Bruce Peebles Transformer being delivered to Portobello Power Station, 1952

Question
Forbes Wilson Near Guildford, Surrey, England		Where was the photo taken?
Answers
1.	Peter Stubbs Edinburgh	- Approaching the foot of Leith Walk
2.	John Hadden Edinburgh	- Approaching the foot of Leith Walk
3.	Walter Lyle Hume Cowes, Isle of Wight, England	- Approaching the foot of Leith Walk
4.	Brian Swanney Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand	- Approaching the foot of Leith Walk
5.	Steve Chambers	- Approaching the foot of Leith Walk
6.	Bob Henderson Burdiehouse, Edinburgh	- Approaching the foot of Leith Walk
7.	Forbes Wilson Near Guildford, Surrey, England	- Thanks for all the replies
Some of the replies below answer the question: "Where was this photo taken?" Others answer the question: "Why was this route taken?"
8.	Brian Swanney Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand	- Ferry Road, Newhaven Road, Leith Walk?
9.	Patrick Hutton New Town, Edinburgh	- Weight and size of the load
10.	Harry Jones Liberton, Edinburgh	- Constitution Street and Salamander Street
11.	Steven Oliver Duns, Borders, Scotland	- Setting off North down Pilton Drive
12.	Harry Hunter Fife, Scotland	- Approaching the foot of Leith Walk
13.	Sylvia Dawson Ontario, Canada	- Approaching the foot of Leith Walk
14.	Nicola Woodburn Stirling, Stirlingshire, Scotland	- Approaching the foot of Leith Walk
15.	Archie Cairns	- Leith Walk at Jane Street
16.	Steve Begg Maidenhead, Berkshire, England	- Leith Walk at Jane Street

Transformer from

Bruce Peebles Ltd

Thank you to Forbes Wilson for telling me about the photograph above.

Forbes wrote:

Where was this photo taken?

"This photo is dated 12^th June 1952. I’m assuming the location of this photo is somewhere between Bruce Peebles factory at East Pilton and Portobello.

I know the Granton, Newhaven, Leith and Portobello areas fairly well but struggled to identify the location of this photograph.

Can any of your readers locate this photograph?"

Forbes Wilson, near Guildford, Surrey, England: February 2, 2009

If you recognise the location of this photo, please email me, then I'll pass on your message to Forbes. Thank you.

- Peter Stubbs: February 2, 2009

Answer

Peter Stubbs

Edinburgh

It looks to me as if this photo may have been taken as the transformer passed under the old railway bridge (now demolished) as it was approaching the foot of Leith Walk.

- Peter Stubbs: February 2, 2009

Answer

John Hadden

Edinburgh

John Hadden asked:

"Somewhere like here?"

Bridge: 102-104 Leith Walk

- John Hadden, Edinburgh: February 2, 2009

Yes, John.

That's exactly the place that I had in mind.

- Peter Stubbs: February 2, 2009

Answer

Walter Lyle Hume

Cowes, Isle of Wight, England

Walter Lyle Hume replied:

"100% correct location - a few yards up from Jane Street on the right. I'd like to see more 'Where was this?' photos. It helps to keep the think glands supple."

- Walter Lyle Hume, Cowes, Isle of Wight, England: February 2, 2009

Answer

Brian Swanney

Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand

Thank you to Brian Swanney who reached the same conclusion as others above. Brian wrote:

"Could it be Leith Walk, bridge at Jane Street heading towards Foot of the Walk? Compare with the picture below.

Bridge near Jane Street, near the foot of Leith Walk

© Reproduced with acknowledgement to John Stewart
on whose web site this photo appeared.

"Maybe the transformer pic would have been taken from the right hand side of road, by the Scotsman office. The lamp post on the extreme left looks similar style to that in the transformer pic. I see others have replied similarly."

- Brian Swanney, Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand: February 2, 2009

Answer

Bob Henderson

Burdiehouse, Edinburgh

Bob Henderson wrote:

"It is definitely the foot of the Walk, but I think it is heading south up the Walk."

- Bob Henderson, Burdiehouse Edinburgh: February 2, 2009

I replied to Bob, and he wrote back again a few minutes later:

"Sorry, I stand corrected. On closer inspection, it is heading north down the Walk.

It seems a strange route from Granton to Portobello though."

- Bob Henderson, Burdiehouse Edinburgh: February 2, 2009

Answer

Forbes Wilson

near Guildford, Surrey, England

Forbes Wilson, who asked the original question about this photo, replied:

"Many thanks to your readers, and shame on me for not recognising the location. After visiting my grandparents in Thorntree Street, we would walk along Halmyre Street, Gordon and Manderston Streets and then onto Leith Walk.

We would turn left and under the railway bridge shown in the photograph, to the bus stop outside the bus depot on Leith Walk.

My grandparents also went to their whist evenings in one of the recessed buildings shown on the extreme right hand side of the photograph."

Forbes Wilson, near Guildford, Surrey, England: February 3, 2009

More Replies

I'm still continuing to receive more replies confirming that this photo was taken near the foot of Leith Walk, at the corner on Jane Street.

These replies have come from:

- Harry Jones
Parkgrove, Edinburgh, March 20, 2009

- Harry Hunter, who worked for Bruce Peebles, 1960-68
Fife, Scotland, September 20, 2010.

Answer

Brian Swanney

Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand

Thank you to Brian Swanney who wrote again, in response to Bob Henderson's comment (in 6 above) about the route taken by the load from Bruce Peebles' factory at East Pilton to Portobello Power Station.

