A Place of Dreams
At Newcraighall Station, the statue ‘A Place of Dreams’ by Kenny Munro marks the 40th anniversary of legendary Newcraighall filmmaker Bill Douglas’ first film, My Childhood (1972).
‘My Childhood’ is the first part of a trilogy tentatively narrating a young boy’s difficult upbringing in 1940s Scotland and is based and filmed in Newcraighall.
Images: John Reiach, 2024; Jane Brown, 1979; Biritish Film Institute, ‘My Childhood’, 1972
The trilogy won numerous awards, including the Silver Lion at Venice, and the British Film Institute described them as ‘three of the most compelling and critically acclaimed films about childhood ever made’.
Image: British Film Institute, ‘My Ain Folk’, 1973
The trilogy’s significance is represented in Munro’s statue, which bears the silhouette of Douglas with his camera overhead and a steam train passing in the background.
It is a companion piece to Munro’s sculpture ‘Reflected Vision’, which resides at the Bill Douglas Museum at the University of Exeter.
Images: Kenny Munro personal notebook, Kenny Munro, 2012; British Film Institute, ‘My Childhood’, 1972; ‘A Way Home’, 1976
Watch a clip from ‘My Chidhood’, filmed at Newcraighall Railway Station.
Copyright: British Film Institute, 1972
