EE/H3G Wauchope House

Craning your necks skyward, you’re looking at EE/H3G Wauchope House. It’s more than just a communication tower. EE/H3G Wauchope House is a fifteen-story giant, one of two built in the Greendykes area of Niddrie. They weren’t always here dominating the skyline. This modern structure stands as a reminder of the past. It bears the name of a grand estate that once graced this land, Niddrie-Marischal, the seat of the Wauchope family. The Wauchopes, prominent figures with ties to Scottish nobility, held Niddrie-Marischal for centuries, their history interwoven with the land itself. Sir John Wauchope rebuilt the estate around 1630. Another Wauchope, Gilbert, served as Deputy Marischal in Parliament. The family’s influence extended even to the streets surrounding EE/H3G Wauchope House. Wauchope Avenue, Crescent, Place, Road, Square, and Terrace all bear their name. Even Niddrie House Avenue, Drive, Gardens, Grove, Park, and Square echo the lost estate. The original Niddrie-Marischal met a tragic end. Sold to the City of Edinburgh in 1944, the once-grand mansion fell victim to vandalism and fire, eventually demolished in the 1960s. Where elegant rooms and a grand staircase once stood, now rise these two fifteen-story tower blocks, providing 172 dwellings. Built by Edinburgh Borough Council in the 1960s, with Crudens Ltd. as the contractor, Wauchope House and its twin, Greendykes House, each contain 86 dwellings. EE/H3G Wauchope House stands as a testament to the changing times. It’s a modern sentinel overlooking the ghosts of a vanished era. It’s a place where mobile phones connect to the world, and where the whispers of a powerful family still linger in the air.