
[The Burke and Hare is a famous historic pub. The Corries, Clancy Brothers, the MacEwans and Carole Hester are all iconic figures in the international folk music scene. As far as tales of mice go we gained and lost a few en route. Survivors returned to London well-travelled.]
September 5, 1962, Wednesday
Away to meet Dr Craik, head of School Medical Services, at 10. Full rundown and much paper. Back to flat to collect Barbara and children, and into town. Shopped up from Grass Market – antique shops, shops selling wooden shortbread moulds. Ph. ch & B (Photographed children and Barbara) with brewery carthorse. Can't get car greased. Out to Roslin chapel (Rosslyn Chapel) (Ph inside and out). Find grease while you wait place on way back.
Mad rush to locate 'man' from Scottish ward industries, who tells us the best people to see in Scotland. Back latish, tea with Etive's parents, then to Tattoo w.(with) children, all on Press tickets. More music – marching than Royal Tournament, but very good. Rain starts as we leave. Takes abt. (about) an hour to get home in downpour.
September 6, 1962, Thursday
This was the day we were to go north. Left to see farming at Stirling – late arriving, and Dr David of Dept Ag (Department of Agriculture) directs us to his office from wrong end of town. Find him at last, as wind switches northerly, and see hill and lowland farms. Back along Forth, ph. bridge with new road bridge in front of it. Back to second-hand shop to buy ancient trunk for 40/- (40 shillings), then to flat. Park trunk.
NB: some landowners think grouse-shooting more important than agriculture, so refuse to burn off heather to bring on new growth.
September 7, 1962, Friday
Up early: Bill and Etive get up to say goodbye leave trunk with them (ph Moray Place and the Smiths). Drop in at Saturday shop (where we bought bayonet) for more bone spoons (8d (8 pence) each, for eggs); shop for groceries, then out of Edinburgh to Queensferry. Take a queer side-loading ferry (photographed another w (with) Forth Bridge) and cross river. Lunch at Inverkeithing, peppery pies, and on by Loch Leven (ph) to Perth (ph).
Shopped for remainder of food and on through Blairgowrie – model galleons floating on river – into Highlands. Ph Victorian lairds mansion, then into Glen Shee in the Grampians (Grampian Mountains), and over Devil's Elbow Pass (2185 feet). Some snow in pockets on tops. Down in rain to Braemar. Met hornworker who wants horn in NZ & who gave Barbara an antler paperknife. Along main road labelled "Beware of Deer" to camp between Braemar and Balmoral, in loveliest place, covered with most revolting selection of litter. Bed late.
[The aesthetics of nature being destroyed by careless humanity is an old problem obviously. We survived the night, and inferred stench, to push on the next day to Culloden Moor and the Clava Cairns which are both steeped in history.]