Curious Edinburgh - Curious Edinburgh

Granton Harbour, Gunpowder, and Other Industries

Jan 152019

Photograph of the road down Middle Pier with businesses and residential buildings along the left side

Middle Pier, now the location of businesses and further along residential development

Lochinvar Drive, Edinburgh EH5 1HF

In 1937, the harbour consisted of a Middle Pier (this road) protected on the east and west sides by two breakwaters, forming two harbours covering a total of 122 acres. Imports to the harbour were esparto grass, wood pulp and other paper manufacturing materials, motor spirit, asphalt, strawboards, and bog ore, while exports included coal, coke, and coke breeze. The coal came from the nearby Lothian coalfields, although a considerable load came from the Lanarkshire pits. Practically all the coke exported from the nearby Edinburgh Corporation Gas Works was shipped via Granton to Denmark, Sweden, and Germany. This building you can see ahead is the recently refurbished Gunpowder Store. This B-listed building is the sole surviving historic structure on the middle pier at Granton Harbour. The two-storey building, which was built with extra-thick walls to ensure it was safe to store gunpowder there, had a cast-iron hoist to allow it to unload ships docked in the harbour. Inside the warehouse, which was one of four match buildings created for the opening of the pier in 1842, there are the remains of railway tracks used by goods wagons.

Coke train coming down from Granton Gas Works via Breakwater Junction to Granton on 4 June, 1958.

Photograph of the restored Gun Powder building

The Gun Powder building, now restored. Photo from the John Dickson collection.

Granton Ferries

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Jan 152019

Photograph of Granton Harbour and a pier, showing the original hub of the harbour

The location of the original hub of Granton Harbour

Lochinvar Drive, Edinburgh, EH5 1HF

In 1849, the Edinburgh, Perth and Dundee Railway Company commissioned the famous Victorian engineer Sir Thomas Bouch (1822 – 1880) to design and build a ferry service at Granton. Whatever the tide level, this service would be able to load and unload railway carriages and freight wagons between Granton and Burntisland across in Fife. To accomplish this, a specifically-designed vessel, the Leviathan – the first of its kind in the world – was needed. The ship, built on the Clyde, had two engines, mounted port and starboard over the paddles, so the main deck had maximum stowage for the railway carriage cargo. By October 1879, a new steam powdered passengers ship, the William Muir, was brought into operation. The Leviathan service ended in 1890 when the Forth Railway Bridge opened, but the “Willie Muir” went on for another 47 years and it is estimated she carried over three-quarters of a million passengers. After WWII, four more ferries were brought into operation, including the Bonnie Prince Charlie which could carry 30 cars and passengers and even had a coffee lounge and cocktail bar.

Black and white photograph of train ferries to load and unload railway carriages

Train ferries accessing the ferry slip

The old paddle steamer “William Muir” loading horses at Granton

Black and white sketch of Sir Thomas Bouch, who designed the first train ferries

Sir Thomas Bouch (25 February 1822 – 30 October 1880) He introduced the first roll-on roll-off train ferries in the world.

The Building of Granton Harbour

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Jan 152019

Photograph overlooing the west harbour of Granton Harbour — This road is located on the original middle pier. Looking towards Leith, the west harbour is now used for leisure purposes

Lochinvar Drive, Edinburgh EH5 1GT

The idea of building a harbour at Granton is said to have been suggested in 1834 by R.W. Hamilton, the manager of the General Steam Navigation Company. A deep water port, unlike Leith harbour, which was tidal, would allow Edinburgh to import and export goods. The 5th Duke of Buccleuch, who owned land in the area, saw the opportunity to build this new harbour on part of the estate he owned, which included Caroline Park House. Robert Stevenson, the lighthouse engineer and grandfather of Robert Louis Stevenson, advised on the harbour’s design and it was built using stone from the Granton Sea Quarry. Construction was completed in 1863, although part of the harbour, the Central Pier, was opened much earlier on 28 June 1838, the day of Queen Victoria’s Coronation.

