Granton House

 Granton  7 Responses »
Jan 152019
 
Photograph of a field near the gasworks where Granton House once stood
The nearby location of Granton House (now demolished)

Forth Quarter, Edinburgh EH5 1FH

Near this site once stood Granton House, a 24-room three-storey mansion with a balustraded roof, built by the Earl of Hopetoun in 1807 on the Duke of Buccleuch’s land as part of a 99-year lease. In 1883, the house became the property of Lord Gifford (1820 – 1887) the Scottish advocate and judge. Visitors to the house included Sir Walter Scott and Florence Nightingale who, following her visit, wrote to the family and said “I think Granton House the most poetic place I ever saw.” The house was purchased by the Edinburgh and Leith Corporations Gas Commissioners around the time that Granton Gas Works was built (opened in 1902), for use as the official residence of the Chief Engineer and Manager. The first Chief Engineer and Manager to occupy the house was Mr W. R. Herring. When Edinburgh and Leith amalgamated in 1920, the house passed to Edinburgh Corporation. From 1946 Edinburgh Corporation used the property to house homeless families following World War II. On 1 January 1954 it was destroyed in a disastrous fire and what was left demolished.

Black and white photograph of Adam Gifford, Lord Gifford
Adam Gifford, Lord Gifford (1820-1887)
Footpath towards the location of the Granton Gas Works train station
Walk along the foot path to get to your next destination
Photograph of the edge of a walkway bordered by reeds, titled "Turning Point" by Stuart Ogilvie
“Turning Point” by Stuart Ogilvie

Granton Gasworks

 Granton  Comments Off on Granton Gasworks
Jan 152019
 
The entrance to Forthquarter Park, the location of Granton Gas Works
The entrance to Forthquarter Park, the location of Granton Gas Works

West Shore Road, Edinburgh EH5 1RH

In the 1890s, gas was being produced in Edinburgh City, Portobello, and in Leith. All the sites were operating at full capacity. It was decided to build
a substantial new single-site gasworks capable of future expansion. Following negotiation with the sixth Duke of Buccleuch, a 43 Hectare site
at Granton was purchased for £124,000. An impressive structure, the most elegant gas holder in Scotland in terms of its external framing, was erected as part of a £450,000 stateof-the-art coal gasworks between 1898 and 1903, under the direction of engineer WR Herring.


Gas Holder Number 1, still standing and fully renovated today, has an external framework constructed of riveted rolled steel. It has 26 vertical columns with finials, divided into four tiers by horizontal tie beams with latticework bracing between. The gasholder had a capacity of 180,000 cubic metres, and was built on the telescopic principle, with four lifts. The masonry tank, within which the holder moved up and down, was 77 metres in diameter and 11 metres deep.


Gas manufacturing stopped in 1987 and the gasholder is now Category B Listed as a building of architectural and historic interest. Two more gasholders, built in 1933 and 1966 respectively, were demolished in 2003-4.

Sepia photograph of the three separate gas holders at Granton Gasworks..
The three separate gas holders at Granton Gasworks. Photo from the John Dickson collection.
A black and white aerial photograph of Granton Gas Works showing the gasworks, the Caledonian Railway lines going into the site and the station building.
An aerial picture of Granton Gas Works showing the extent of the gasworks, the Caledonian Railway lines going into the site and the station building (bottom right corner)
Photograph of the gasworks
Picture by Gareth Hutchison
Painting of the gasworks
Gasworks by Harry Mafuji