Dumbiedykes
(Dummiedykes)

Dumbiedykes and Salisbury Crags, Edinburgh
©2011 Gazetteer for Scotland

With perhaps the best outlook of any public housing estate, Dumbiedykes (pronounced and once spelled Dummiedykes) in central Edinburgh lies in the shadow of Salisbury Crags to the south of the Canongate and opposite the site of the new Scottish Parliament in Holyrood Road. Built between 1959 and 1964 to a design by the City Architect's Department, this compact estate consists of 650 residences, including two multi-storey tower blocks, Lochview Court and Holyrood Court, of ten and eleven storeys respectively. Although the fabric of the houses has decayed to some extent and the immediate environment lacks services, Dumbiedykes remains a popular place to live. The location has ensured that the tenant's 'right to buy' has been exercised by many and thus many of the flats are now in private ownership.

The name arises from Thomas Braidwood's pioneering Academy for the Deaf and Dumb, which was founded here c.1764.

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