Color photograph of pilot boats on the Forth — Pilot Boats on the Forth

Vintage map of Granton Harbour and the surrounding neighbourhood — The development of Granton Harbour

Sepia photograph of Walter Francis Montagu Douglas Scott, 5th Duke of Buccleuch, 7th Duke of Queensberry

Colorful painting of two boats in Granton Harbour by Jenny Haslam

Red, yellow, and turquoise abstract illustration of boats in Granton Harbour by Louise Montgomery — Boats at Granton Harbour by Louise Montgomery

The Railways

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Jan 152019

Road leading to Granton Harbour Middle Pier

Access to Granton Harbour Middle Pier. A considerable section is now reclaimed land with part of the harbour filled in and developed for commercial and residential purposes

Harbour Road, Edinburgh EH5 1PN

The Edinburgh Leith & Newhaven Railway opened on 31 August 1842 between the New Town and nearby Trinity Crescent. From 1850 to 1890 this was part of the main East Coast railway line to Perth, Dundee and Aberdeen. Most of the passengers who died in the famous Tay Bridge disaster in December 1879 had traveled by this route a few hours previously. The opening of the Forth Bridge in 1890 resulted in the main line trains to the north ceasing to use the route. The Granton branch was then used only for local passenger trains and goods traffic. The passenger trains stopped in 1925, a few years after the tramway systems were introduced. The goods trains ran until 1986. The line was lifted and the embankment beside Lower Granton Road removed in 1991-1992. Part of the route, from Trinity to Canonmills, is now a walkway.

Black and white photograph of trains arriving in Granton Harbour on 2 September 1955

Trains arriving in Granton Harbour (locomotive 68340) 2 September 1955

Black and white photograph of the North British Railway Granton Railway Station

North British Railway Granton Railway Station located on the Middle Pier (closed in 1925)

Granton Square

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Jan 152019

Image of Granton Sqaure today, a non-descript assortment of buildings

Granton Square today

Granton Square, Edinburgh EH5 1HA

The first tramline in the Granton area dates from 1909. This system used a moving steel cable located just below the street, powered by stationary steam engines. The tramcars had no motors of their own – they moved when the driver – or ‘gripperman’ – used vice-like jaws to clamp the car to the moving cable. Granton Square was once a very busy tram terminus, with trams leaving Granton to travel throughout the city. The Edinburgh system was converted to electric operation between 1922 and 1924 and the tram routes were re-organised to give longer through-routes. Many remained largely unchanged until the end of tramway operation, in 1956, and some Lothian buses still follow the old tram routes.

Black and white photograph of Granton Square in 1955, with two trams running down the street

Edinburgh Trams No. 169 & 46 at Granton Square, 26 February, 1955

Black and white photograph of Granton Square with a tram in the foreground and a train and the harbour in the background

Granton Square with locomotive 68340 and harbour in the background

Madelvic House and Vehicle Production

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Jan 152019

Exterior of Madelvic House — Madelvic House, the previous offices of the Madelvic Motor Carriage Company, and later United Wire (now relocated across the road). This building is the base for granton:hub

Granton Avenue Park, Edinburgh EH7 1HS

This Victorian red stone building was the original office of The Madelvic Motor Carriage Company. Founded in 1898 by William Peck, Madelvic was one of the first Scottish motor brands built in the first British purpose-built car factory. After the company was liquidated in 1900, a string of other vehicle manufacturing companies used the factory, including Kingsburgh Motor Company, Stirling’s Motor Carriages LTD, Scottish Motor Works, and the Scottish Motor Engineering Company. By 1912, vehicle production on the site ended and during WWII the factory was used for storing torpedoes. United Wire, a wirecloth manufacturer, moved into Madelvic House in 1925 and has been a part of the community for more than 175 years. Today, United Wire’s factory and offices are across the street from Madelvic House.

