Ladies who swapped homes 65 years ago reunited in Edinburgh care home
The pair first met in Midlothian back in the 1960s - but now they’ve been reunited
Two women who swapped council houses more than six decades ago have enjoyed a chance encounter at an Edinburgh care home.
Margaret Tierney, a permanent resident at Queens Manor in Barnton, was amazed to meet Dorothy Robertson when she turned up at the home recently for a respite stay.
The pair first met in Midlothian in the 1960s when Margaret – now 91 – was looking for a move from Bilston to Bonnrigg to be closer to family.
As was the norm in those days, she put a notice up in the Post Office in Polton requesting a house exchange for her council property in Myrtle Crescent.
Dorothy, who was living in Eskdale Court, Bonnyrigg at the time, spotted the notice, the ladies arranged to meet and the exchange was duly arranged.
Dorothy’s husband was an HGV driver at Pentland Garage and the move to Bilston took him nearer to his work base.
Once the moves had taken place, the two women did not see each other again until bumping into each other at Queens Manor.
Dorothy, 87, had become intrigued about Margaret after hearing mention of her former Midlothian address during a previous respite stay – and was determined to get to the bottom of it.
After much chat and reminiscence, supported by Margaret’s daughter Susan, it was confirmed that they were in fact the same Margaret and Dorothy who had swapped houses some 65 years ago.
Dorothy said: “Margaret’s husband had a fruit and vegetable van and it took me ages to get rid of the smell of apples, which had been kept in a cupboard under the stairs.”
The ladies had a great time catching up on their experiences, before and since the swap, and were happy to share their memories at the home’s Friday social, where residents marvelled at the extraordinary coincidence and had fun listening to their respective anecdotes.
General Manager Margaret-Ann Davidson said: “We feel very privileged to have shared in this encounter – such is the power of reminiscence and social interactions. When residents get together there’s always a story to be shared, although not always as fascinating as this one.
"What a small world we live in. What are the chances of this type of encounter – and after all this time? Such amazing memories were invoked.”