Drew’s introduction to Granton history part 2

We'll start our walk at Granton Square, and take a circular tour round the area looking at interesting buildings on the way and ending up back where we started.

You can read about the walk on this page and look at the pictures one at a time, or click on a picture and use the controls to see a slide show.

1 The hotel in Granton Square, built in the 1840s, was taken over by the Royal Navy during the Second World War and was named ‘H M S Claverhouse’. It is now shared by several military organisations.

2 Round the corner at the foot of Granton Road stands a small take-away snack bar. This building was previously the Post Office.

3 Walking up Granton Road we come to the old Granton Parish Church. It is no longer used as a church. A new, larger, church was built in Boswall Parkway.

A memorial to the local men who died in the First World War stood in the grounds of the church. The memorial is now at the side of the present church. The Church Hall became the Square Centre, and was used as a club and by Girl Guides.

4 Walking on, we reach two cottages - they were policemen's houses. There was a police station in Wardie Square and a 'Tardis' (police box) in Granton Square.

5 The embankment comes next. The embankment is called the ‘Nanny Park’ because many years ago goats were kept on this land. Look out for the sign to tell you where it is!

Looking down at the red brick houses, one has a large extension. This building was the annexe to the old Granton School at the foot of West Granton Road. The annexe was later to become the ‘Net Works’ where nets for fishing trawlers were repaired.

Before being turned into flats, the building was used by the Buccleuch Boxing Club.

6 Travelling further up Granton Road, we come to Wardie School.

A large part of the school playing fields was taken over by the Royal Navy during the Second World War for a base - the base was called ‘Lochinvar’. After the war, Lochinvar was used to house people because of the shortage of houses.

7 We next come to Granton Road railway station. The railway is now a walkway and we will now take that walkway travelling west.

8 On our left we pass the old Edinburgh City Football Club ground, ‘City Park’.

9 Going up onto Pilton Drive and heading towards Boswall Parkway we pass where Bruce Peebles' heavy engineering plant once stood. Flats have now been built there.

10 At the junction with Boswall Parkway was the Embassy Picture House. It opened in 1937, closed after a fire in 1964 and was later demolished. A supermarket was built on the site in 1975, but closed and flats were later built there.

11 Returning to the walkway and heading west, on our left hand side stood the Northern General Hospital. The main entrance was on Ferry Road. A supermarket and Ferryfield Care Home are now on the site.

12 We will come off the walkway shortly, near Crewe Toll, and will turn right down Crewe Road North. Just before that, on the left, was the Ferranti factory. Among other things, they made gun sights for the Spitfire aircraft in the Second World War.

13 On our right is the old Ainslie Park School. It was later used by Edinburgh's Telford Collegebefore they moved from here, and other buildings, to the present college at West Granton Road.

The foundations were built before the Second World War and were used during the war as air raid shelters.

14 Reaching West Granton Road, we can see what is left of the Granton Gas Works. The gasholders were among the largest in Scotland.

15 After our look at the remains of the Gas Works, we turn back eastwards down West Granton Road and on our left was the Government Training Centre. During the Second World War, this property was used as a prisoner of war camp, housing mostly Italian prisoners. Part of this property is now the Collection Centre for National Museums ScotlandItems are kept there that the museums do not have space to show to the public.

16 We then come to the United Wire Works. It didn't make wire - it used wire to make ‘wirecloth’, a woven mesh that was used in other factories, including biscuit factories and paper mills, and for holding filters in car and truck engines.

17 Behind the wireworks stood the Madelvic electric car factory. It is said to be the oldest purpose-built car factory in Great Britain - in the early days of making cars, most firms had taken over older buildings and re-used them. The Madelvic offices are still there. Their logo is cut into the stone above the doorway. Waterfront Edinburgh now use this office.

18 Approaching Granton Square, on the right stands the former Granton School. A larger school was built on Boswall Parkway in the 1930s to replace it. St David's Roman Catholic School took over the old building until they moved to a new building too. Later, the Compass Adventure Centre held the building for 40 years. It is now used by Granton Youth Centre.

19 Next door, a small building that until recently was a sign-making business once was the Band of Hope - they had a magic lantern.s

We are now back at Granton Square! I hope you have enjoyed your walk round Granton.

The link below lets you download a two page A4 size leaflet, designed to be folded to one-third A4. It will be handy to take with you when you go for the walk...