(Photo copyright Georgia Landers/All rights reserved)
By Matthew Field
Photos by: Georgia Landers
Fountainbridge in Edinburgh welcomed back its most famous son, Sir Sean
Connery, at a special event celebrating his legacy to the area, on Thursday
(June 17). Cinema Retro was present as Sir Sean returned to the street on which
he was born 80 years ago to unveil a plaque in his honour, and to meet local
community organisations and businesses involved in the regeneration of the
area.His ‘homecoming’ was sparked by
the need to reinstate the plaque originally erected by the Scottish Film
Council to celebrate the Centenary of Cinema in 1996. It was taken down four
years ago as work began on the Springside development currently transforming
the former Scottish & Newcastle bottling site in Fountainbridge. Now, as work on the first development phase is completed, the plaque has
been restored, with Sir Sean’s blessing. It’s now been erected at the entrance
of Springside on Fountainbridge - just yards away from the site of the original
tenement building in which Sir Sean started his life.
(Photo copyright Georgia Landers. All rights reserved)
Speaking at the
unveiling
of the plaque, he said: “The Fountainbridge of today is a very different
area
from that which I remember growing up in, many years ago. Then it was an
industrial area which left a significant imprint on my life, as well as
on the
city of Edinburgh. Now it is a much more pleasant area in which to live,
visit
and work with new homes, offices, businesses and open spaces replacing
the old
factories and tenements. And I am sure that the community spirit I
remember
will be maintained throughout this transformation.â€
(Photo copyright Georgia Landers. All rights reserved)
He added: “I am
honoured
that the Centenary of Cinema plaque recognises my work in the world of
film.
And it is fitting that film, which has played such a major part in my
life, will
play an important role in the regeneration of Fountainbridge. For 25
years
Edinburgh’s Filmhouse on Lothian Road has been at the heart of the area
in
which I grew up. As its activities expand, with the creation of the
Centre for
the Moving Image, it will continue to help change and improve the lives
of
people living and working here."