C O N T E X T 1 3 7 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 4 29 involved in the work, and were directly responsible for identifying sites, selecting and briefing architects, and managing completed projects. Local authorities often provided important forms of support. A total of 20 developments, containing nearly 220 houses, were implemented in various parts of Scotland, including Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh (2), Glasgow and Perth; Bathgate, Falkirk, Greenock, Hawick, Montrose and Peebles; and the smaller communities of Blairgowrie, Bonnyrigg, Callander, East Calder, Longniddry,Moffat, Pitlochry and St Boswells.These developments ranged in size from two to 33 units, two thirds of the early SVGCA projects containing fewer than 10 cottages. At the planning stage of the first settlement at Longniddry, it was assumed that injured veterans with direct experience of the horrors of the war would benefit from a peaceful existence in the countryside, based on healthy outdoor activities. It was hoped that life in a rural environment would offer opportunities for acquiring new skills within a supportive community setting. By the end of 1915, Lord Wemyss, who served as president of the SVGCA, had offered a potential site in the East Lothian village of Longniddry, adjacent to the railway station. Over the next year, as preparation for the commissioning of plans for the Longniddry site, Alexander Sim and other office bearers made visits to a number of projects in England that were associated with the garden city movement.What emerged at Longniddry was arguably the most holistic SVGCA development. Between 1918 and 1930, a total of 33 cottages were built in Kitchener Crescent, Aberlady Road and Wemyss Terrace, along with a small community hall, a workshop, tea rooms, allotments, poultry runs, piggeries and a fruit farm. The cottages were designed in an arts-and-crafts manner by the Edinburgh practice of James Henry and Thomas Maclennan. Most of the houses have a listing of Category B. Although the general standard of the Longniddry cottages was much appreciated by the initial residents, other aspects of the project were less successful. It soon became apparent that the injuries suffered by many of the veterans were too severe to allow them to undertake the intended types of work. Moreover, a substantial proportion of the veterans had grown up in urban areas and would have preferred to be nearer to their families, in locations that offered a wider range of possibilities for education and employment. From the outset, tenant satisfaction was monitored by volunteers on the Ladies’ Committee, and this feedback was used in planning future projects. As a consequence, many of the subsequent SVGCA developments were located in suburban settings on the periphery of larger cities and towns. Initial plans for the development at Callander, based on the Longniddry concept, were scaled back to a simple crescent of 12 stonebuilt cottages with Scottish neo-vernacular details. Kitchener Crescent, Longniddry, when it was newly built, and today.What emerged at Longniddry was arguably the most holistic SVGCA development, with cottages, a community hall, a workshop, tea rooms, allotments, poultry runs, piggeries and a fruit farm.
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