Sighthill, Suburb in Edinburgh, Scotland
Sighthill is a suburb in the western part of Edinburgh, sitting between South Gyle and Wester Hailes, with wide roads, modern housing estates, and an industrial area. The southern part is made up mainly of low cottage flats built after World War II, while the northern part was rebuilt in the 2000s after four large tower blocks were demolished.
The area grew after World War II with social housing and the opening in 1953 of what was one of the first health centers of its kind in Scotland. Decades later, four large tower blocks that had defined the northern skyline were demolished in the 2000s and replaced by a new housing development called Broomview.
Sighthill is home to two college campuses, Edinburgh College and Edinburgh Napier University, which shape the daily rhythm of the neighborhood. On weekdays, students and staff fill the nearby streets, giving the area a working energy that sets it apart from the quieter residential streets nearby.
Sighthill is served by the Edinburgh tram line along Bankhead Drive, as well as several bus routes on Calder Road, making it straightforward to reach the city center or the airport. The neighborhood also sits close to the M8 motorway, so it is easy to get to by car from other parts of the region.
The first flavored potato crisps in Great Britain were created in Sighthill in 1962 by the Golden Wonder company, which had already been making plain crisps there since 1947. Production eventually moved to England, but this small piece of everyday food history started in this part of west Edinburgh.
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