Tuesday, 7 May 2024

Skulferatu #119 - Former Site of Shanks Waste Solutions, West Shore Road, Granton, Edinburgh

 

Oh, I do like to find a nice bit of wasteland to wander around.  A place of concrete remnants, now overgrown with bushy and scraggy plants.  A place that was once busy with people and is now the domain of rodents, rabbits, songbirds and the ever present screeching seagulls.

 

On a walk from Leith to Cramond, I came across a scrubby piece of land where there use to be a liquid waste processing plant run by Shanks Waste Solutions.  What sort of liquid was processed here I have no idea, but I’m sure it was pretty nasty, chemical stuff or some sort of revolting medical gunk. 

 

View of a metal fence with various signs on it.  In front of it are two concrete blocks and a large blue waste bag that is full.  Photo by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Entrance to the site

 

View of a metal fence with two signs on it.  One reads Shanks Waste Solutions, Granton Plant, and the other is a No Smoking sign that is broken in half. Photo by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Granton Plant

 

A photo of a rectangular sign on a rusty metal pole.  The sign has a split along one side.  The sign reads - Keep Out Dangerous Chemicals.  Photo by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
KEEP OUT Dangerous Chemicals

 

a photo of a yellow metal structure of metal bars with a pipe at the bottom and a stop valve on it.  Photo by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
A metal thing

 

A view of a row of stone blocks lying on the ground.  One is a semi-circle shape and someone has spray painted the word 'Hi' on it.  Photo by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
‘Hi’ – dumped stone blocks

 

In 2005, the site was sold for £6 million to Waterfront Edinburgh Ltd.  They were going to redevelop this land as part of the multi-million pound regeneration project taking place in Granton.  However, they are now in voluntary liquidation, so who knows when the site will be redeveloped, or what it will end up as. Whatever happens, it will no doubt remain as a bit of wasteland for the next couple of decades.

 

While wandering around, I came across three large metal containers that probably once contained something nasty and noxious.  I think they are now empty, but didn’t investigate that too closely.

 

A photo showing a large metal container sitting on a flat area of land that is now overgrown with scrubby plants.  On the left hand side is a row of trees.  Photo by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Large metal container

 

A photo showing part of one of the large metal containers on the right hand side with another sitting in the distance.  Photo by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Large metal containers

 

A photo showing a large metal container sitting on a flat area of land that is now overgrown with scrubby plants.  On the right hand side sits lies a discarded block of a portable fencing barrier.   Photo by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Large metal container

 

360 view of the large metal containers


Walking down to the far fence of the site, I took in the view up to the Granton Gas Holder, a piece of Edinburgh’s industrial heritage that is now being restored as part of the project to regenerate the Granton Waterfront. The clank of hammers on metal echoed down from there, mixing in with the gentle lapping of waves on the nearby shore.

 

A view showing large rocks in the foreground with a background of scrubby land that leads up to a Victorian style gas holder frame in the distance, a round metal structure of curved beams.  Photo by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
View up to Granton Gas Holder

 

Standing there in the dull half-light of a dank and damp winter’s day, I watched as rabbits skittered by in twitchy nervousness.  A nervousness that only those on the lowest rung in the food chain can feel. A crow then circled around me and dropped a mussel onto the hard concrete ground surface.  Swooping down, the crow then tore out the flesh from the shattered shell, cawed loudly in satisfaction at its tasty snack, and then flew off again.  The ground was covered with the shattered shells of many such meals.

 

A photo of a view along a flat piece of land to a metal fence.  Behind the fence can be seen the sea and the shores of Fife.  Photo by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Concrete ground

 

A view of a grey metal fence with a grey sea behind it and a grey sky above.  Photo by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Fence and the Forth

 

Feeling some spots of rain hitting the exposed skin of my bald head, I made my way back out of the site.  As I left, I placed a Skulferatu on a large rusty screw holding one of the metal containers together.  There it could guard over whatever nasties were held within.

 

A photo of a small, ceramic skull (Skulferatu 119) being held up with a large metal container in the background.  Photo by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Skulferatu #119

 

A picture of the corrugated surface of one of the metal containers.  On one of a set of four rusty screws on the container sits the small, ceramic skull (Skulferatu 119).  Photo by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Skulferatu #119 on a large rusty screw

 

A picture of four rusty screws on the metal container with the small, ceramic skull (Skulferatu 119) sitting on one of the screws.  Photo by Kevin Nosferatu for the Skulferatu Project.
Skulferatu #119 on a large rusty screw

 

TomTom Map showing location of Skulferatu #119
Map showing location of Skulferatu #119

 

The coordinates for the location of the Skulferatu are –

 

Latitude 55.982926

Longitude -3.250747

 

what3words: cone.causes.armed

 

 

 

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