Skulferatu #23 - West Breakwater Lighthouse and Signal Tower, Leith Docks, Edinburgh

 

West Breakwater Lighthouse

 

This abandoned and now derelict lighthouse sits on a concrete platform at the West Breakwater of Leith Docks.  It was built in the 1950s and on the flat roof there was a massive semaphore device for signalling to ships out in the Forth.  The building fell out of use due to advances in technology and changes in shipping routes.  Today it is derelict and empty, weather battered and stripped bare. It is usually decorated with graffiti, though every so often the council come along and whitewash the building and resecure the fence around it. 

 

Walkway to West Breakwater Lighthouse

The lighthouse is now derelict and abandoned

 

Graffiti on the abandoned lighthouse

The lighthouse tower

 

 

Concrete support pillars underneath the lighthouse

 

I’ve always thought the lighthouse is a building that could have a second life as something…maybe a trendy café or restaurant.  However, given the practical difficulties and costs involved in this sort of transformation, it will probably just crumble away until one day the bulldozers come in and knock it down.

 

I left a Skulferatu under the lighthouse, at the back of the space created by the supporting pillars.

 

Skulferatu #23

Skulferatu #23 at West Breakwater Lighthouse

 

TomTom Map showing location of Skulferatu #23

 

The coordinates for the location of the Skulferatu are –

Latitude 55.988837

Longitude -3.185501

 

Skulferatu #13 - Victoria Swing Bridge, Leith Docks, Edinburgh

 

Today’s Skulkferatu ended up somewhere a little bit different, on a structure from the industrial past of Leith – the Victoria Swing Bridge.  This crosses the water of Leith just down from the popular area of The Shore, where there are many restaurants and eateries.

View down Water of Leith

Victoria Swing Bridge, Leith

The bridge was built between 1871 and 1874 and is constructed of wrought iron.  It is a swing bridge, meaning it could swing open to allow passing boats through.  It was hydraulically operated and the power for this was supplied from a small power station building that sits nearby.  Originally a railway track and a private road ran down the middle of the structure and there was a walkway on both sides.  The bridge no longer swings open and is nowadays solely for pedestrian use. 

Victoria Swing Bridge and old Whaling Harpoon

View down Victoria Swing Bridge

Unfortunately, the bridge is now in a state of disrepair and though there have been various campaigns to have it restored, nothing has yet been done.  It is currently on the Buildings at Risk register.

 

I left a Skulferatu balanced on a rivet in one the beams of the bridge.

Skulferatu #13

Skulferatu #13 on Victoria Swing Bridge, Leith

Google Map showing location of Skulferatu #13

The coordinates for the location of the Skulferatu are:

Latitude 55.978708

Longitude -3.170241