Readers' letters: Finding a new role for future of Jenners

"I’d hate such a beautiful and historic part of Edinburgh to be ruined by thoughtless re-development”
The iconic Jenners building on Princes Street founded as Kennington & Jenner in 1838 by Charles JennerThe iconic Jenners building on Princes Street founded as Kennington & Jenner in 1838 by Charles Jenner
The iconic Jenners building on Princes Street founded as Kennington & Jenner in 1838 by Charles Jenner

Finding a new role for future of Jenners

I was saddened to hear that the iconic Jenners has recently closed in this terrible time of Covid.

A possible way to start a regeneration of Jenners and iconic Princes Street would be to make the Jenners building into a community hub for Edinburgh and Lothians.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It could provide business space for people to get a leg up, especially artists and crafts people. Instead of the clothes concessions, their creations could be sold or for any local who has a great idea to share and sell.

There are already cafes and restaurants in the building, so they could be brought alive as community areas, both as places to gather and for chefs/cooks to train. Also free or reduced cost healthy food could be available for homeless or needy families or individuals.

There is also a hair-dresser where people could train and offer free or reduced hair cuts to those who need them.

There is much potential to make a difference to our community and to help us find our way through the continuing pandemic.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

I worked in Jenners when I left school many moons ago and I’d hate such a beautiful and historic part of Edinburgh to be ruined by thoughtless re-development.

Let’s stand up for our history and make it work for us and not lose it to money and greed.

Bronwyn Matthew, Fowlers Court, Prestonpans.

Scotland invented the beautiful game

I have always found it amusing the claim by English fans and commentators that a Euro 2020 win will see football “coming home”.

If it were truly “coming home” it would be to Scot-land and not to England, for it was the Scots who devised the modern version of the game as we know it. Without our civilising intervention, what England might have given the world was just another version of rugby.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

When the so-called Football Association’ was formed at the instigation of a young solicitor from Hull, Ebenezer Morley, what he proposed would be seen now as a basis for rugby with extra violence.

A more civilised code did emerge, but the English game was still mainly a question of head-down dribbling. It was the Scots who had the notion of artfully distributing the ball among the players. This started with young men, from Perthshire and the Highlands mainly, who gathered at Queen’s Park in Glasgow in 1867. They obtained a copy of the FA laws and amended them to conform with an almost scientific blend of dribbling and passing.

When they invented passing, these men had invented football. Far from being an English game, it was one that was conceived to confound the English because the Scots, being generally smaller than their opponents in football’s oldest international rivalry, could hardly afford to take them on physically.

As Scots we can truly feel pride some pride today as England take on Denmark in the Euro 2020 semi-final. To have the English borrowing our history is quite a compliment, the only downside being that we are no longer there to share in the glory of our invention of the ‘beautiful game’.

Alex Orr, Marchmont Road, Edinburgh.

Assisted dying

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

At last in Scotland we are moving to change the law and allow a terminally ill person to end their life with some degree of dignity.

This change in Scottish law has the overwhelming support of the vast majority of Scottish people and with obvious checks and precautions should be introduced as soon as possible.

Dennis Forbes Grattan, Aberdeen.

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.