Brian wrote

The Route

"I lived not very far from Bruce Peebles' factory. In the 1950s and 1960s, I can remember loads going north down Pilton Drive and on towards Granton Harbour – indeed you and Granton History Group have early photos of loads going onto ships there.

I’m not sure I remember any going from the factory and heading south on Pilton Drive where the first thing to negotiate would have been the rise and minor humpback bridge over the railway line before getting down past Northern General onto Ferry Road. I suspect they may have and I just can’t recall.

I suppose, if they did go that way, then it would possibly be Ferry Road / Newhaven Road / Leith Walk / Constitution Street / Seafield Rd?

I don’t think they would want to go via Coburg St or Gt Junction Street to get from Ferry Road to Seafield Rd. Likewise, I doubt they would much relish negotiating the ‘z’ bend at Trinity Bridge if going via Granton to Portobello.

I’ll bet other contributors will have more definite memories!"

- Brian Swanney, Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand: February 2, 2009

Answer

Patrick Hutton

Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand

Thank you to Patrick Hutton, who replied:

The Route

"Maybe the load was:

- too heavy to go over the railway line at Lindsay Road or over the Water of Leith at the Shore, or

- too tall or too large to fit around the dog-leg at the N end of Trinity Road, where the Granton Branch used to cross the road."

- Patrick Hutton, New Town, Edinburgh: February 3, 2009

Answer

10.

Harry Jones

Liberton, Edinburgh

Thank you to Harry Jones, who has two sons who used to work at Bruce Peebles, who wrote:

The Route

"This picture was taken going under the bridge at Manderston Street, Leith Walk, heading for the Foot of the Walk, and then on to Constitution Street and Salamander Street, then Seafield Road to Portobello."

- Harry Jones, Liberton, Edinburgh: March 16, 2009

Answer

11.

Steven Oliver

Duns, Borders, Scotland

Thank you to Steven Oliver who wrote:

Transformer Delivery Route

"I’m sure all heavy loads which left the works headed north down Pilton Drive. Here is a photograph of a transformer leaving the factory in that direction in 1968.

I don’t think that any headed south. Pilton Drive narrows slightly at that point and the bridge would probably not have withstood a low-loader with transformer passing across it. It’s possible that the bridge would have posed potential grounding problems for them too, so I suspect that the more likely route for the transformers to take to Ferry Road would have been via Granton Road.

The lifting traffic islands at the Pilton Drive North/West Granton Road junction have now gone, but there is still one reminder of Bruce Peebles to be found in Edinburgh: the middle of the traffic roundabout on Groathill Road North, which has a gap in the centre of it. This was to allow the low-loaders to carry straight on towards Telford Road without having to negotiate the roundabout."

Steven Oliver, Duns, Borders Scotland: August 31, 2009

Steven Oliver added:

Transformer for Portobello

"By a process of elimination, the route taken by the transformer shown in the 1952 photograph would have been from Bruce Peebles via Pilton Drive, Pilton Drive North, West Granton Road, across Granton Square, Granton Road, Ferry Road, Newhaven Road and Pilrig Street to Leith Walk."

Steven Oliver, Duns, Borders Scotland: September 6, 2009

Answer

12.

Harry Hunter

Fife, Scotland

Harry Hunter also identified where this photo was taken.

Harry, who worked for Bruce Peebles from1960 to 1968, wrote:

Location

"This photo was definitely taken near the foot of the Walk, at the corner of Jane Street."

Harry Jones, Fife, Scotland: September 20, 2010

Answer

13.

Sylvia Dawson

Ontario, Canada

Thank you to Sylvia Dawson who wrote::

Location

"It is fun for me to identify this location. I lived just to the north of where this photo was taken from.

The last street off Leith Walk on the right before reaching Leith Railway Station at the 'Foot of the Walk' is Crown Place. That's where I lived until 1949. The bridge was taken down some years later."

Sylvia Dawson, Ontario, Canada: December 9, 2010

Answer

14.

Nicola Woodburn

Stirling, Stirlingshire, Scotland

Thank you to Nicola Woodburn who wrote::

Location

"I also grew up near where this photograph was taken. The railway bridge was about half-way between our flat in Leith Walk and the Foot o' the Walk. I walked under it daily in fear of the pigeons nesting in the beams under the deck. Thankfully the seemingly inevitable never happened."

Nicola Woodburn, Stirling, Stirlingshire, Scotland: April 29, 2011

Answer

15.

Archie Cairns

Thank you to Archie Cairns for also recognising the location of this photo as being the bridge near the foot of Leith Walk. Archie added:

Location

"The bridge in this photograph was in Leith Walk at Jane Street hidden by the large transformer. The shops beneath the bridge provide the clue. The one on the right is now Rikki's Music shop.

You may find more information about the route from the Edinburgh Evening News Archives or possibility STV or BBC Scotland Archives this would have been a great news story of the time."

Nicola Woodburn, Stirling, Stirlingshire, Scotland: April 29, 2011

Answer

16.

Steve Begg

Maidenhead, Berkshire, England

Thank you to Steve Begg for also coming up with the same answer.

Steve wrote:

Location

"The transformer is heading north to the bottom of Leith Walk. The entrance to Jane Street, where my grandmother lived, is obscured by it."

Steve Begg, Maidenhead, Berkshire, England: November 13 2013