Illustration of 'Granton Works', including the factory and offices, from the original Madelvic Motor Company catalogue, printed in 1898 — Illustration of ‘Granton Works’, including the factory and offices, from the original Madelvic Motor Company catalogue, printed in 1898

The Kingsbury motor car. The Peter Stubbs Collection. — A Kingsburgh car built at Granton, 1900-02
© The Peter Stubbs Collection. Reproduced with acknowledgement to Ian Thomson, Managing Director, United Wire, Granton

United Wire offices, showing Madelvic House and factory. The Peter Stubbs Collection. — United Wire offices, showing Madelvic House and factory. © The Peter Stubbs Collection.

Madelvic Car/United Wire Factory
by Gina Fierlafijn Reddie

Riddle’s Court

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Apr 242018

Riddries Close. Riddle’s Court, 322/8 Lawnmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2PQ

Restored as his publishing house by Patrick Geddes, activist, sociologist, Professor at Bombay University (1919-23), who corresponded on education with Nobel prize-winner Rabindranath Tagore, this was also a pioneering student hall: medical students from Mauritius and Madras stayed here in 1896. Riddle’s Court also hosted a 1598 banquet for the Duke of Holstein, brother-in-law to James VI: £600 (2016 money), was paid to William Flebairn for spices. Further down the Royal Mile, in what is now the City Chambers, in 1798 John Caird advertised ‘real India curry powder, in the original package’ at £18 (2016 money).

Plaque comemorating a banquet of James VI’s time.

Tapestry showing Patrick Geddes and Rabindranath Tagore meeting in Darjeeling.

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Edinburgh India Institute: Patrick Geddes, Edinburgh and India

Milne’s Court

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Apr 242018

Milne's Court. Milne’s Ct, Edinburgh EH1 2NE

In the 1690s Scots spent over £9,000,000 (2016 money) on Eastern goods, and in 1695 the Scottish ‘Company Tradeing to Affrica and the Indies’ was licenced. In 1696 here in Milne’s Court lived seven investors: merchant James Balfour; Deans of Guild McLurgg and Allan; solicitor Cunningham; Alexander Gibson; and apothecary Miln. Their neighbour James Byers furthermore succeeded in being made governor of the Company’s ill-fated Darien trading post. The Company’s failure led to painful losses but after 1707, investment opportunities in the English East India Company were extended to Scots like portrait painter Allan Ramsay of nearby Ramsay Gardens.

Interior of Milne’s Court.

The Darien Chest which held the money and documents of the Company of Scotland, now at the National Mueum of Scotland.

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Old Edinburgh Tolbooth

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Apr 242018

Site of Tolbooth. Heart of Midlothian Mosaic, 197 High St, Edinburgh EH1 1PE

Commercial rivalry and anger over English involvement in the failure of the Scottish ‘Company Tradeing to Affrica and the Indies’ boiled over into political violence in 1704. The ‘Worcester,’ an English East India company ship was impounded in Leith in retaliation for a Scottish East India ship confiscated near London. In revenge for another Scottish India ship taken by pirates off Madagascar, three members of the Worcester’s crew were incarcerated in the Tolbooth and on little if any evidence convicted of that act of piracy and hanged on Leith Sands. Seven jurors were shareholders of the Scottish India company.

Mosaic of Heart of Midlothian with outline of the condemed men’s cell.

Burial Record for Captain Thomas Green at South Leith Church, 1705.

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St Giles’ High Kirk

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Apr 242018

St Giles Cathedal. St Giles’ High Kirk of Edinburgh, High St, Edinburgh EH1 1RE

Wellesley Bailey, born in Ireland 1846, went to India in 1869. As an American Presbyterian Mission teacher, he visited some lepers’ huts in Punjab and decided to care for them and proselytise. Moving to Edinburgh in 1882, Wellesley became a lay-missionary with the Church of Scotland, and 1886-1917 ran the Mission to Lepers in India. When he retired, the Mission was working with over 14,000 leprosy-affected people in 12 countries. Brothers James (1807-72) and Duncan Monteith (1812-74) got rich sellling leather goods at the best addresses in Calcutta and their family commemorated them with large memorial windows opposite each other.